Although the medal gives the date 26th June 1902, two days beforehand King Edward VII was forced to postpone the Coronation until 9 August owing to an appendicitis.
As a Yeoman of the Guard, Trumpet Major Robert Kells VC participated in the 1902 Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
In 1844 when he was 12 years old Robert enlisted into the 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers at Cawnpore (Kanpur) in India. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1857 `for conspicuous bravery …in defending against a number of the enemy his commanding officer… who was lying in the street with his collarbone broken… and remaining with him until out of danger’.
Robert left the army in 1868 and was appointed Yeoman Bed Hanger of the King's Body-Guard at St James' Palace in 1881. In this role he attended all the great state occasions of the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods including the Coronation in 1902. Robert Kells VC died in London on the 14th April 1905 and is buried in Lambeth Cemetery.
Chief Petty Officer Didar Singh Sandu served aboard the INS Dheli (formerly HMNZS Achilles), the Flagship of the Indian Navy at the time of the Queen's Coronation in June 1953. The INS Delhi took part in the Royal Fleet Review 1953 as part of the Coronation celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II. He also saw action against the Portuguese in the liberation of Goa in 1961. He was the youngest of three brothers, two in the army and one in the Air Force. They all fought in WW2. On 6th May 2023 his Grandson, Trooper Avi Kaul marched as part of a detachment of Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own).
"It's such an honour to follow in the footsteps of my Grandfather who took part in the Queen's Coronation 69 years ago" - Trooper Avi Kaul
A Royal Armoured Corps contingent comprising of representatives from all cavalry regiments participated in the Coronation Parade to mark the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth II which took place on 2 June 1953.
The 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers were based in Detmold, Germany but a detachment travelled to London to take part in the Coronation Procession in London, and the event was celebrated with Coronation Balls in the messes at Detmold.
According to a lancer who took part in the procession `the streets were quiet until we reached Knightsbridge, and it was not until then that we realised the first thrill and excitement at seeing the highly decorated streets already lined with excited, cheering crowds, many of whom had slept all night on the pavement’.
