Royal emergency on King’s visit to Civic Hall

YOUR feature article (Yorkshire Post, September 30) about the light show which is to take place at Leeds Civic Hall reminded me that I have in my possession a souvenir miniature edition of your sister paper, the Yorkshire Evening Post, published on Wednesday, August 23, 1933.

This special edition of 80 years ago was printed on the day King George V officially opened the new Civic Hall. The miniature 16-page edition measures 15.5cm by 19.5cm and can easily be read with the aid of a magnifying glass.

One interesting account recalls that the ceremonies were delayed when, in her drive through Leeds, Her Majesty Queen Mary got a piece of grit in her eye.

One of the guests, Lord Moynihan, sent to the Infirmary for medical supplies and after an hour the Queen was able to continue. The news reporter quoted a sentence of the King’s speech as serving as a guiding inspiration for the years to come. The King said: “The root of good government is a live and active civic spirit.”

I wonder how many of these special editions were printed and how many of them still survive after 80 years?