The papers of the Erskine Family of Cardross - Sir Arthur Erskine and the Coronation of King George VI 12th May 1937
Staff at the Council Archives were delighted to receive a wonderful deposit of records of the Erskine family of Cardross in the August of this year. Amongst those papers are some wonderful photographs and letters relating to the Coronation of George VI in 1937.
Sir Arthur Erskine of Cardross (1 September 1881 – 24th July 1963) as well as his long and distinguished career in the armed forces, acted as Crown Equerry to the Royal Household between 1924 and 1941 and was an Extra Equerry after that.
In his capacity as Crown Equerry, Sir Arthur was responsible for organising all of the personnel and equipment involved in the procession both before and after the coronation of King George VI in May 1937. The family papers include some remarkable photographs of the event, and letters written to Sir Arthur regarding it.
The majority of these letters are from friends of Sir Arthur congratulating him on the smooth running of the spectacle, which took up the majority of the morning of Coronation Day.
As Royal Equerry, Sir Arthur was also responsible for other administrative tasks as and when required by the Royal Household. A letter from earlier in the coronation year from the King himself, gives directions for the acquisition of a vehicle for the King himself to drive. At this time, prestige cars were ordered in two stages: engine and chassis first from the motor manufacturer, in this case, Daimler, and then from a separate coachbuilder who would build the bodywork to your specifications, ensuring that no two of this kind of expensive vehicle were the same. The King is ordering a ‘landaulette’ body for his Daimler here, as he wishes to have a car that can have the top down because ‘we shall have so much driving through cheering crowds this year, & an open car is a great rest.’
You can read more about the life of Sir Arthur Erskine here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Erskine