Commemoration Day, Imperial College, London
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
King George and Queen Elizabeth (now the Queen Mother) visited Imperial College in 1945 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal College of Chemistry, the oldest forerunner of Imperial. Each year we commemorate their visit, holding a large ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall. Here, new graduates, wearing their gowns for the first time, are presented to the Rector of the College as associates of their respective constituent colleges. New fellows are also presented to the Rector on this day.
A bit of background:
Imperial College (IC) is in South Kensington, one of the touristy parts of central London, England. With 3 museums close by, there are always tourists swarming everywhere. The nearest tube stations are Gloucester Road and South Kensington.
Imperial is a college of the University of London, which awards the degrees. Otherwise, colleges in London are pretty much autonomous. Imperial has four constituent colleges, which are the Royal College of Science (RCS), Royal School of Mines (RSM) and City and Guilds College (C&G) also there is the Imperial College School of Medicine. Being University of London, we don't graduate in a big ceremony, but Imperial holds Commem. Day so we can do the dress-up bit.
I finished my degree this year and Wednesday 27th October 1999 was my Commem. Day. Here's a description of the events of my days' exertions (Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday morning). The lack of breath while reading this indicates the hectic nature of events.
Deep breath!
Dashed back to flat from my department in Oxford Tuesday lunchtime to meet parents, who were driving down from Liverpool. They were held up in traffic for 2 hours. Starved until they arrived then served hotpot and home made bread. Drove to London in smoky car (awful). Found their hotel, checked them in. Had dinner in hotel and then dashed to Bayswater where boyfriend lives. His sister let me in as he had forgotten what time I was arriving. He arrived and then he went out for curry. Finally got to sleep (1am? no idea).
Got woken up early. Walked across Hyde Park to college. Got gown in queue of -10 i.e. I was there before they opened but still got my gown then and there. Went to Gloucester Road station to meet parents. Dashed back to college to have "family portraits" taken. Again beating queues majorly. Father had forgotten hearing aid, so parents dashed back to hotel (45 minutes tube away) to pick it up.
Met some friends. Looked for 4th year supervisor but she was not in office. Met more friends. Exchanged new email addresses. Photos in gowns by "this is a temporary gate sign". These are replacement gates while the real ones are in storage to protect them during building work. I've never seen the real ones and neither have people who started two years before me and I was on a four-year course! Photos by lions (statues of lions).
Nearly lunchtime. Had arranged to go to lunch in favourite Italian place in South Ken station with parents. Went to station. Waited for 3/4 hour, talking to random tourists and parents of other graduates. Ceremony stars at 2, now 12:45. Phone Mummy's new mobile. Panic with parent losing in South Kensington - they went to High Street Ken station rather than South Ken, but are in taxi and two minutes from South Ken. Eat at Sugo's (said v nice, delicious, cheap, filling Italian place).
Go to Royal Albert Hall for ceremony. Find entrance for parents. Find my entrance. Find seat. Wander round to talk with friends. Ceremony about to begin. Dash back to seat. Procession of important bods into hall. Speeches etc. College hymn. Ceremony three hours long, as usual. 1300 graduates to be presented to the Court and Council of imperial in one afternoon. Long procession round onto the Royal Albert Hall stage and bow to the Chairman of the Court then back to seats. Orchestra playing meanwhile. The City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines were first. Then there was an interlude of the choir singing for five minutes. After the choir was the Royal College of Science presentation of graduate. Then was the presentation of fellows. 1 hour of speeches for that. Finally the medics were presented, who have degrees but not associateships. This was followed by a Valediction and then "God Save the Queen". Finally came the procession out led by student presidents of Imperial College Union, Royal College of Science Union, Royal School of Mines Union, City and Guilds College Union and Medical Schools Union. Will, President of RCSU trying not to crack up - I grinned, he went, so did I.
Long crush to get out. Boiling in there. Dashed to find parents. Afterwards, tea laid on by departments. Dashed to pick up bag before cloakroom closed. Dashed to hand back gown before hall closed and would have got charged a week's hire instead of one day. Mingled at tea. When IC says tea, means tea, no other beverages provided, and just eclairs and teensy triangular sandwiches to eat.
Left tea at 6 and dashed to put parents on tube and go to meet boyfriend. Went to his place, changed, dashed to Notting Hill, fed him and got Oxford Tube (coach) back to Oxford. Got in at ten, showered, h2g2ed, went to bed.
Did NOT want to get up this a.m. Went to dept, had security photo done (that'll look awful for next three years and I hadn't drunk a drop yesterday or day before or even since Sunday and so was not hung-over as bloke commented I looked).
Dashing around in gown for 9 hours (9am to 6pm) was great fun. Tourists were rather shocked. Especially in South Ken subway. Consequently am tired out.
Got a new teddy bear, with Imperial Bleeding Eyes Scarf. The Imperial Scarf is black with strips of purple, mustard, blue, wine red and white, so that ones eyes bleed to look at. The colours are as on the gowns' hoods for each of constituent colleges, with a different colour for each constituent college. The teddy also has a mortarboard. Mummy bought him for me; I have yet to name him. He's got real moving arms and legs too, but slightly unhappy expression.
I also got an RCS scarf. Real (human) size, but not so eye-watering as the IC real size scarf would be as only purple and white stripes on black background.
Deep breath!
A bit of background:
Imperial College (IC) is in South Kensington, one of the touristy parts of central London, England. With 3 museums close by, there are always tourists swarming everywhere. The nearest tube stations are Gloucester Road and South Kensington.
Imperial is a college of the University of London, which awards the degrees. Otherwise, colleges in London are pretty much autonomous. Imperial has four constituent colleges, which are the Royal College of Science (RCS), Royal School of Mines (RSM) and City and Guilds College (C&G) also there is the Imperial College School of Medicine. Being University of London, we don't graduate in a big ceremony, but Imperial holds Commem. Day so we can do the dress-up bit.
I finished my degree this year and Wednesday 27th October 1999 was my Commem. Day. Here's a description of the events of my days' exertions (Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday morning). The lack of breath while reading this indicates the hectic nature of events.
Deep breath!
Dashed back to flat from my department in Oxford Tuesday lunchtime to meet parents, who were driving down from Liverpool. They were held up in traffic for 2 hours. Starved until they arrived then served hotpot and home made bread. Drove to London in smoky car (awful). Found their hotel, checked them in. Had dinner in hotel and then dashed to Bayswater where boyfriend lives. His sister let me in as he had forgotten what time I was arriving. He arrived and then he went out for curry. Finally got to sleep (1am? no idea).
Got woken up early. Walked across Hyde Park to college. Got gown in queue of -10 i.e. I was there before they opened but still got my gown then and there. Went to Gloucester Road station to meet parents. Dashed back to college to have "family portraits" taken. Again beating queues majorly. Father had forgotten hearing aid, so parents dashed back to hotel (45 minutes tube away) to pick it up.
Met some friends. Looked for 4th year supervisor but she was not in office. Met more friends. Exchanged new email addresses. Photos in gowns by "this is a temporary gate sign". These are replacement gates while the real ones are in storage to protect them during building work. I've never seen the real ones and neither have people who started two years before me and I was on a four-year course! Photos by lions (statues of lions).
Nearly lunchtime. Had arranged to go to lunch in favourite Italian place in South Ken station with parents. Went to station. Waited for 3/4 hour, talking to random tourists and parents of other graduates. Ceremony stars at 2, now 12:45. Phone Mummy's new mobile. Panic with parent losing in South Kensington - they went to High Street Ken station rather than South Ken, but are in taxi and two minutes from South Ken. Eat at Sugo's (said v nice, delicious, cheap, filling Italian place).
Go to Royal Albert Hall for ceremony. Find entrance for parents. Find my entrance. Find seat. Wander round to talk with friends. Ceremony about to begin. Dash back to seat. Procession of important bods into hall. Speeches etc. College hymn. Ceremony three hours long, as usual. 1300 graduates to be presented to the Court and Council of imperial in one afternoon. Long procession round onto the Royal Albert Hall stage and bow to the Chairman of the Court then back to seats. Orchestra playing meanwhile. The City and Guilds College and the Royal School of Mines were first. Then there was an interlude of the choir singing for five minutes. After the choir was the Royal College of Science presentation of graduate. Then was the presentation of fellows. 1 hour of speeches for that. Finally the medics were presented, who have degrees but not associateships. This was followed by a Valediction and then "God Save the Queen". Finally came the procession out led by student presidents of Imperial College Union, Royal College of Science Union, Royal School of Mines Union, City and Guilds College Union and Medical Schools Union. Will, President of RCSU trying not to crack up - I grinned, he went, so did I.
Long crush to get out. Boiling in there. Dashed to find parents. Afterwards, tea laid on by departments. Dashed to pick up bag before cloakroom closed. Dashed to hand back gown before hall closed and would have got charged a week's hire instead of one day. Mingled at tea. When IC says tea, means tea, no other beverages provided, and just eclairs and teensy triangular sandwiches to eat.
Left tea at 6 and dashed to put parents on tube and go to meet boyfriend. Went to his place, changed, dashed to Notting Hill, fed him and got Oxford Tube (coach) back to Oxford. Got in at ten, showered, h2g2ed, went to bed.
Did NOT want to get up this a.m. Went to dept, had security photo done (that'll look awful for next three years and I hadn't drunk a drop yesterday or day before or even since Sunday and so was not hung-over as bloke commented I looked).
Dashing around in gown for 9 hours (9am to 6pm) was great fun. Tourists were rather shocked. Especially in South Ken subway. Consequently am tired out.
Got a new teddy bear, with Imperial Bleeding Eyes Scarf. The Imperial Scarf is black with strips of purple, mustard, blue, wine red and white, so that ones eyes bleed to look at. The colours are as on the gowns' hoods for each of constituent colleges, with a different colour for each constituent college. The teddy also has a mortarboard. Mummy bought him for me; I have yet to name him. He's got real moving arms and legs too, but slightly unhappy expression.
I also got an RCS scarf. Real (human) size, but not so eye-watering as the IC real size scarf would be as only purple and white stripes on black background.
Deep breath!
