Roy Burnie, Simon’s Town Historical Society
In memory of the visits Queen Elizabeth II made to Simon’s Town, flags on Jubilee Square were flown at half mast on Monday September 19, the day of her funeral.
The Simon’s Town Historical Society arranged with Simon's Town Amenities Development Company (Stadco), which manages Jubilee Square, to fly both the national flag and the Union Jack at half mast.
Jubilee Square has a long association with royalty. It is named after the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935, and the horse trough fountain celebrated Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
When the Jubilee Square clock was replaced in the cupola in 2012, it was decided, as it coincided with the occasion of the queen’s Diamond Jubilee, to name it the Jubilee Clock.
The queen visited Simon’s Town on two occasions - once in 1947 as Princess Elizabeth during the royal tour of South Africa and again in 1995 with her husband, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh. On this occasion, the Royal Yacht, Britannia, berthed in Simon’s Town.
There are also a couple on benches at the museum with plaques commemorating the queen’s coronation in 1953 and other artefacts.