From 1942 I was brought up in a family that took the Manchester Guardian (Letters, 3 May). My first memory of it was the Low cartoon published the day after the coronation in 1953. As I recall, it was titled “Time to put the toys away” and showed an untidy toy box with soldiers, royal coaches, discarded bunting etc. I’d half-expect it to grace your pages again on Monday 8 May, which also happens to be my birthday.
Martin Fitton
Kington, Herefordshire
• Although a republican, I decided to watch the coronation for the spectacle. I was struck by the scale and the pomposity of the event – the singing was sublime though.
Helen Crawley
Wells, Somerset
• It was interesting that King Charles’s coronation oath to uphold the Protestant religion was followed immediately by not one but two choral works by our greatest Catholic composer, William Byrd. Perhaps an ecumenical dog-whistle for those with ears to hear?
James Lindesay
Leicester
• During the 1979 general election, I had an anarchist window poster reading “Don’t vote – it only encourages them!” (Letters, 3 May). My then flatmate objected, wanting to display a Vote Labour poster. We compromised with a home-crafted one reading “Vote Tory for a better class of repression”.
Albert Beale
London
• I also studied The Mayor of Casterbridge for my English O-level and thought Michael Henchard was a right git from beginning to end (Letters, 5 May). I got an A.
Ian Grieve
Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal
• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
