The May Queen for 1940 was Sheila Rowan, the daughter of Michael and Ellen Rowan (formerly Dolan, and the sister of Thomas Dolan who is commemorated on the St Mary’s War Memorial).
The pageant took place on Sunday 5 May, which was the day after Sheila’s 12th birthday. A St Mary’s pupil, she was a member of the Guild of St Agnes. This was an organisation for girls of between ages 11 and 15 who had been confirmed.1
Although Sheila had not previously taken a principal part in the pageant, her sister, Monica, had been a cushion bearer in a previous event.
This is how the event was reported:
BATLEY CATHOLIC MAY PROCESSION.
Beautiful Pageant at St. Mary’s.
THE QUEEN WEARS A BIRTHDAY ROSARY.[The] Batley Roman Catholic May procession last Sunday was, as usual, an impressive ceremony.
Many parishioners were unable to gain admission to the Church for the crowning of the Statue of Our Lady, which was performed with fitting reverence and simplicity by the May Queen, 12-year-old Sheila Rowan, Jacob Street, Woodwell.
Heading the procession were the cross bearer and acolytes, followed by altar boys and members of the Guild of St. Agnes, who were preceded by their banner.
Kathleen Gooder, the ex-Queen, was a pretty figure in a satin gown, cut in Elizabethan style. Her long white satin train was lined with blue and richly embroidered. She carried lilies.
Attending her were Misses C. Sharpe, R. Collinson, M. Healey, G. Armstead, M. Kerfoot and S. Carr (maids-of-honour), and four boy train bearers were M. Dolan, G. Gooder, K. Lane and R, Donelan, in all white.
Twenty-six Children of Mary were preceded by the Banner of Our Lady. They wore coronets of lilies and white ankle-length dresses. Each carried an arum lily, and during the ceremony the lilies were placed, two by two, at the foot of the Statue of Our Lady.
The Children of Mary were: Maureen Muldowney, Margaret Travers, Eileen Collins, Mary Henry, Mary Stention, Kathleen Delaney, Rita Mulcahy, Mary Heaton, Mary Evans, Mary Galloway, Moya Rowan, Kathleen Lyons, Marie Colleran, Katleeen Brennan, Jean Daly, Angela Wash, Mary Scanlon, Margaret Neville, Annie Byrne, Sheila Gallagher, Sheila Mullins, Mary Rowe, Delia Heaps, Maureen Chappell, Margaret Walford and Margaret Senior.
This was to be the last May Queen pageant until 1949.
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Footnote:
1: St Mary of the Angels, Batley 1853-2003, Memories of Mrs Nora Colleran.
Postscript:
I may not be able to thank you personally because of your contact detail confidentiality, but I do want to say how much I appreciate the donations already received to keep this website going. They really and truly do help. Thank you.
The website has always been free to use, and I want to continue this policy in the future. However, it does cost me money to operate – from undertaking the research to website hosting costs. In the current difficult economic climate I do have to regularly consider if I can afford to continue running it as a free resource.
If you have enjoyed reading the various pieces, and would like to make a donation towards keeping the website up and running in its current open access format, it would be very much appreciated.
Please click 👉🏻here👈🏻 to be taken to the PayPal donation link. By making a donation you will be helping to keep the website online and freely available for all.
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