After a break due to the Second World War and its aftermath, the St. Mary’s May Queen ceremony made a welcome return in 1949. It had previously been one of the highlights of the parish year, an occasion which packed the church out, with people eager to witness the pageantry and costumes involved. So the event’s revival generated much interest in the parish, and the evening was keenly anticipated.
Eleven-year-old St. Mary’s schoolgirl Moya Hill, of Peel Street, was chosen to be the Queen for this momentous occasion in 1949, a position which – as was customary – she would hold in the parish for a year. She was the daughter of the late Jack Hill and Mary Hill (neé Cassidy).
The 1949 May Queen event, during which the statue of Our Lady was crowned by her, took place at St. Mary’s on Sunday evening, 1 May.
During the service Father O’Brien described May as the month of freshness and beauty, and the month in which Mary was specially honoured. He spoke of her faith, purity, humility and Christianity.
After the service, a procession moved round the church headed by the altar boys, led by cross-bearer Mr. Tom Brennan. They were followed by the banner of the Children of Mary carried by Renee Kelly and streamed by Rita Kelly, Dorothy Levitt, Mary Woodhead and Winnie Rowe. Behind them came the white veiled Children of Mary. Next was Mary Rowe carrying the banner of the Guild of St. Agnes, streamed by M. Travers, D. Heaps, J. Beaumont and N. Allen, followed by the Guild members wearing their pale blue cloaks.
M. Prendergast, E. Sharp, K. Gooder and A. Moran carried the statue of Our Lady, and then came the Queen and her attendants, preceded by her maids-of-honour and followed by 27 infants carrying arum lillies. Father Farrelly and Father O’Brien were also in the procession.
Moya Hill’s May Queen’s dress was full-skirted and of white figured satin with a fitted bodice and cowl at the back. Her embroidered veil was carried by her page boys, Dennis King and David Preston, in white satin suits. Monica Kershaw, in white lace over satin and with a wreath of pink and blue rosebuds, was cushion-bearer. It was traditional for the previous year’s Queen to participate in the ceremony, but presumably because of the lengthy intervening gap there was no mention of the 1940 May Queen, Sheila Rowan.
The May Queen’s outfit was an integral part of the occasion, with everyone looking forward to seeing what she would be wearing. Moya remembers her mother buying her dress from Madame Jean’s on Bradford Road, Dewsbury, near the railway arch and opposite another popular long-gone shop, Birtle’s. Describing itself as Dewsbury’s Own Gown and Coat Manufacturer, Jean’s took particular pride in knowing their profession, with every garment designed, cut and manufactured on the premises, in order to produce ladies’ wear at its very best to suit every occasion. They could also produce a garment at short notice (as shown in their advert here from May 1949), and as Moya was only named as the prospective May Queen the month before the event, this too was an important factor. To buy a gown at Madame Jean’s was a not inconsiderable expense for Mary Hill, especially given that she had been widowed with four young children since 1940.
After the Queen had crowned the statue of Our Lady, the Benediction was given by Father O’Brien.
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