Black and white photograph of a group of young Cadets and adults in uniform on a carnival parade float. The Cadets hold up trophies. Behind them is a crowd of onlooking lining the road.

Dr James Burton

Joined 1950

Chingford Ambulance Cadet Division, London

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Colour photograph of three people in St John uniform lining the roadside. Behind them is the cenotaph along with lines of other people in official uniforms.
St John Ambulance personnel by the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day, Whitehall, London, 1990s Museum of the Order of St John (NC.HAR.2022.0293)
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Transcript

I think probably the most memorable was Trooping the Colour, which was a fantastic occasion. We were stationed at the back of Horse Guards Parade, so we got a superb view, it was a wonderful day. And another one that I do remember quite clearly is a Remembrance Day Parade at the Cenotaph when we were on duty as Cadets, and I was positioned in the middle of the road outside the Houses of Parliament. And the curious thing was everything was still, of course, there was no traffic, it was absolutely silent. And stood in the middle of the road in front of all the crowd with the soldiers lining on sort of the road as well, one could feel the Underground underneath on the Piccadilly Line rattling the road surface. And I thought, well this must be the only time in the year that anybody could experience the vibration through the road surface of the London Underground underneath us. And I remember that distinctly.

Excerpt courtesy of Dr James Burton