On this day in 1952 King George VI died in his sleep due to cancer.
Princess Elizabeth was on holiday with Prince Phillip in Kenya when
she heard the news that, at the age of only 25, she was Queen.
All around the UK, today, a 21-gun salute was fired to commemorate this
event. These photos were taken from the Portsmouth Round Tower
looking across to the saluting guns at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport.
Click on a thumbnail for a larger photo . . .
Getting ready to fire the salute
It gets pretty noisy so close to the guns
There are two of them firing alternately
They generate a lot of smoke . . .
. . . so if the wind is in the wrong direction . .
. . . the smoke can ruin your photos!
(Luckily not today)