'She was a constant': Long Islanders with U.K. roots remember Queen Elizabeth II
John Dennis-Browne of Glen Cove remembers singing for Elizabeth when he was a teen and a choir member 70 years ago. "The queen was all of six feet from me the entire time," he said. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Following the death Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II of England, Newsday reached out to Long Islanders with United Kingdom ties to have them reflect on the life and times of the queen, as well as how her life and death touched them. What follows are their stories:
As a former pilot and training officer in the Royal Air Force, Josephs pledged his allegiance to the queen, and to her heirs and successors.
Now an educational consultant living in Port Washington, Josephs, 54, said Friday he was stunned to hear she had died. And, like many of his fellow ex-pats, he said it's strange to think the United Kingdom now has a king as its monarch, after more than 70 years with a queen.
"God save the queen rolls off the tongue," Josephs said. "It's going to take a while to get accustomed to saying, 'God save the king.' In fact, I was talking to my parents about that yesterday. … How all the stamps are going to change, how all the coins are going to change … I think it feels like you lost a grandparent — a very stoic, very committed, steady figure in your life. Even though I never personally met her, she was this solid figure in your life; she was a constant.
"She was almost like this mythical character, the glue that made the kingdom what it is."
Josephs grew up in North London, in Stanmore, and didn't come to the U.S. until he was 32 years old — just weeks before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
As a former RAF officer — his rank was flying officer; he trained cadets to fly — his commissioning scroll was signed by the queen, who was his ultimate commanding officer.
While Josephs never met Queen Elizabeth, his parents, Paul and Angela, did, he said. Josephs said his mother was a member of the Royal Choral Society, one of the oldest amateur choirs in London, formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, and said his parents met the queen during afternoon tea about 20 years ago in the royal gardens at Buckingham Palace.
"I think what's most interesting is that in addition to all else, when you think about it, she literally was one of the last surviving persons who wore a uniform in World War II," Josephs said, recalling photos of then Princess Elizabeth dressed in British military uniform. He also noted how, as a 9-year-old, he'd followed the queen's Silver Jubilee celebration in 1977.
"I did shed a few tears yesterday, to be honest," he said. "She's the only monarch I've ever known."
As a girl, Dorris would ride horseback in Windsor Great Park, where, from time to time, she would see the British royal family, including the queen. While she never personally met Elizabeth, Dorris said the sense of loss was profound nevertheless.
"She really was a commanding force," Dorris said Friday. "I'm still very tearful."
As Dorris said: "You just feel like a part of you is missing. She held the country together through hard times. We thought she was going to go on forever. She was England."
Dorris grew up in Windsor, just west of London, and met her future husband, Howard, during a visit to the U.S., where she was a bridesmaid in a cousin's wedding. She declined to cite her age.
She said of hearing the queen had died: "Oh, it was terrible. I couldn't stop crying. I think a lot of things that hold the country [England] together are the traditions — and the royal family was first and foremost of those … I think Americans feel a sense of loss, too. I think they admired her."
Dorris said she has commemorative items featuring the queen, including a plate from her visit to New York City in October 1957.
She said she belongs to a Facebook group called The Good Old British Childhood Years and said: "One of the members wrote how he'd never known his grandmother, but the queen was like his grammy."
"It's going to be strange saying 'God save the king' after all these years saying 'God save the queen.' It really is."
Dennis-Browne said that, as a member of the choir at the renowned Shrewsbury School in rural England northwest of Wolverhampton, he once sang solo for Queen Elizabeth II.
It was 1952, the 400th anniversary of the school, founded by King Edward VI in 1552.
"Charles Darwin attended Shrewsbury," Dennis-Browne, 85, said Friday.
While Newsday could not immediately confirm details of his account, Dennis-Browne said that during the visit, which is well-chronicled, he stood all of 6 feet from Elizabeth — who, technically, was then queen, though her coronation would not take place until 1953.
"I remember how excited we all were," Dennis-Browne said Friday. "It was big excitement, because we were the third oldest public school in England — and here she was, the queen. I recall the choir master was very nervous and kept reminding me not to touch her in any way."
Dennis-Browne said he had lost his father, Sidney Edward Dennis-Browne, to a German Luftwaffe bombing in Cambridge in World War II and said his mother, Edith, had opened and become headmistress of the Sandford School for Girls in rural Witherslack, north of Liverpool. In her role with the school, which Dennis-Browne said his mother operated from 1946 to 1968, he said Edith Browne once met the queen.
Dennis-Browne said that on that day in 1952, he sang the Song from Arcadia, "My True Love Hath My Heart," written by Sir Philip Sidney, a graduate of Shrewsbury who died in 1586.
"Want me to sing it?" Dennis-Browne asked, and then did: "My true love hath my heart and I have his, By just exchange one for the other given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss; There never was a bargain better driven … "
"The queen was all of six feet from me the entire time," he said. "And when I was done, she leaned in and said, 'Thank you.' That's what she said, in that quiet voice, 'Thank you.'"
Following the death Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II of England, Newsday reached out to Long Islanders with United Kingdom ties to have them reflect on the life and times of the queen, as well as how her life and death touched them. What follows are their stories:
Milton Josephs, Port Washington
As a former pilot and training officer in the Royal Air Force, Josephs pledged his allegiance to the queen, and to her heirs and successors.
Now an educational consultant living in Port Washington, Josephs, 54, said Friday he was stunned to hear she had died. And, like many of his fellow ex-pats, he said it's strange to think the United Kingdom now has a king as its monarch, after more than 70 years with a queen.
"God save the queen rolls off the tongue," Josephs said. "It's going to take a while to get accustomed to saying, 'God save the king.' In fact, I was talking to my parents about that yesterday. … How all the stamps are going to change, how all the coins are going to change … I think it feels like you lost a grandparent — a very stoic, very committed, steady figure in your life. Even though I never personally met her, she was this solid figure in your life; she was a constant.
"She was almost like this mythical character, the glue that made the kingdom what it is."
Milton Josephs' commissioning scroll was signed by the queen, who was his ultimate commanding officer. Credit: Howard Simmons
Josephs grew up in North London, in Stanmore, and didn't come to the U.S. until he was 32 years old — just weeks before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
As a former RAF officer — his rank was flying officer; he trained cadets to fly — his commissioning scroll was signed by the queen, who was his ultimate commanding officer.
While Josephs never met Queen Elizabeth, his parents, Paul and Angela, did, he said. Josephs said his mother was a member of the Royal Choral Society, one of the oldest amateur choirs in London, formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, and said his parents met the queen during afternoon tea about 20 years ago in the royal gardens at Buckingham Palace.
"I think what's most interesting is that in addition to all else, when you think about it, she literally was one of the last surviving persons who wore a uniform in World War II," Josephs said, recalling photos of then Princess Elizabeth dressed in British military uniform. He also noted how, as a 9-year-old, he'd followed the queen's Silver Jubilee celebration in 1977.
"I did shed a few tears yesterday, to be honest," he said. "She's the only monarch I've ever known."
Cherri Dorris, Westbury
As a girl, Dorris would ride horseback in Windsor Great Park, where, from time to time, she would see the British royal family, including the queen. While she never personally met Elizabeth, Dorris said the sense of loss was profound nevertheless.
"She really was a commanding force," Dorris said Friday. "I'm still very tearful."
As Dorris said: "You just feel like a part of you is missing. She held the country together through hard times. We thought she was going to go on forever. She was England."
Dorris grew up in Windsor, just west of London, and met her future husband, Howard, during a visit to the U.S., where she was a bridesmaid in a cousin's wedding. She declined to cite her age.
She said of hearing the queen had died: "Oh, it was terrible. I couldn't stop crying. I think a lot of things that hold the country [England] together are the traditions — and the royal family was first and foremost of those … I think Americans feel a sense of loss, too. I think they admired her."
Dorris said she has commemorative items featuring the queen, including a plate from her visit to New York City in October 1957.
She said she belongs to a Facebook group called The Good Old British Childhood Years and said: "One of the members wrote how he'd never known his grandmother, but the queen was like his grammy."
"It's going to be strange saying 'God save the king' after all these years saying 'God save the queen.' It really is."
John Dennis-Browne, Glen Cove
Dennis-Browne said that, as a member of the choir at the renowned Shrewsbury School in rural England northwest of Wolverhampton, he once sang solo for Queen Elizabeth II.
It was 1952, the 400th anniversary of the school, founded by King Edward VI in 1552.
"Charles Darwin attended Shrewsbury," Dennis-Browne, 85, said Friday.
John Dennis-Browne remembers singing solo for Elizabeth when he was young. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
While Newsday could not immediately confirm details of his account, Dennis-Browne said that during the visit, which is well-chronicled, he stood all of 6 feet from Elizabeth — who, technically, was then queen, though her coronation would not take place until 1953.
"I remember how excited we all were," Dennis-Browne said Friday. "It was big excitement, because we were the third oldest public school in England — and here she was, the queen. I recall the choir master was very nervous and kept reminding me not to touch her in any way."
Dennis-Browne said he had lost his father, Sidney Edward Dennis-Browne, to a German Luftwaffe bombing in Cambridge in World War II and said his mother, Edith, had opened and become headmistress of the Sandford School for Girls in rural Witherslack, north of Liverpool. In her role with the school, which Dennis-Browne said his mother operated from 1946 to 1968, he said Edith Browne once met the queen.
Dennis-Browne said that on that day in 1952, he sang the Song from Arcadia, "My True Love Hath My Heart," written by Sir Philip Sidney, a graduate of Shrewsbury who died in 1586.
"Want me to sing it?" Dennis-Browne asked, and then did: "My true love hath my heart and I have his, By just exchange one for the other given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss; There never was a bargain better driven … "
"The queen was all of six feet from me the entire time," he said. "And when I was done, she leaned in and said, 'Thank you.' That's what she said, in that quiet voice, 'Thank you.'"
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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