Published at 11:09, Thursday, 19 April 2012

A MILLOM man will take part in a parade to mark the Queen’s Jubilee.

delighted: Clive Mojonnier will take part in parade

Clive Mojonnier has been involved as a volunteer with the LMS express Princess Elizabeth since 1976 and is chairman of the society which keeps it on the rails.

And now the great engine is set to take part in a parade to mark its namesake’s Diamond Jubilee.

The engine, which is based at Tyseley Locomotive Works near Birmingham, is set to lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on June 3.

The event will be one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river and the Princess Elizabeth is the only locomotive to take part.

The Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society is celebrating owning the engine for 50 years this year and Mr Mojonnier, of Newton Street, said the group is delighted to be taking part.

He said: “It is going to start the flotilla, as it will cross the bridge and apparently it is going to be followed by a ringing of bells as well.

“We have owned it since 1962, which is 50 years this year and we have previously met Her Majesty the Queen at Crewe in 1987. It is a real honour to be involved; the engine was named after the Queen when she was eight years old.

“It was built in 1933, and has to be maintained to operate on main lines and this is done all voluntarily.”

Mr Mojonnier’s wife, Jill, who volunteers at Millom Discovery Centre, is responsible for selling tickets for the journey. The train is used to charter journeys across the country, and on the day will be positioned on the Chelsea railway bridge and whistle at the appointed hour as a signal to the flotilla of ships to start moving down the Thames.

Hundreds of boats are expected to take part in the flotilla, including working boats, pleasure vessels, historic boats, wooden launches, steam vessels and many more.

For more information on the pageant, visit www.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk