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Remembering Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952 when she was 25 years old.

In February 1954, Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia and it was during this visit that The Queen dedicated the Shrine’s Second World War Memorial Forecourt on 28 February.

The promised visit of the new Queen in 1954 gave a strong impetus to the fundraising efforts underway for the building of the Memorial Forecourt, ensuring it would be completed on time. Before a crowd of 250,000, The Queen mounted the podium to complete the dedication. Speaking into the microphone, the hushed crowd heard her say “Greater Love Hath no Man” and then she pressed a button that ignited the Eternal Flame. The flame has burnt ever since.

Watch the Dedication of the Second World War Memorial Forecourt in 1954

In subsequent years The Queen visited Melbourne several times including in 1981 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting when she signed the VIP Visitors Book.

This year, her 70th Jubilee year, the Shrine of Remembrance marked her birthday with a 21-gun salute.

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