40 flamingos fit for a Queen

Thursday 15 September 2022

When the Queen and Prince Philip arrived at Howard Davis Park during a visit in the late 1970s, they were greeted by a vibrant flock of 40 flamingos - with a twist.

Florence Bechelet, who ran the Battle of Flowers Museum from 1971 until her death in September 2012, created many floats for the annual event but the one she created for the Queen remains her favourite.

Speaking to Beth Lloyd of the BBC in 1982, Ms Bechelet explained how she saw her first Battle when she was just 10 in 1928. As she recalled, she was going to St. Aubin’s with her family for some “low-water fishing” when she saw a lorry carry a “big ship” out of hydrangeas.

She made her first float six years later at the age of 16 and for the first three years, her floats, which included a tower-shaped clock in an old pram, were all made of hydrangeas. 

But when she heard there was a price for floats made out of wildflowers, Ms Bechelet left the hydrangeas behind, a change she didn’t regret. In 1937, she used heather to create a weather house, which earned her a First in the class and Best Junior Wildflower Exhibit. The prize for the latter were six solid silver teaspoons with the heads of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as the coronation had taken place a few months before the Battle.

On 16 June 1971, Ms Bechelet opened the Battle of Flowers Museum, which quickly expanded into a total of four buildings with 16 models on display. 

By the early 1980s, she had created 40 exhibits for the Battle of Flowers as well as 13 exhibits for other fetes including in Grouville, St. Ouen, Villa Millbrook and St. Andrew's Park.

An ostrich-themed float she designed and created was featured on a stamp and many of her creations were exhibited in Exeter, Leeds as well as Guernsey. 

But when it came to choosing a favourite among all the flowery exhibits she had made, Ms Bechelet confessed it was the one she made “especially for her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh” during their visit to the island in 1978. 

Initially, Ms Bechelet had only been asked to supply some hare’s tails for a replica of the Britannia.

“I duly supplied some,” Ms Bechelet told the BBC. “But I said I was quite willing to make an exhibit for her Majesty and the Duke to see and I got permission from the Bailiff and the Committee to make one.”

While she wasn’t sure what to make at first, one of her friends soon provided the perfect idea.

“A friend of mine who had been at the Palace at a Garden Party the year before told me that there were flamingos on the lake at Buckingham Palace,” Ms Bechelet explained. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ll make flamingos, then she will be able to compare mine with the ones she’s got on the lake!’”

In total, Ms Bechelet made 40 life-size flamingos which went on display at the entrance of Howard Davis Park, so that when her Majesty and the Duke entered the park, her exhibit was the first thing they saw.

Pictured: Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh arriving at Howard Davis Park, where they were to be greeted by 40 flower flamingos.

“Her Majesty said how beautiful it was and the Duke wanted to know all about it,” Ms Bechelet recalled. “He asked me what the grasses were, how I made the framework and where thre grasses grew, he wanted to know everything about it, he was so interested. [They were] very easy to talk to and they put you at your ease straight away.”

The Royal visit was not the only time the flamingos got to take their flight, although their second outing didn’t leave such a happy memory for the Battle veteran.

Although the then-President of the Battle of Flowers’ Committee had given her permission to enter her exhibit in the wildflower class during the Battle after the Queen had seen it, she encountered some difficulties.

“I didn’t win a prize and in fact, the committee wrote a letter to say there were not sure they would even give me the guarantee because it was an exhibit that had been shown before,” Ms Bechelet said.

Pictured: A postcard featuring the famous flamingos.

“After the President had told me that I could put it in the Battle of Flowers, they wouldn’t give it to me so I had to go to my lawyer so that he could get it sorted for me.

“In the end, they paid out the guarantee and I was so annoyed that for the next two years I didn’t exhibit.”

With thanks to Jersey Heritage for access to the interview audio and photographs in this article.

LISTEN...

You can learn more about the Queen's visit to Jersey in 1978 by listening to episode three of 'The Queen and Jersey', a six-part special edition series by Bailiwick Podcasts. Find it in all usual pod places and below...

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Express will be releasing a Special Digital Edition celebrating the life of the Queen and her connection to Jersey on the day of Her Majesty's State Funeral on Monday 19 September.

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