Monarch’s funeral and bank holiday

[beeonmybonnett]

why was there not a bank holiday for King George VI’s funeral in 1952 but there was for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last year?

I assume that it was a one off due to her age, her 70 year reign and the fact that she was the longest reigning monarch?

I do wonder if there will be a BH on the day of Charles’ funeral, whenever he passes away.

Two reasons I can think of:

In those days, businesses would have been far more likely to close of their own accord.

Far fewer people had televisions so most of those not in London wouldn't have been able to watch it.

With Charles, it might depend on what else is going on at the time.

My grandad was an early receiver of a full weekend because he worked for a Jewish firm in the sixties. They didn't open on their Sabbath and didn't expect him to work on his.

But on average, we tend to get a "bonus" one once a decade as planned. They didn't give out VE day as no doubt they knew QE would either die, reach the Platinum jubilee, or both. Fair play, she timed it to maximum effect!

I don't think employees would have felt happy losing a days pay back then , don't think being paid for BH was a thing back then .

Bank holidays weren’t really a thing in 1952 though, so it wasn’t relevant.

Four annual holidays were legally recognised in legislation in the 1870s (in addition to the existing religious festivals of Christmas Day and Good Friday). They were Boxing Day, Easter Monday, Whit Monday and the first Monday in August. Obviously, all but the last of these - later changed to the last Monday in August - were religious. This stayed the case for the next 100 years. I think VE Day in 1945, which was designated as a day of national celebration by Churchill and parliament, was the only exception?

It wasn’t until the 1970s that more public holidays were added to the legislation. By that time social attitudes to workers had changed massively, and the idea of giving working people a day’s holiday was regarded as something quite different.