HM Queen Elizabeth II has passed away and our thoughts are with the Royal Family as they grieve for their Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother.
The Queen's reign was marked by extraordinary dedication and commitment to duty, borne out of graceful strength and admirable determination.
She ruled throughout decades of change, from the dark post war era through to the new horizons on the 21st century, providing essential continuity for the nation.
A tribute from David Brede, COFEPOW Chairman
On behalf of the Trustees and Members of COFEPOW may I pay our tribute to the passing of Queen Elizabeth yesterday.
For me, my first memory of the Queen was that I got a day off from school to attend the Coronation Party in our street in Tottenham, north London in 1953. A picture shows a shy child with his mother on the edge of the party with others in fancy dress. Wonder what happened to him?
Since then the cold war has been and gone, fourteen Prime Ministers have kissed hands and departed, and an empire has evolved into a commonwealth with more nations than it started off with. Such is the success of organisation which the Queen was a proud and enthusiastic leader.
Most people who met her have such fond memories of the encounter and this enriched theirs and by recounting the episode, our lives.
So Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth after such a long and fruitful service to our nation and long live King Charles III.