Royal Tour, "The Wave," a childhood memoir of June 2, 1939 in Edmonton, by Harley Reid

Date: 2 June 1939

Sixty-four years ago on June 2, 1939, I was sitting on a hard wooden bleacher seat on Portage Avenue at 108 Street waiting for the Royal Visit motorcade to come by. Besides my 200 or so school mates there were some sixty thousand other people there with me. It was an amazing time for an eight-year-old grade three student and fate was about to alter my young life forever.

I spotted an Edmonton Police motorcycle coming towards me on Portage Avenue and seated in its sidecar was my Uncle Mike Kelly. Jumping up, I waved my arms and shouted, "Uncle Mike! Uncle Mike!" in a vain attempt to get his attention. Sitting down I told my seat mates that my Uncle Mike was a city policeman and he was guarding the Royal Family. Time passed until a voice called out, "Hey kid. Here comes your Uncle Mike. You going to wave again?" Yes, there he was, almost in front of my location. Four or five kids jumped up with me this time and we screamed, "Uncle Mike! Uncle Mike!" and waved our arms about. The two policemen looked towards the noise but there was no acknowledgement. Disappointed, I slumped down as the teasing started. "You¹re a fibber kid. You don¹t have an Uncle Mike. Liar, liar, pants on fire."

I was watching the motorcycle drive away when it slowed and made a U-turn, starting back on the opposite side of the avenue. The taunting stopped when the vehicle drove by and turned once more, coming over to our side of the road and approaching my location. As the motorcycle slowed down in front, there was a rustling noise and the entire bleacher full of kids stood up. The chant started slowly, "Uncle Mike! Uncle Mike!" and changed to a roar when the motorcycle almost stopped in front of us. Uncle Mike tipped his cap and bowed towards the excited young students. The other policeman waved as they pulled away from the cheering boys and girls. The "Uncle Mike" was born that moment.

The City of Edmonton changed Portage Avenue to Kingsway in honor of the Royal Visit. Sports fans changed the "Uncle Mike" to "The Wave," so popular today in North America. There has been no fortune or fame involved for me, just a nice warm fuzzy feeling each time I see the "Uncle Mike" performed at sporting events.