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11163 Sketch Of King Georges Career =

Se r v e d L o n g And Faithful Apprenticeship Career Of His Late Majesty King

George V. Exemplified The Noblest Virtues Of Monarchy.

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_ George V ascended the British throne as “the sailor king"; he left it as “the democratic king.” ~

Unassurning to the point oi shyness, devout and faithful in relig- ion, hard-working, devoted to his children and home life, and with a. dignity relieved by the twinkle in his eyes, he typified the qualities which his subjects held highest. v

He sought a position close to the hearts of his people in a kindly and quiet WW; unlike most men, he found proof oi his achievement in his own lifetime.

_Thls came strongest in the deep sympathy that was world~wide during his serious illnesses of 1928 and 1929. Then huge crowds stood nightly outside Buckingham Palace and messages and prayers came from remote quarters of the globe.

“It was an encouragement beyond description," hc said after his first illness, "to feel that my-corlstant.and earnest desire has been granted~the desire to gain the confidence and affection of my people.”

Proof that he had achieved this goal came May 8, 1935, in the tremendous acclaim paid to him, to the Queen and s11 the royal family when they rode to St. Paul's Cathedral to Give thanks for 25 years of his reign,

It was typical of King George that he went to this service, not at the laced of a. glittering cavalcade of princes, but as the head of a family that embraced, beyond his wife, daughter, sons and grand- ~ children, the vest concourses that make up the British moire.

That he recognized the personal character of the tributes evoked by his silver Jubilee was evidenced in his message to the Empire on Christmas Day, 1935. He broadcast his thanks from his family fire- side, saying.

"The year that is passing, the 25th since my accession, has been to me most memorable. How could I fail to note in all the rei°1¢1118 not merely respect for the Throne, butwarm and generous remem- brance for the man who-may God help him-has been plﬂfed "D011 it."

TraincdFh-ltAsBaIlcr

Unlike many British kings, George V did not begin "lining in childhood for occupancy of the throne. He was the second son 0f Edward VII and was 26 years old when he became heir to the crown on the death of his elder brother, Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence.

Meanwhile, George had embarked upon a navel career which kept him almost constantly at sch from the time he was 12 and which had can-led him mm oadetship to the rank of commander by the time 01 his brother's Tberecgtcrihis dutiesas hell-apparently preclud- ed exclusive devotion to the navy though. within two Yew m" h" father became" "king mwsraivn, successive, P‘ " bwulht 111m rank of vice ,_

Boon after his ‘father precession ‘In uarY n. .1901. Pm!“ George embarked upon a eiicnsive toil! which took him to Australia. south Africa andqrtncdnh‘, t, was followed in succeeding years by-a j‘ number of trips. includinﬁilll lo- ‘ r

When he succeeded to the throne my 9.1m. It the are o1 44. the "empire h“ s . ~. . 11i¢411l"-‘"‘1*‘““ m““““““°° “m” i.

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hm ‘a time eitainploh, of that iujmol when he qniafwur and made a" dramatic "Wake up; "“!°.““*“”.‘3?* Q " ' - ~

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troops-

of the fighting forces. Strict economy measures were put in force in the royal holnehold. ' '

The king paid rrpcaicd visits to his’ troops in Eciglllnr and France; in 191'! he stripped Germalfiitles and frames fraln the royal family and changed the name of the ruling house from that of Sarc- Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.

Post-war years brought home rule to Ireland, a larger silaro in self-government to India as well as steps towards her independence, and the significant development of the British commonwealth of nations with the crown as the chief link of the empire.

They also brought diﬂlcultles in the domestic situation, culminat- ing in the general strike of 1926 which paralyzed industry and even threatened a social revolution. '

Illness Endangera Life

shown to the ‘king and the political crisis passed to he succeeded by a greater crisis, his serious illness.

This started in November, i928, when a chill believed to have been caught on Armistice Sunday, when he stood bareheaded in the rain during the ceremony at the Cenotaph, developed into fever and some congestion of one lung. ’

In December counsellors of state were appointed; an operation was performed to drain the right side of the king's chest. Back on his feet again, he suﬂered two relapses, an abscess having former under the site of the operation scar.

A second operation was subsequently performed and P01110115 oi two ribs were removed to drain the abscess. Recovery was rapid but it was not until January, 1930, that he fulfilled hisrfirst public engage- ment by opening the London naval conference.

Gradually he extended the range of his activities 5nd his health remained satisfactory except for attacks of rheumatism which kept him from attending royal courts in 1930 and 1938,

Marries Brother's Fiancee

King George, whose full name was George Frederick Ernest Albert, second son of King Edward V11 and Queen Alexandra, then Prince and Princess of Wales, was born June 3, 1865, in Marlborough House, London. . ,

0n July 6, 1893, he married Princess Victoria Mary, who had been betrothed to his elder brother. She was the daughter of Frederick, Duke of ‘reek, and Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess oi Teck.

They had six children. the youngest or whom, Prince John, died at the age oi 14 in 1919. The others are: The Prince of Wales, bani Juno W, 1894: the Duke of York, born December 14, 1895; the Princess

- Royal, born April 25, 1997; the Dukeof Gloucester, born Marci-r 3i,

‘ 1900; and Prince George, born December 20, 19M.

[The ‘in-mom Royal was married to Viscount raoreues, now icdrl of Harewood, in i922. A year later the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowen-Lyon. Prince George became themes o: Kent soon after h¢ espoused Princess Marina oi Grceoe Nov;_§9, 1994, and the Duke of Gloucester married Lady Alice Boott Nov. B. 1995. ' Five grandchildren of the king were born to these unlonsﬁho iuinceasmecama the mother of tycoons; the Duke and Duchess of a rbnowhc tlibfporerltr of Princess mlabbetirpboinr/lpru 2r, 1m and oi rrluooslfhcdrgorot acne. born Aug. 21, i990.’ fifth grandchild

wqsrrihoe my rd of mat, born Oct. 9, loan.-

i“... And Youth

‘rho prince who was to become King George v had no "pettiooat" education. 111a fatbsr, than Princeoi Wales, saw to that. _ four whmhamploooawlzbhbciaorbmhq. under the tlrtonnipof John Nelle Dalmatian Guilt! uncommon and rprlmuos Csmbrllllc rcbvim - '-

_.¢port.and study were intormlnlled in _ out we. hunched null"! iilanaﬁ!

new uni

Bt the country as a. whole held firm to the respczt it liad always _

1. His Majesty in the uniform oi’ a-Naval Commander._ _ _. _ - 2, 4, 5 and 7- t His Majesty pictured at different periods of his reign.

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Welcomes Life At Sea-

The zest with which George entered into the training is typified by his words to the instructors: I ,

“Don't bcthcr with my brother; he's going to be king. Teach me; I'm going to be a sailor."

'l‘wo years later they Joined the “Bacchante" and made a. cruise to the West Indies, in which the princes were ratmfmidshipmen. George made many friends. Full of fun,.he Enlned one nickname a8 “The Right Royal Pickle“ and as a mldshlpmarr he became known as “Sprats.”

He sought no favors and ii his work was not distinguished by brilliance it at least was typified by winning ways and a work-with-a- will spirit whether the duty at hand was a. sail drill or the dirty job of cooling.

In 1880 the princes started on a second cruise which took them to South America and- the ship was at the Falkland Islands when orders were received to proceed to South Africa under service condi- tions. Boers oi the Transvaal had rebelled, demanding an autonom- ous government but the treaty of Maluba quickly ended the trouble and the ship continued on to Australia, Japan, Chile, Ceylon, and home by way of the Suez canal. '

The brothers parted and George was appointed to the "Canada" on tho North American and West Indian station and promoted to sub-lieutenant. On his return Ironic he passed through the Royal Naval college at Greenwich and the gunnery and torpedo schools. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1885. ' _

Grows ‘Board, Command; Shh»; ~ i

It was about this time, when he had Just turned 20, that he began growing the beard which in later yen-rs was always to call forth re- marks of his resemblance to Nicholas ‘II, the last czar of Russia,

Subsequent service was spent on various ships. l-iis first 1n- dependent command in i880 was Torpedo Boat No. '19 on which the sailor-prince showed his stripes by tmvingdntc port a slstership which had broken down and anchored not far from rocks.

1n 1890 he was put in command of the gunboat "thrush" on the North American and Indian station and in i891, after his promoti to commander, he commissioned the "Melampus."

Than came two illnesses. He was back liomewlien he was forced

to bed with onterlc fever from which recovery was slow. He was still ‘

recuperating when he heard oi the betrothal oi his ‘brother and Princess Victoria Mary, of Teck. ,

quite n»; twin armhol- Disc

The second illness was that ofhia‘ brother, who had caught a cold. while attending a funeral. It-develcpcd into inﬂuenza. '

~In January, 1992, the brother died- The whole course of George's life was changed. V

His naval career wont overboard to bob up only for a brief period in 1N9 when he had command oi the cruiser "Crescent" so as to qualify for advancement to rcarmdmiral. In 190i he‘ achieved that rank and two years later became‘: vice admiral. .

As Prince QfWales 1892,1910

Cast into a , mic by the death of his brother, Prince George reflected the Ii , rims H1901!!! lcrlousnen. i-fo was 2s years old andawhoicncwpettarnofiifchadicbowovea.

In HA1, 1m. who Victoria made her grandson Duke ofvYorx. Earl of rum-hm, and lbriflcthasay, and a‘ year later it was an- bounced that ho hm oaianoodhhunlr to Princess Victoria Mary.

‘PM mlﬂlllttoolfiilltf-Iuiy c, 1999, and the couple took up residence halt. Juan's palace, though m- many year; m” 4mm their time bmmn Icndon cndiflorfolk. Their firlt child, Prince mward Albert, was born in 1m in White mm, monarchs,

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who limb rout‘.

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accession of King Edward VH, George, who had now become aim Duke oi Cornwall, embarked with his wife on a. great colonial Journey.

Leaving England in March, 190i, they sailed on the "Ophlr" for Australia to open the first commonwealth parliament in Mcibourhg Among those on board was the duke’s early tutor, now Canon Dalton;

They toured Australia and New zealand, next visited south Arm and then sailed to Canada. By land‘ they covered the duninion from Atlantic to Pacific.

Cheering crowds awaited the royal couple on their return in the fall and King Edward made his own birthday on November 9 the occasion for proclaiming the duke Prince of Wales.

Tells Mother Country To Awake

It was in the official welcome to the princofand princess at tin Guildhall ‘that George stamped himself as an independent and ecu). ageous speaker, _ '

Sketching the experiences of his memorable tour, hepresenuq the lesson he had learned: “. . . that the Old Country must wake vp if she intends to maintain her old position of pro-eminence in h. colonial trade against foreign competitors."

England, for what she had seen of her heir apparent, found him popular but it was no secret that he was ‘ecidedly bored when ashd to dedicate public buildings, lay cornerstones, or meet f0relg1) pep- sonages.

Coached in Statcorl-ft ~

To the advantages that foreign travel gave him for his ultimq tasks as“ ruler, the prince added afirst-hand knowledge of ti: country's general problem for hlsfather, unlike Queen Victoria! l. treatment of her heir, insisted that his son be informed of seem dispatches and other background bearing on the shifts on Europe! checkerboard.

The prince and princess undertook another great journey in 1M this time to India, and for four months they tasted the hospitalizyd native potentates, not the least of which for George was frequent shooting.

, After their return in the spring of 1906, there were a number-o! trips, including one to Madrid for the marriage of Princess Ena. and the King of Spain and to Franco where they traveled incognito,

“ Becomes King

In April, 1910, King Edward contracted a. cold at Sandllngham. His condition grew steadily worse; 0n May 6 he died and George Y succeeded in the throne.

Because his eldest son was not yet l8, a regency act was Phi-M in which his consort, Queen Mary, was nominated to become rcgentill event of the king's death while his heir was under age.

AsKing UpTo TheWorldWar

When the sailor prince ascended the throne he pecame "Geolﬂ V, by the Grace o! God of Great Britain, Ireland and the Brill!!! dominion-s beyond the seas, King; Defender of the Faith, nmocrml India."

The ediate * “ c from his father's reign was a. constitu- tional crisis, precipitated by the rejection of Lloyd George's 19W budget by the house of lords. It had simmered fitiully until hiter tho new rnonarchh coronation.

with that ceremony over, Herbert H. Asquith, then prime mill- ister, am ounced that he had obtained from the king a. definite asstlll‘! to use the royal prerogative for creating enough peers to insure W‘ sage oi a parliament bill shearing from the lords their power 95 money bills and, under certain conditions, other public legislation

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Anmncc Sovereignty At HA8, Abroad

Threat of the royal rerogative proved sufficient for th-udﬂlle“ of the bill and the politi significance of the incident on lilo °°“'

. ltit l position of the crown as a force above domestic 11W I

strife was marked.

TM amt wronei-lon v. held June 22, 191i, in Wesliiiinslﬂf Abbey, contained a notable departure from precedent. George v l“ an amended oath, clipping from the centuries-old words mo some“ that oﬂcndcd Roman Catholic subjects; "The invocation or udorﬂilm oi the Virgin Mary and the sacrifice cf the mass as they are liow in the churches of Rome arc superstitious and ldoiatrous."

The public assumption of royal authority throughout the ville‘ Kingdom was completed by‘ state visits to Ireland, Wales and soolluld and late in 191i the king and quccn marked their imperial sovereign” by n» visit t0 Infill. ~ ‘

They sailed November 1i, 191i, from Portsmouth; their ship w‘ anchor December a oi! Bombay‘; and ten days lnter o spoctuculﬂ coronation durbar was held oiltlide Delhi amidst thousands of nil!" and tmops- - '

‘Then from his throne the king-emperor read an announcement o! great political moment-the» capitol of India was to be troll-i" from Calcutta to palm, cum-u mm reunited to aeniil and l“ enlarged province given a governor incounoil. »

War llllh Irish

Home again in February, rm, the main problem facing the W" ornrnqnt was iirilh homo‘ rule and for months a conflict ‘that M“ m parliament was canola by conflict in Inland. "rho deadlock contl" well m» 1m when linking again brought into relief the concert“ of the crown u an influence above rift! ltrifc by calling a conform“

l {in Buckingham rum. a

1-10 urged "I spirit of gcrlcrous coiﬂPNmisc" but tho ¢°"‘°"““ hum a» produce ruulu boa m mu war pushed the auwlw ‘t’?

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