THE NEW KING

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 431, 12 May 1937, Page 4

THE NEW KING

Sense of Responsibility Early Training and Happy Marriage

“It is only by getting to know one another better tnat closer sym.c by 1 anu understanding can come. Only i.o can we realise that we are all uiein oers of one family.” These words were spoken by King George VI when, as Duke of York, he i visJ.ed Australia in 1927. He lias ■ endeavoured to fulfil .hem through- ; out his life. Pi'mce Albert Frederick Arthur : George vd. s born at York Co t.;ge, Saudi Ingham, on December 14lh, 1895 He was the second son of the then Duke of York, la er King George V. His boyhood wa s 'spent at Sandringham, Marlborough House, Balmoral, Windsor and Buckingham Palace ' With his brothers, he learned to pJ-y 1 too. ball, cricket, golf and tennis, to |

shoot, fish, and ride. His serious training for lite began at O.tborne, and continued at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. On passing out of Dartmouth in January, 1913, he was appointed to H.M.S. Cum. I berland, a cruiser then employed as a. : cade training ship. At the comple. | lion of .his training be was appointed I as a Midshipman to serve on board .1 H.M.S. Collingwood), the Flagship of the First Bat le Cruiser Squadron. In the Collingwood, lie went on a Mediterranean cruise, and while she was iu Egyptian waters he visited Lord Kitchener, then Agen -Generali During this time Prince Albert not j billy qualified as a u'aval officer; he also learned to be a shipmate. In due I course he was promote.. Sub.Lieuteai-

, I ant, and, as such, took his place in the fore-turret' of the Collingwood during the Battle of Jutland. For his conduct in this action he was mentioned in deeplatches by Admiral Jellicoe. After the War, Prince Albert wml to Cambridge, where he took a special :ourse in history, economics, ai.'l tivics. In the Birthdlay Honours List if June, 1920, was was created Duke of York, a title conferred by custom on the second son of the King since 'he accession of Edward IV in the 15th century Six of the nineteen Duk.es of York have succeeded to the English Throne. At this period lie came to know men who ha<| had considerable exi perience in industry, and from that j time onwards he has main'l.iined his interest in the vital problems of I social welfare. He became President iof*the Industrial Welfare Society; he j has been Patron of the Dockyard | Settlement, Pa Ton of the National I Safety First Assoc'.ution and President of the National Playing Fields lAssocia ion; and in 1935 he became | Chairman of the Administrative Coun- | oil of King George’s Jubilee Trust. | There are few industrial districts in | the country which ,he has not found j time to visit, and his visits have been | inspired by deep person: 1 interest !in working conditions. From time to [time he has also called together at [informal meetings in London people i whom he has met, and with them disj cussed industrial problems. i He was the founder, of ths Duke of j York’s Camps, to which have been ; invited every year since 1921 two hun. Idred boys from Industrial firms in J various parts of the country and 'wo I hundred boys from public schools. ■Those who have read' letters from the i boys realise the inspiration these I camps have been to the you h of the

; country. In April, 1923, the Duke of York married the Lady Elizabeth PowesLyon, d ugh': er of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. He was the first of the King’s sons to marry,'and his | marriage set 'a precedent in modern j times in that the Lady Elizabeth was i not of a royal family, though of royal j lineage. King George and Queen I Mary announced the betrothal—to j quote the Court Circular, es one “to : which the King has gladly given his [Consent.” It was characteristic that, j when a wedding gift of £2,500 was ■ made to him, the Duke of York should I have commanded hat it be used for ! the entertainment, of children in five I industrial towns. | The Duchess of York shared with j the Duke his interes- in the welft.ire iof working folk, anti devoted herself jespeciai’y to the relief of ill-health | and suffering among them. I Princess Elizabeth of York, their i elder daughter, was born on April |2lst, 1926, and Princess Margaret of i York, on August 21st, 1930. The two ‘ Princesses have been brought up in ja typical British home. I Domestic life did not lessen the ■ public r. sponsibilttles of the Duke land Duchess of York. On the contrary, these progressively increased. ■ From this time on, they shared with I the Prince of Wales the many lni_ I perial duties to which the developj ment of the Bri'ish Commonweal h j was constantly giving a new signi_ [ fieance. The first of tbrse duties was ia visit, a year after their Royal Highjnesses’ «i rriage, to Uganda and K?m jya; whence they returned through the i Sudan and Egypt, The next was a jvi it to Australia. I King George V, as Duke of Corn. iwall and York, had visited Australia ;lor the Inauguration of the CommonI wealth ip 190 T, King George VI, <as I Duke of York, opened the Federal Parliament in its new home in Canberra. With the Duchess of York, he sailed for Australia in the battle cruiser Renown on January 6th, 1927. The visit to Aus ralia became a world tour. Their Royi.-.l Highnesses sailed by way of Jamaica and the Panama Canal to Fiji and New Zealand. Thence they went Io Australia, where they visited Hie stale capitals and | the new Federal capital. They re- ' turned home by way of Mauritius and ' the Suez Canal. In the Dominions! I they were received with enthusiasm. ; especially by the younger generation, j and throughout their tour they were ' deeply impressed by the affection A'hich was shown them.