QUEEN MARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 122, 26 May 1938, Page 18

QUEEN MARY

BELOVED FIGURE

BIRTHDAY TODAY

Queen Mary, who will celebrate her seventy-first birthday today, is a direct descendant of George 111. Her mother, who married the Duke of Teck, was a daughter of the Duke of Cambridge, seventh son of that King. In 1891, when she was 24 years old, she became engaged to the Duke of Clarence, eldest son of King Edward VII, but he died in January of the following year and she married the Duke of York in July, 1893. The Duke of York became King George V and she was crowned with him at Westminster Abbey shortly after her forty-fourth birthday. Both as Princess of Wales (which she became when King Edward VII succeeded to the Throne) and as Queen she took a prominent part in public life, showing special interest in work relating to the welfare *of

women and children. At the beginning of the Great War this was particularly notable, lor at that time the organisation of relief and the promotion of women's work in the public service received her constant attention. By the universal testimony of those who were associated with her during these times, no one showed a quicker appreciation of the needs of the situations which arose, and the problems to be solved, than the Queen. In the first month of the war she inaugurated the Queen's Work for Women. Fund to provide em-1 ployment for as many as possible of! the women thrown out of work by the! outbreak of war. Over seventy special j workrooms were opened and through them 9000 women passed before February, 1915. After that date the need gradually became less as the workers were absorbed into munition-making and other/ industries. In August, 1914, the Queen also inaugurated Queen Mary's Needlework Guild for the purpose of organising the collection of clothing for those who suffered through the war. In March, 1921, she showed her sympathy with the higher education of women by visiting the women's colleges at Oxford and responding generously to their appeal for funds. The interest shown by the Queen in the work of hospitals and the welfare of the nursing profession during the post-war years was specially signalised when she opened the new College of Nursing (the gift of Lord and Lady Cowdray) in London in 1926.

It was reported abroad at the time of the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary that the notion of the celebration was her own, and the ceremonies were equally a tribute to a woman wljose courage, dignity, and 1 conduct had been all that a nation could ask of a queen. After the death' of King George V the new King specially . asked that she should be referred to as the Queen. She has been an ardent supporter of British industries and always purchased at the British Industries Fair, and her collection of jade is famous.