THE KING IN WARTIME

Evening Star, Issue 24919, 17 July 1943, Page 6

THE KING IN WARTIME

A CITIZEN WITH THE HUMBLEST In 1914 King George V., visiting the British Expeditionary .fcorce in 1 ranee, was the first British monarch to visit his troops iu the-field since Cfeorge IX. led the Grenadiers to victory at". Detiihgen in 1743. ; George VI. was quick to follow his father's example. In the early days of December, 1939, he crossed the Channel, by destroyer and spent a week with the B.E.F.' arid the R.A.F, in Flanders and the Maginot Line. Meanwhile at home the King and Queen ' and other members of the Royal Family had begun a series, of constant visits to the armed forces of Britain and the dominions — visits which were later to be extended to the stations of exiled European forces in the United Kingdom. The King has watched invasion exercises and manoeuvres; •he has seen paratroops and commandos go into mock action; at night fighter stations he has 3een plotted: the movements of " cat's eye " pilots going into action against enemy raiders; at, Bomber., Command stations he-has heard the roar of "Lancaster* and HalifaxeS setting .out for Germany. On several occasions he has visited the fleet, and the mainbrace'has been " spliced " in traditional naval fashion—i.e., every member of the ship's crew could claim a. double ; ration of rum. The Home Guard has equally claimed his attention. In its early days, when he. was-about to carry out an inspection, he was challenged by the guard on duty, and produced his identity card as <le-' manded.

Since the war began the King has'c.overed more than 36,000 niiles in his' travels all over the United 'Kingdom. He has visited great and small armaments centre^,. talking td 'woi'kera' the Gorging of the weapons'.of victory. He has watched tanks destined for Russia going off the assembly lines.' At or Ministry of Supplj• factdry he. donned a white'overall- over his Field-Mar-shal's uniform and "drove tank's.

In dockyards and factories many workers who rendered great service to the : war effort have been decorated by the Kiha-. All have been encouraged by.?the friendly, cheerful way in which the King and Queen have gone among thein without ceremony or formality. At no time during the war has the sympathy of a King for his people been more strongly felfc - tftafc during, the great blitz of 1940-41. Thirty-six hours-after the first great raid on Londbn the King was walking through, the - smouldering ruins with a word of enocuragemerit who had suffered from the devastation. To London, as to the blitzed towns of the provinces, the King and Queen brought practical help as well as sympathy. They, brought clothing from their own wardrobes and furniture from their own homes for those who had lost all their possessions under enemy fire. And the enemy himself, in a deliberate attack on Buckingham Palace, served only to strengthen the respect of ;the British people for the man who'cheerfully shared their perils and privations while "shouldering the heavy burden which falls to- the head of the State v and the Empire. In kingship George VI. has sought nons of the privileges which might justly fall to him. He has claimed eauality with the humblest of his subjects. He himself is registered as a fire-watcher; he receives no more than the food rations allocated to each of Britain's 47,000,000 inhabitants;, The staff at'Buckingham Palace has-been cut to the minimum, and petrol restrictions are observed in the King's,household as, rigidly as in any other home in' the country.