KING GEORGE V. 61 TO-MORROW

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17862, 2 June 1926, Page 5

KING GEORGE V. 61 TO-MORROW

HAS REIGNED FOR 16 YEARS OVER “MPIRE. King George V who will be sixty-one years of age to-morrow, has reigned for sixteen years as King of Great Britain and of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas and as Emperor of India. He was born at Marlborough House, London. When four years of age, he and his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, were placed under the tutorship of the Rev J. N. Dalton, curate of Sandringham. At the age of twelve, his Majesty became a naval cadet, and then a midshipman, making a long voyage on 11.M.5. Bacchante, during which he visited South America, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, Japan, Ceylon, Egypt. Palestine and Greece. While on H.M.S. Canada, on the North American and West Indian station, he was appointed sub-lieutenant. At the age

of twenty, he was apopinted lieutenant, after having passed through the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. He was on the Thunderer, the Dreadnought, the Alexandra, and the Northumberland before he was placed in command of the gun-boat Thrush. He relinguished command of the Melanipus on the death cf Prince Albert Victor in 1892, as his duties as eventual heir to the Crown precluded him from devoting himself exclusively to the Navy. Promotion to the positions of captain, rear-admiral, and vice-admiral followed. Thirty-four years ago he was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baro.n Killarney. In 1893, he married Princess Victoria Mary, daughter of the Duke of Teck. Before the death of Queen Victoria, it was arranged that the Duke and Duchess of York should make a tour of the British colonies. This was confirmed on the accession of King Edward VII. The duke and duchess sailed in the Ophir on March 16, 1901, landed in Australia in May, opened the first Parliament of the Commonwealth, and then made a memorable visit to New Zealand, where they were received with many demonstrations of loyalty. They arrived in Christchurch on June 22. Ilis Majesty, in the presence of a great crowd of people, laid the foundation stone of the Canterbury Jubilee Memorial, a statue of Queen Victoria in Victoria Square. On June 24, he held a review of volunteers and veterans in Ilagley Park. Ilis Majesty succeeded to the Crown on the death of King Edward VII. on May 6, 1910, taking the title of George V., while his consort was styled Queen Marv. They were crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 22, 1911.