The CPR 2850 led the Royal Train - without replacement - from Quebec City to Vancouver. Except that it did not. This section reproduces a portion of the guide book printed by the railways for the Royal Tour of 1939.
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
As mentioned in Part 1:
While a battleship escort had been left behind in Britain in case it was needed for war, the Empress of Australia was escorted by the cruisers HMS Glasgow and HMS Southampton. Secretly loaded in their holds and magazines were special steel boxes containing 3550 gold bars - worth about $2.4 billion in 2019 Canadian dollars (based on the 1939 exchange rate and accounting for inflation). Fifty tons of gold would help fund the early stages of a world war.
The Empress of Australia was designated as the 'Royal Yacht' for the trip.
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A Quick Review of Royal Personages
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| from: 100 Years in Pictures; DC Somervell; 1950; Odhams Press. |
Above, are the children of King George V and Queen Mary. Not shown is John (1905-1919) who had a seizure disorder and was institutionalized for most of his life. Vital dates and their commonly used 'names' as adults are shown below. Each child often had at least four or five given names, they received titles as they matured, and (if applicable) they selected one name for their coronation (e.g. 'David' became King Edward VIII, 'Bertie' became King George VI).
Left to Right, above:
Duke of Kent 1902-1942; King George VI 1895-1952; Princess Royal 1897-1965; King Edward VIII 1894-1972; Duke of Gloucester 1900-1974.
From the time of his birth, the future King Edward VIII had experienced a special status as the eldest male and the heir apparent. As an adult he was bright, quick, clever and at ease when speaking with others. The press referred to him as 'Prince Charming'. He was also bored. Surrounded by sycophants who abetted his worst behaviours, he enjoyed describing his liaisons with married women to close friends. This behaviour culminated in his relationship with Wallis Simpson. In the end, it turned out that she had greater ambitions for his status as Monarch than he did.
Immediately, on the death of King George V ...
King Edward VIII reigned from January 20, 1936 until his abdication on December 11, 1936.
The future King George VI experienced the worst child-rearing techniques that could be developed - through the rigid application of religious and military ideals for adults. He was left-handed but was forced to write with his right hand. While he was not frequently spanked he was regularly dressed down for his personal flaws in his father's (bookless) library/office. It seems likely that his stutter was a result of this treatment. Unlike his elder brother, he was introverted and (after his military experience) he developed his own personal career of service by taking an interest in the working conditions of British workers and trying to improve their lot. He was interested in history and tradition. In contrast to King Edward VIII's boredom and self-absorption, he had developed a deep understanding of the leadership responsibilities of the King.
To oversimplify: The Abdication Crisis resulted from King Edward VIII's determination to marry a twice-divorced American - Wallis Simpson. The King is also the 'Defender of the Faith' and the Church of England did not allow re-marriage if one's former spouse was still alive.
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| from: 100 Years in Pictures; DC Somervell; 1950; Odhams Press. |
Above: The future Queen Elizabeth (later the 'Queen Mother') twice turned down the future George VI's marriage proposals. While he was quiet and had a particular idea about how a king should behave, she was relatively extroverted and charming. She was particularly skilled in making individuals feel noticed and understood. She helped guide the development of his 'public relations' behaviour. Together, they invented the modern Monarchy. The long and gruelling 1939 tour of Canada and the US was where their skills and techniques first coalesced.
One more note: King Edward VIII had never 'settled down' and only married after his abdication. He never had children. The future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth had two daughters before Edward's 1936 abdication and had planned a relatively quiet family life with the expected Royal Family duties. The surprise and challenge of having to become King, and the strain of the war years on George VI, was thought (with some bitterness) to have shortened his life.
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Arriving at Quebec City in 1939
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
As described in Daylight Upon Magic - a 1989 account of the 1939 Royal Tour - one puts one's best foot forward. Upon landing, one's first foot to touch foreign soil should be the right foot. When curtsying, the right foot remains in place while the left foot moves back. Some issues like this were written about in the press during the tour - in this age before social media.
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| Unused postcard. |
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
The dinner at the Windsor Hotel, Montreal. I think you can see Montreal mayor Camillien Houde seated between the Queen and King at the head table. Poor Prime Minister Mackenzie King has been shunted to the right end of the head table. All across Canada, he popped off the train first at most stops to 'greet' the descending King and Queen, and to introduce them to the local dignitaries - so he had better luck on most other days.
Mackenzie King's diary entry (from: Daylight Upon Magic; Tom MacDonnell; 1989; Macmillan):
Had it not been for the humiliating experience of being alone and isolated at the dinner table tonight, I should have enjoyed the evening very much as my mind was clear ... I am afraid I am far too sensitive. I shall never forget today, however; scenes of rejoicing, etc. So far as the feeling toward Monarch is concerned, nothing anywhere could have exceeded the evidence of spontaneous joys, or the day's demonstration. I felt very proud of my country.
The tables are arranged obliquely so no one is turning their back to the King (according to the 1939 caption).
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| Unused postcard. |
To family members looking in: GB Gagnon was present in Dominion Square with a very large crowd when this photo was taken. The crowd spontaneously began to sing God Save the King and La Presse noted that the King and Queen turned to re-enter the hall with moist eyes.
With two-year-old Rosemary Gagnon at home, GB Gagnon then returned to Westmount, freeing Mabel and LC Gagnon to see the King and Queen on the rear platform at Westmount station as the train left Montreal. By then it was close to midnight.
The Royal Train spent the night in the siding at Caledonia Springs, Ontario.
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| Unused postcard. |
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
After dedicating the National War Memorial in Ottawa (from Daylight):
The service concluded ... the royal couple admired the Memorial and briefly passed along the ranks of the [Great War] veterans ... Then, in an inspired moment, they turned from the red carpet and waiting car and moved instead towards the cheering men ... almost immediately they were lost from view ... only the Queen's white hat could be seen bobbing here and there ... [Governor General Tweedsmuir regarding their protective detail]: "The faces of the Scotland Yard detectives were things I shall never forget!" ... For a solid half-hour the King and Queen moved through the thick crowd [of Great War veterans].
... From that point on, George's confidence grew with the size and enthusiasm of the crowds that seemed to spring up in larger numbers at each stop ... After Ottawa, the King and Queen took every opportunity to depart from the formal arrangements and get closer to the cheering throngs that surrounded them.
According to Daylight Upon Magic, through his study of history, George VI (formerly 'Bertie') was well aware of Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert's idea of a modern working monarchy - whose members modelled, in public, the best qualities of the nation. However, after Prince Albert's death in 1861 and Victoria's subsequent seclusion ... and throughout the reigns of Edward VII and George V, this approach had apparently been abandoned.
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
Regarding the legendary CPR 2850 ...
Using the adjusted schedule, as described in Daylight,
I think this home movie (link from Part 1 is repeated below)
of Brockville is from Sunday, May 21 in the afternoon.
Recall from Part 1 that days were lost from the original printed itinerary (eg. above)
due to icebergs and fog encountered while crossing the Atlantic.
Royal Tour at Brockville