Above, this is how Molson sold beer in 1939. Our look at the 1939 Royal Tour continues with the guide book's wayside narrative and images from along the way. And a beer ad from the end of the Dirty Thirties.
I have dreaded calculating how and where the tour made up the time they lost while stopped amongst the fog and icebergs. From Part 1, you'll recall that Vice-Admiral Sir Dudley North was effectively in charge of the designated royal yacht (RMS Empress of Australia) and its escorts. He bullied the Canadian Pacific captain, Archibald Meikle, into taking the 'fastest' northern route - which delayed the arrival at Quebec City by two days.
In the press, Captain Meikle was taking the blame for the delay, but he would not have taken that more northerly route in the spring - like the RMS Titanic had 27 years earlier.
I have dreaded calculating how and where the tour made up the time they lost while stopped amongst the fog and icebergs. From Part 1, you'll recall that Vice-Admiral Sir Dudley North was effectively in charge of the designated royal yacht (RMS Empress of Australia) and its escorts. He bullied the Canadian Pacific captain, Archibald Meikle, into taking the 'fastest' northern route - which delayed the arrival at Quebec City by two days.
In the press, Captain Meikle was taking the blame for the delay, but he would not have taken that more northerly route in the spring - like the RMS Titanic had 27 years earlier.
Here is a point-form summary of the timing, Quebec City to Toronto.
The bold text summarizes key aspects of the schedule adaptations.
The local time was Daylight Saving but the railways used only Standard Time.
Arrived at Quebec City Wednesday, May 17 instead of Monday, May 15.
Two days behind schedule.
Arrived at Ottawa on Friday May 19 instead of Wednesday, May 17.
Two days behind schedule.
Left Ottawa at 1430hr on Sunday May 21 instead of 1800hr Saturday May 20.
The train was about 18 hours behind schedule leaving Ottawa.
The train made up about 18 hours between Ottawa and Toronto.
This included cutting the Kingston stop from 9.5 hours to 90 minutes.
The local Member of Parliament, Norman Rogers (then Minister of Labour), was shocked by the initial plan to stop there for only 30 minutes.
The arrival time at Toronto matched the published itinerary.
The train arrived at the CPR North Toronto station at 1030hr DST on Monday, May 22.
As planned, the royal party motorcaded to the events in Toronto.
Arrived at Quebec City Wednesday, May 17 instead of Monday, May 15.
Two days behind schedule.
Arrived at Ottawa on Friday May 19 instead of Wednesday, May 17.
Two days behind schedule.
Left Ottawa at 1430hr on Sunday May 21 instead of 1800hr Saturday May 20.
The train was about 18 hours behind schedule leaving Ottawa.
The train made up about 18 hours between Ottawa and Toronto.
This included cutting the Kingston stop from 9.5 hours to 90 minutes.
The local Member of Parliament, Norman Rogers (then Minister of Labour), was shocked by the initial plan to stop there for only 30 minutes.
The arrival time at Toronto matched the published itinerary.
The train arrived at the CPR North Toronto station at 1030hr DST on Monday, May 22.
As planned, the royal party motorcaded to the events in Toronto.
The train left for the west from Toronto Union Station at 1945hr.
Here is a quick summary of the Toronto events in chronological order:
Here is a quick summary of the Toronto events in chronological order:
- Met the Dionne Quintuplets in the Lieutenant-Governor's suite in the Ontario Legislature. The Quints had their own train to bring them down from Callander - The Quintland Special. (The Quints were not on the official itinerary.)
- The Queen presented colours to the Toronto Scottish Regiment at Hart House at the University of Toronto. They lunched at U of T - The King asked for a chicken breast and a cup of coffee. The other 500 guests had a more elaborate menu.
- Drove among rows of 25,000 children assembled at Riverdale Park.
- Attended the running of the King's Plate at Woodbine.
- Visited Christie Street Hospital where they spoke to 250 veterans individually.
- Returned to Queen's Park for tea.
- Visited the Canadian National Exhibition.
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
The Royal Train can be seen beyond the platform shelter
at Kingston's CNR 'outer station' on Montreal Street.
I can't remember where I purchased the roughly mounted and framed newspaper clipping seen below. After all these years ... here is its moment! It was obviously important to someone at some point to have been framed. It is extremely yellowed and I have desaturated it of colour.
I have enlarged the photo of the men and the caption farther below. Notice that the CPR crew operating to Toronto is taking over at Brighton. A decade or more ago, there remained a short manual crossover between the CNR and CPR at Brighton.
The Pilot Train (carrying press and some tour officials and always ordered to run 30 minutes ahead) and the Royal Train were usually tucked into a quiet siding at night, and passing trains were given instructions in order to minimize noise there. The trains were guarded by police, and the location was not publicized.
While there is nothing to indicate that the trains stayed at Brighton - it seems likely that a Brighton crossover was used and that the 2851 and 2850 led the trains again from that point westward.
(Brockville Museum home movies linked in the previous posts show the CNR 6400 operating on the CNR at Brockville and I churlishly observed that the 2850 indeed did not operate on the Royal Train without replacement between Quebec City and Vancouver - contrary to the often-quoted CPR promotion of that engine.)
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| from: Toronto Telegram, 1939. |
The position of the rods and counter-weights seem to match in both photos,
so perhaps both photos were taken at roughly the same time.
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| from: Toronto Telegram, 1939. |
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| from: Canadian Pacific Railway Diagrams and Data; ed: Omer Lavallee; 1985. Railfare. |
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
the King inspects part of the guard of honour
supplied by the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve
at the North Toronto station.
In the years that followed, it seems likely
In the years that followed, it seems likely
that some of these sailors would be serving on the Canadian corvette convoy escorts
protecting convoys for Britain from German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Above: You can see the Queen and King boarding the lead car.
The Royal Canadian Dragoons provided the Captain's Escort.
'This' was bothering me, so here is a description.
Sadly, the 'Plates' were not available.
... The entire tour was steeped in tradition and protocol.
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
The Royal Canadian Dragoons provided the Captain's Escort.
'This' was bothering me, so here is a description.
Sadly, the 'Plates' were not available.
... The entire tour was steeped in tradition and protocol.
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| from: Regulations for the Instruction and Movements of Cavalry, 1876; Her Majesty's Stationery Office. |
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| from: Daylight Upon Magic; Tom MacDonnell; 1989; Macmillan. |
This stop was extended from 7 minutes to 45 minutes as each of 250 veterans was spoken with.
According to the Canadian War Museum about 7% of Canada's population (of 8 million) was in uniform
during the Great War and the King felt a particular obligation to acknowledge their service.
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
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| from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
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| Full page ad from back inside cover: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society. |
In 1939, people with subscriptions to the Canadian Geographical Journal were probably fairly well off.
If they were targeting affluent 40-year-olds in 1940 ...
(people who survived the Great War)
the target's great-grandfather would have been born circa 1825.