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In 1951, a future monarch stepped foot on Canadian soil and from coast-to-coast celebrations were made as Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip made their first visit.
Five years later, she came back as Queen Elizabeth II and for the next 53 years she returned 22 times.
More often than any other country during her reign.
But…she was not the first reigning British monarch to visit Canada.
That distinction is held by her father, King George VI and is the subject of today’s episode. As political tensions rose, and a world war felt imminent. The King and his wife, Queen Elizabeth were greeted by millions of Canadians as they toured the country for an entire month in the hopes of cementing allegiance to the Crown.
There had been nothing like it before and shortly after the Royal Couple left our shores Germany invaded Poland and the United Kingdom and France declared war.
I’m Craig Baird, this is Canadian History Ehx and today we’re traveling to the Royal Tour of 1939!
There is no other way to put it.
The30s were some of the worst years for Canadians.
Many were destitute, ash unemployment hit a high of 30 percent. Drought gripped the Prairies, crops failed, and dust storms blew the top soil away.
Work camps paid so little that they were akin to slave labour.
Riots in Regina and Yorkton broke out which left people dead.
It seemed like the desperation would never end… but then things started to turn around.
Rains returned to the Prairies, crops grew, unemployment dropped, and it seemed like the Depression was finally lifting.
Canadians finally had a reason to celebrate, and they poured their joy and hope on the Royal Tour.
For the first 72 years of Canada’s existence, no reigning monarch had ever set foot on our shores.
Prior to 1939 many future monarchs visited Canada before their reigns.
In 1901 the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary) visited for over five weeks as they toured the country coast to coast and then returned a few more times.
His son King Edward VIII visited when he was the Prince of Wales in the 20s. He famously later abdicated the throne in December 1936, because only months into his reign, he caused a constitutional crisis when he proposed to Wallis Simpson, an American who had divorced her first husband and was seeking a divorce from her second.
Which brings us to his brother…
In 1913 Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), visited parts of Canada, while serving as a naval midshipman on HMS Cumberland.
In 1930, he was offered the role of Governor General of Canada, but the British Government decided against this.
On Jan. 20, 1936, King George V died, his brother became king but then as you know before the year was over Prince Albert, the Duke of York, reluctantly became King George VI.
He was crowned on May 12, 1937, and the event was broadcast coast-to-coast on CBC Radio.
Less than a year later, rumours circled that the Royal Couple were going to visit Canada.
Any hopes of that happening were dashed when Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne died on June 23, 1938 and things were put on hold.
Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King wrote in his diary,
“Personally, I should like to be the one to receive the King and Queen while in office as Prime Minister.”
Prime Minister King’s hopes of a visit were based on a very real need.
First elected as Prime Minister in 1921, he lost the job in 1926, but regained it later that year, and then…. lost it again in 1930 but regained it in 1935.
With an election looming in 1940, having a royal visit prior to that would give him a big boost with voters.
On Sept. 24, 1938, after meeting with King George VI, Lord Tweedsmuir, the Governor General of Canada, was able to get confirmation. The Royal Couple would indeed visit Canada the following year.
At first, the plan was for them to visit Ottawa and then return home, but the King said he wanted to visit provincial capitals and from there the itinerary grew.
The Calgary Herald reported,
“The high and unprecedented event of the coming visit to Canada of the King and Queen will give the government a great deal to think about and arrange for the coming months. Among the public at large, it will create the thrill of an expectant emotion. Such a thing has never happened before.”
From then on things progressed quickly.
On Jan. 4, 1939, the itinerary was published in newspapers across Canada.
The Royal Couple would begin their journey in Quebec City, travel west through Quebec and Ontario, into southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, before reaching British Columbia.
Once they reached Victoria, they would return.
Not to England but through Canada once more along a northern route through the Prairie Provinces.
In Manitoba, they would detour to the United States, and then return to the Maritimes before saying their final goodbyes.
As the couple’s arrival grew near, political tensions were growing across the pond and war seemed inevitable, Queen Elizabeth said later, quote.
“We were going in a battleship and had to change to a liner in case the warship was wanted. It was as close as that.”
While most Canadians were excited some were unhappy about the financial cost of the tour. I don’t have a financial figure on the cost unfortunately.
Afterall, the country had suffered so much during the depression, and many were still living without. One man wrote in a letter to the editor in the Toronto Star stating,
“I am not disloyal, but I don’t think the city should pay when our people haven’t bread.”
In Vancouver, city councilor Helena Guteridge was opposed to the city paying for the visit. She said,
“I feel those who will reap a profit from the celebrations should have the cost, not the city.”
Despite a few detractors, enthusiasm was high for the couple’s arrival.
Recognizing a perfect public relations opportunity when he saw one, Prime Minister King made plans to be at every single stop of the Royal tour to greet Canadians right next to them.
Preparations for the historic event continued…
On May 1, 1939, the Canadian Royal Train did its first-round trip test run from Montreal to Brockville, Ontario, a distance of 200 kilometres as it pulled six cars.
Eight days later, on May 9, another test run was conducted with 12 cars which would be used by more than just the Royal Couple.
There was room for 20 domestic servants, Prime Minister King, Lady Katherine Seymour, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Airlie, as well as the many journalists along for the event.
CBC Radio had a staff of 100 people following the tour along with another 80 international journalists.
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret would be staying in England.
While Canada dotted the ‘I’s and crossed the ‘T’s of the visit, the Royal Couple were on their way to Canada aboard the Empress of Australia, which was escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers.
On May 17, 1939, the Empress of Australia arrived at Quebec City.
As soon as the ship docked, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King went aboard to greet King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
He wrote in his diary,
“The King was standing at the open door of one of the saloons. The Queen was beside him. His Majesty came forward and put out his hand to shake hands and expressed a word of greeting to the effect that he was glad to see me again. I said Welcome Sire to Your Majesty’s Realm of Canada. The Queen came forward and shook hands and spoke of being pleased to be here. I said to her Welcome ma’am to Canada.”
On land throngs of Canadians awaited from the early hours for a sight of the Royals as the historic buildings and newer skyscrapers were decorated with the Union Jack.
People ran to the cliffs surrounding the port.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth then disembarked and stepped foot on Canadian soil.
The crowd roared as they punctuated the historic moment.
The Ottawa Journal reported,
“Like mighty thunder greets their majesties as they set foot ashore.”
The Royal Couple and Prime Minister King were then driven to the Quebec Legislative Buildings for a formal welcome and then to the Chateau Frontenac for a luncheon where Prime Minister King said.
T The prime minister commented in his diary that the streets were lined with enthusiastic crowds.
Prime Minister King wrote,
“The King was in very good form. Laughed a good deal. He had a wholesome, almost boyish way, seeing humour in things. I spoke to him of the main incidents in the history of Quebec. Spoke of the Privy Council being assembled at the gathering. He noticed Howard Ferguson in the audience and spoke of him and of the time he was in London.”
After the long first day came to an end. Prime Minister King wrote one of the longest entries during the tour,
“Needless to say, all day I have had thoughts of my father and mother and grandparents, and Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, in my mind, but have been so tired that there were moments when I seemed to almost be forgetful of their existence. I have thought too of King George V a good deal but can say that I am very tired. However, Providence had been kind in giving me strength through the day and I have reason to rejoice that all has gone so well.”
The next day the couple made their way to Montreal on motor car where throngs of people waited for them.
A 21-gun salute greeted the couple when they arrived and the Ottawa Journal reported,
“A colorful array greeted their Majesties as they stepped from the train to a carpeted pathway leading from their private train. The King and Queen were greeted by spontaneous cheering and shouting, flag waving and singing.”
While in Montreal, two Boer War veterans of Scottish heritage hoped the Queen could help them settle an argument.
They asked her if she and her husband were Scots or English.
She responded,
“Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am Canadian.”
And Canada welcomed the couple with open arms and her people weren’t done yet. The couple arrived in Ottawa by train and then went on a 10-kilometre tour where more than 250,000 people waited to see the Royal Couple.
The Ottawa Journal reported.
“They cheered loud and lustily for the three minutes the train took to do the remaining 500 yards and when Their Majesties alighted, they started cheering all over again.”
The Queen took time to write to her daughter Princess Elizabeth. Quote,
“The French people in Quebec and Ottawa are wonderfully loyal and in Montreal there must have been two million people, all very enthusiastic and glad to have an excuse to show their feelings.”
In the capital city there were several other important milestones.
On the very day of their arrival King George VI was driven to the House of Commons to give royal assent to nine bills
800 souls crammed into the Senate Chambers to witness the historic event.
Not since 1854 had a sovereign given Royal Assent in person and never had it happened outside of Britain.
Included in the bills was a trade agreement between the British Empire and the United States
The Governor General, the Crown’s representative, is usually the one to perform this task.
And where exactly was John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, during this visit?
While His Majesty the King was in Canada, he didn’t need a representative, so the Governor General took on more of a secondary role and was really more of a companion or host to
While the Royal couple was in the capital city the Queen split off from her husband on May 20th and laid the cornerstone of the Supreme Court building. This is where she made her first public address and spoke in both English and French.
In her visit she conquered the hearts of Canadians and would continue to do so when she rejoined her husband for the dedication of the National War Memorial.
It was one of the most moving events of the whole tour as a crowd of 100,000 people including 12,000 veterans gathered with one goal in mind… remembrance.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stood on common ground with their subjects to remember the great war… little did they know soon they would be living through another.
In his speech to the crowd, King George VI said.
“It is well that we have in one of the world’s capitals a visible reminder of such a great truth. Without freedom there can be no enduring peace and without peace no enduring freedom”
With the ceremony completed, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth took time to walk through the crowd and greet veterans whom the king saw as brothers in arms.
The Royal Couple walked unescorted for a half hour as they thanked veterans for their service to the British Empire… but soon the crowd converged upon them.
Prime Minister King wrote in his diary,
“The crowd began to narrow in. The King gave instructions to move the mounted escort along, down the street, so he could meet a larger number, and caused the crowds to begin to narrow in. There was a moment when I was afraid some of the party might be crushed.”
The CBC reported,
“One of these old veterans is patting the King most affectionately on the shoulder. Her Majesty is chattering with one of the veterans of the amputations association. The Queen is speaking to a blind veteran now. The King is shaking hands.”
The stop in Ottawa was a huge success, but they left it behind as the couple traveled to Canada’s second-largest city, Toronto, on May 22.
The couple arrived City Hall where crowds had waited overnight to honour their monarch.
King wrote of the stop,
“As we approached the City Hall, the crowds became all that they could possibly be in those areas. It was a joy as I stood there with the King and Queen to recall that my grandfather had been the first Mayor of Toronto and had designed its coat of arms.”
In his speech to the crowd at City Hall, King George VI said,
“The people of Ontario, the central province of the Dominion, have by their great qualities made a very significant contribution to the material progress of Canada and an equally important one to the formation of its national character.”
The couple then hurried on to their next stop.
The King’s Plate Horse Race.
Founded in 1860, and running to this day it is the oldest continuously run race in North America.
Depending on the monarch the name changes. During Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II reigns, it was known as the Queen’s Plate.
Under the reign of our current monarch, King Charles III, it is once again the King’s Plate.
This was the first time a ruling monarch had ever witnessed the horse race.
Following the race, moved on to Coronation Park, built to mark the coronation of his majesty King George VI two years earlier. With only one day in the city the couple had a busy itinerary and somewhere along the way and among the many Canadians they met that day were the famous Dionne Quintuplets. You can hear their story in detail in the episode dedicated to them from 2023.
If you think the Royal Tour would only be stopping at major urban centers. Let me share the following anecdote.
On May 23, the Royal Tour arrived in White River, Ontario.
Originally a rail town on the Canadian Pacific Railway, the small community located north of Lake Superior is perhaps best known for being the home of Winnie the Pooh.
Until 1961 the small town wasn’t accessible by car and when the King and Queen were on tour; it didn’t have a mayor.
George Freethy was chosen by a committee only 40 minutes before the Royal Train’s arrival, to serve as mayor.
As he was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, he did his best to keep his composure.
After meeting the King and Queen, he said,
“Her smile was so dazzling I forgot everything after that.”
After his brush with royalty, George Freethy went back to work as a superintendent in the community.
The Royal Train then made its way to Fort William, now known as Thunder Bay, where the King and Queen met with Indigenous leaders from across the region and put on a traditional dance.
The Ottawa Journal stated the Royal Couple enjoyed the experience thoroughly.
After the visit to Fort William, the Royal Couple continued the journey into Western Canada which had seen the worst of The Great Depression.
For many, the visit of the Royal Couple was something to celebrate[BEAT]
The royal tour reached Winnipeg on a rainy May 24, Queen Victoria’s birthday.
As the couple left the station the rain didn’t dampen the crowd of 100,000 people who came out to greet them along the streets.
Despite the downpour the Royal Couple requested that their convertible be opened so as to not disappoint the crowd and they could be seen.
Macleans wrote,
“Those who heard the spontaneous gasps of amazement and delight when Winnipeggers saw this young couple driving along in an open car in the rain, will never forget it, neither will Winnipeg.”
At the time, John Queen was the mayor of Winnipeg and according to legend, his name created a bit of confusion in the radio broadcast as the royal couple and prime minister were also at hand.
No audio of this radio broadcast exists today, but alleged broadcast stated,
“Oh, there’s the King — he’s stepping out, followed by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, nattily attired in a silver coat.
Mr. King is now shaking hands with the King and introducing Mr. Queen to the King and Queen and then Mrs. Queen to the Queen and King.
They are now proceeding up the steps to the well-decorated City Hall, the King and Mr. King together with the Queen being escorted by Mrs. Queen. The King has now stopped and said something to Mrs. Queen and goes to Mrs. Queen and the Queen and Mr. King and the Queen laughed jovially. The King leaves Mr. King and goes to Mrs. Queen, and the Queen and Mr. King follow behind….”
Get all that? who’s on first?
While staying at Government House in Winnipeg, King George VI made his longest-ever radio broadcast to the British Empire. Accomplishing the speech was a major achievement for the King who had a strong stutter and was often helped by speech therapist Lionel Logue. This relationship was documented in the Oscar winning film, The King’s Speech.
King George VI said in his speech,
“Winnipeg, the city from which I am speaking, was no more than a fort and hamlet upon the open prairie when Queen Victoria began to rule. Today, it is a monument to the faith and energy which have created and upheld the worldwide Empire of our time.”
After he finished, he was not pleased with it. He said,
“I thought the broadcast was too long and not as felicitously worded as it might have been.”
The table he used to give his radio address remains at Government House to this day.
After Winnipeg, the next stop was Brandon, Manitoba in southwest Manitoba where Prime Minister William Lyon King described the crowd was cheering wonderfully despite the fact it was 11 p.m. The King and Queen slept in their train car that night and awoke to a huge reception.
Brandon only had a population of 17,000, but it had swelled to 50,000 as people from across southwestern Manitoba arrived to see the royals. Some people journeyed from as far as 300 kilometres away.
The Regina Leader-Post wrote,
“School children, farmers, babies in arms and grandmothers from near and far swelled the city’s population, massed along the station platform and crowding along the railway tracks for half a mile.”
From there, the Royal Couple traveled to Saskatchewan. The first stop on May 25 was Broadview, where the train stopped so the King and Queen could exercise.
Prime Minister King wrote,
“They walked down the track, coming back, were met by their suite. The Queen set up a foot race and brought them all in puffing pretty hard. She is full of life and charm.”
After this impromptu footrace, it was on to the provincial capital, Regina.
For King George VI, this was a special stop as the city was named for his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Regina is Latin for Queen.
Like in Winnipeg, rain poured and once again the Royal Couple got wet instead of disappointing their subjects.
Among those who got to meet the couple that day were two Inuit men who were flown in from the Arctic.
They had travelled 300 kilometres on foot to meet a pontoon plane which landed on Wascana Lake directly in front of the Legislative Building.
The Royal Couple spoke to them for a few moments before they moved on through the city which The Regina Leader-Post stated was lined with miles of red, white, and blue decoration in honour of the Union Jack, and purple and gold for the Royal Couple.
Saskatchewan had been the province hardest hit by The Great Depression, but all that seemed to be forgotten amid the celebration of the Royal Couple.
People came from across the province and beyond wanted a glimpse of the King and Queen.
The Leader-Post reported,
“A poor transient, his clothes ragged and his face dirty, walked proudly on South Railway Street with a large flag in his crumpled hat. A large shiny car moved slowly along Albert Street, its driver obviously in difficulty with the vast array of flags carried on the car front. Information bureaus at the city’s outskirts reported one car had passed into the city bearing Hawaii license plates. Another car intended to take in the royal visit in Regina came 600 miles from north of Prince Albert.”
The couple moved on to Moose Jaw, a half hour west of Regina, and when they arrived at the train station, they were met by a young boy who was lying on a cot.
He had accidentally ingested poison and was not expected to live and his last wish was to meet the King and Queen.
Prime Minister King wrote,
“We all went to the cot together. The little lad first smiled very pleasantly at me and then later at the King and Queen. Waved his little flag. It was quite a touching affair.”
The next day the couple traveled to the foot of The Rockies and along the way, King George VI asked Prime Minister King what he could expect from Calgary.
King stated that the city was a small place of little consequence.
Believing that the welcome would be small, King George VI chose not to change out of his casual clothes.
When the train arrived, King George VI saw an honour guard waiting to greet him, but he had no time to change into military uniform and for the rest of the day he was angry with Prime Minister King.
Prime Minister King wrote in his diary of the visit,
“I was disappointed in the numbers of people on the streets. There were not the crowds I had expected. Many of the seats that had been constructed were empty.”
Personally, I don’t understand what he was talking about in 1939, the city had a population of 89,000 and over 135,000 people greeted the Royal Couple.
The Edmonton Journal reported,
“From towns, villages and lonely farmsteads, all over southern Alberta, from many parts of Saskatchewan and British Columbia, came farmers, ranchers, miners and townsfolk with their wives and children, to mingle on the streets with beribboned city veterans, cowboys, shop assistants, office workers, air force men, people of every description.”
Indigenous leaders from the Blackfoot Nation wore traditional regalia and were on hand to meet the Royal Couple in Calgary,
The next day the tour traveled to Banff where a famous photo of The Royal Couple with Prime Minister King at the Banff Springs Hotel was taken.
This stop provided King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with their first bit of rest since their journey across Canada began and allowed the sovereigns to walk arm-in-arm through the idyllic mountain paths.
Francis Stevens with the Regina Leader-Post reported,
“The Queen looked happy and carefree, and you could almost say she was skipping along like a girl. When I saw them coming, I stood at attention to let them pass and both of them said good evening to me.”
It turned out that the King and Queen had left without notifying their staff.
The RCMP or Mounties followed the couple, but King George VI asked if they could be alone. They hadn’t been away from the public eye since the tour began and needed a break from the constant glare of the press, cameras and people.
After their much-needed mountain resort break, they were back on the road and on May 29, the couple reached Vancouver and drove over the newly completed Lions Gate Bridge.
Upon their arrival the couple would be staying at the Vancouver Hotel which had been completed only days earlier, and the King and Queen were the first registered guests to stay there.
Prime Minister King wrote in his diary,
“The day in Vancouver was one of the finest on the entire tour. Without question, Vancouver has left the most pleasing of all impressions. It was a crowning gem.”
The following day, the couple toured smaller communities in the Lower Mainland then took the ferry to Vancouver Island and stopped in Victoria, British Columbia’s capital.
In the city named after his grandmother, the King made a speech that was broadcasted across Canada in which he spoke of the looming threat of war “Someday, the people of the world will come to realize that prosperity lies in co-operation and not in conflict.”
Speaking about his experience in Canada, he said,
“To travel through so grand a country is a privilege to any man but to travel through it to the accompaniment of such an overwhelming testimony of good will, from young and old alike, is an experience that has, I believe, been granted to too few people. We are deeply grateful for it; we shall never forget it.”
After a few more ceremonies the couple returned to the mainland where the couple would begin their journey eastward once again.
After a brief rest in Jasper National Park along the Alberta border, it was on to Edmonton.
On June 02 they arrived at Alberta’s capital where the population had ballooned from 90,000 to 200,000 people Portage Avenue, a major artery through the eastern side of the city, was renamed Kingsway Avenue in honour of the visit and carries that name to this day.
Along the way grandstands were constructed to allow 70,000 people to watch the couple drive past.
King wrote in his diary,
“Tremendous crowds at and around the station. Mounted escort part of the way. We turned left along one of the large avenues, and there I saw the finest sight in the whole trip thus far. Tiers of seats had been erected on either side, very wide avenue for a distance of two miles.”
That night, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stayed at the Hotel Macdonald, which looks out over the Edmonton River Valley and the North Saskatchewan River and is the most luxurious hotel in the city.
Around the hotel police did their best to keep the crowds away from the entrance.
That didn’t stop one 17-year-old boy from climbing up the building and looking in the window where he saw the King and Queen in the Lt. Governor’s suite having tea.
Prime Minister King, didn’t miss a beat to spill some while throwing more shade at Calgary by stating in his diary,
“Edmonton better than Calgary. I think one of the great surprises of the trip.”
The next day, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth went to Wainwright, located on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan where they were met by another large reception and then made their way to Unity, then Saskatoon.
The population of the second-largest city in Saskatchewan swelled from 43,000 swelled to 150,000 for the visit.
The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix wrote,
“Royal weather and a royal crowd greeted Canada’s King and Queen in Saskatoon. One hundred and fifty thousand persons lost their hearts to the tall, square-shouldered Monarch and his unbelievably gracious consort.”
Hundreds of teenage girls dressed in red, white, and blue welcomed the couple, and assembled together to form the Union Jack.
The Star-Phoenix reported,
“It was a colorful scene which greeted Their Majesties as they stepped from the train. To the left of the Royal Couple was the military guard of honour furnished by the Saskatoon Light Infantry. Behind them were stands holding more than 800 high school girls wearing red, white or blue berets and carrying red, white or blue kerchiefs. To their right was a troop of Girl Guides and more stands with nearly 1,500 pioneers, visiting officials, committee chairman and honored guests.”
The Royal Couple remained in the city for two days, as an increasing number of people arrived to see them.
By the second day, an estimated 30,000 school children from surrounding school districts traveled to see the Royal Couple.
At the end of their last day in Saskatoon, people flew out of the city on their way home, as did the Royal Couple who left in the evening for what was expected to be a 10-minute stop in Melville, Saskatchewan, located 350 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon.
But Melville…had other plans.
[PAUSE]
At 10 p.m., the Royal train arrived in the quiet community of 3,000 people but by the time the King and Queen pulled up to the train station there were 60,000 people waiting for them, including 600 First World War veterans, 10,000 school children and a 200-piece orchestra.
For just a few hours, Melville became the largest city in Saskatchewan.
The community even turned back time to accommodate the Royal Couple.
Usually, Melville is in the Central Time Zone, so it was technically 10 p.m.
For the King and Queen, they switched to Mountain Time, and bent time to accommodate the Royal’s arrival.
Except it really didn’t because the second they departed they were back on Central Time, but it was a nice thought.
And due to the outpouring of love and support the intended 10-minute visit turned into one lasting several hours.
Prime Minister King wrote.
“We got the surprise of our lives when we reached Melville. There was the largest outdoor massing of children and others that I have seen at any of the stations. I think the King and Queen were almost taken off their feet by surprise as they went to the platform.”
After that huge reception, the couple returned to Manitoba, and then crossed the border into the United States on June 7.
There, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth met with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Joining them was Prime Minister King who wanted to reinforce that the Royal Couple’s visit was official state business.
His constant presence resulted in some journalists accusing him of grandstanding for Canadians because of the upcoming election.
While this was technically true, Prime Minister King was worried and wrote,
“I told the Queen that I felt somewhat embarrassed about taking in the entire trip with Their Majesties, that it looked like pushing myself into the fore, yet I felt that unless some evidence of Dominion precedence existed, one of the main purposes of the trip would be gone.”
According to the Prime Minister, Queen Elizabeth responded by saying,
“The King and I felt right along that you should come with us.”
[PAUSE]
On June 12, the Royal Couple returned to Canada by way of New Brunswick.
That day, they visited Doaktown and had tea at a local teahouse. Upon finishing they walked into the kitchen to surprise the owners who had kept their distance out of respect.
They then traveled through Nova Scotia, on their way to Newfoundland, which was not a part of Canada, but its own separate Dominion.
It wouldn’t become the tenth province for another decade.
Awaiting them in St. John’s were 100,000 people, double the normal population and after their visit a huge bonfire was erected on Signal Hill. With a summit of 167 metres above sea level, it offers a view of the Atlantic Ocean, St. John’s, and the channel through which all ships must pass when entering or leaving St. John’s Harbour.
The fire signaled a final farewell for the royals who were on the final leg of their tour.
They were on to Prince Edward Island, followed by the last stop, Halifax, on June 15.
Prior to the King and Queen’s departure, a Royal Prerogative was given in which prisoners serving a sentence of three months or more for an offense against the criminal code, would have their sentences reduced.
P. Duff, Chief Justice of Canada and acting Governor General stated,
“It has been the traditional practice of sovereigns to mark celebrations of this great importance by an act of grace or mercy.”
The proclamation extended to at least 4,000 prisoners in federal penitentiaries only.
Prisoners in provincial county jails, and other institutions would not benefit from the proclamation.
After a final luncheon in Halifax, the Royal Couple boarded RMS Empress of Britain Prime Minister King wrote “The Empress of Britain ran past one end of the harbour where she was towed around, then came back the opposite way to pull out to sea. She was accompanied by British warships and our own destroyers. The Bluenose and other vessels also in the harbour as a sort of escort. The King and Queen were at the top of the ship and kept waving. No farewell could have been finer.”
With their 13,481-kilometre journey around Canada complete, it was estimated eight million Canadians saw the King and Queen.
considering Canada only had 11 million people at the time the tour was a massive success.
Maclean’s wrote about the visit, and a quick note… this was written in 1939, so it uses archaic and colonial language, but I have included it as it is a direct quote,
“There were tens and hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, who lined streets and waved flags and cheered as the Royal Procession went by. There were other tens of thousands, running into millions, who gained almost a vivid picture of the moving events without stirring from before their own radio loudspeakers. People on lonely farms and in lonelier lighthouses, in little red schoolhouses, which are almost forgotten, on trap lines and in mines, listened to the broadcasts. In solitary police posts fringing the Arctic Sea, in Eskimo igloo and Indian encampment, in hospital beds and houses of detention, people paused in whatever they were doing while a king went by.”
The tour also reinvigorated William Lyon Mackenzie King, and not just in front of voters. The Prime Minister seemed in better spirits than he had been in years and found new life as he prepare for the upcoming election
That is the story of, one of the biggest events in Canadian history but not the total impact of The Royal Tour of 1939.
[TRANSITION]
As everyone expected, the Second World War began only three months after the Royals left Halifax.
For the next six years those who had watched the Royal Tour committed to the war effort.
Canadians served as soldiers, helped on the home front, and invested in the war effort with their hearts and souls.
King George VI served as the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth through the war.
His representative in Canada however had to be replaced during this time. Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir, who took a backseat during the tour, sadly died less than a year later. He was shaving in the bathroom on Feb. 6, 1940, when he slipped and hit his head on the bathtub. He died on Feb. 11, 1940.
As expected, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King won the next election in 1940, and another in 1945. He retired in 1948 and passed away in 1950.
In October 1951, Princess Elizabeth arrived in Canada with her husband Prince Philip for her first tour of Canada. While it was a huge event, it was not quite as grand as her parents’ trim 12 years earlier.
At the time her father’s health was in decline. While she was on tour, a draft accession declaration was kept by her private secretary Martin Charteris in case the King died.
King George VI died only months later on Feb. 6, 1952, beginning the seven-decade reign of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
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