THE KING AND THE SERVICES
Only three days after the irreparable loss of his much-loved mother,
King Edward wrote Messages to the Navy and the Army, which demonstrated
how great is his pride in both the services, and how deeply he has
their interests at heart. The Message to the Navy, which was ordered by
the Lords of the Admiralty to be read on the quarter-deck of every ship
in commission, in the presence of the ship’s company, was as follows:--
“OSBORNE, _25th January 1901_.
“I am desirous of expressing to the Navy my heartfelt thanks
for its distinguished and renowned services during the long and
glorious reign of my beloved mother the Queen, to whose Throne
I now succeed.
“Her Majesty, ever proud of the great deeds of her Navy, the
protector of our shores and commerce, watched with the keenest
solicitude its vast progress during her reign, and made it the
profession of my late lamented brother, as I also chose it for
the early education of both my sons.
“Watching over your interests and well-being, I confidently
rely upon that unfailing loyalty which is the proud inheritance
of your noble service.
“EDWARD, R. ET I.”
[Illustration: THE KING AS ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET
_From a Photograph by Russell_]
On the publication of the official March Navy List--there was no issue
for February 1901--it was seen that the words “The King” appeared at
the head of the Service. This had been done before in lists published
by private enterprise, but never before in the list published
“by authority.” The circumstance that, while in the Army List Queen
Victoria appeared as the head of the land forces, a similar course
was not taken in the Navy List had always been regarded as curious,
especially considering that the sea service is designated the “Royal”
Navy, while the Army is not so described. When an official Navy List
was first issued in January 1814 there was no indication in it of
the monarch’s existence. The Duke of Clarence appeared as the only
Admiral of the Fleet with a commission dated 27th December 1811, and he
continued to appear in each list as it was issued quarterly up to March
1830. In the next list, dated in June of the same year, by which time
he had succeeded as William IV., his name had disappeared, and for all
the lists tell us he might have entirely severed his connection from
the Navy.
The introduction of the King’s name into the official Navy List did
not of course mean any diminution of the power and authority conferred
on the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High
Admiral, but merely that His Majesty desired to associate himself
personally with the Navy, of which he had become the head. The change
simply emphasised the fact that the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines
are the loyal and devoted servants of the King, and it is another
instance of that gracious tact for which Edward VII. is renowned.
Debarred by the tradition of his House from himself entering our
first line of defence, the King nevertheless--as indeed he says in
his gracious Message--chose the Navy for the early education of both
his sons. In other ways he has never failed to demonstrate in every
possible way his love of the sea, of which indeed he has had a pretty
wide experience. We have seen how often he took passage in various
warships on his travels, and it will be remembered that the _Hero_,
in which he returned from visiting Canada and the United States, was
driven by a storm out of her course and the Royal party were reduced to
salt fare. His Majesty thus early made acquaintance with the hardships
as well as with the pleasant side of a sailor’s life.
King William IV. once said: “There is no place in the world for making
an English gentleman like the quarter-deck of an English man-of-war,”
and his great-nephew, King Edward, evidently took the same view. It was
in 1877 that an important step was taken in regard to the education
of the King’s two sons, which had long been the subject of anxious
thought and care to both their parents. It had not hitherto been the
custom to send Princes in the direct line of succession into the Navy,
that service being no doubt considered too hazardous. But the strong
affection subsisting between Prince Albert Victor and Prince George
made their father unwilling to separate them, and so in June 1877
they entered the _Britannia_ together as naval cadets. The decision
significantly showed how highly His Majesty appreciated the naval
service as a mental and moral training school.
It will be remembered that in that eventful year, 1887, His Majesty was
appointed an Honorary Admiral of the Fleet; and later on, the marriage
of his daughter, Princess Maud, to Prince Charles of Denmark, who was a
Lieutenant in the Danish Navy, gave His Majesty peculiar gratification.
The King’s Message to the Army, contained in a special Army order, was
as follows:--
“OSBORNE, _25th January 1901_.
“On my accession to the Throne of my ancestors I am desirous
of thanking the Army for the splendid services which it has
rendered to my beloved mother the Queen during her glorious
reign of upwards of sixty-three years.
“Her Majesty invariably evinced the warmest interest in her
troops, especially when on active service, both as a Sovereign
and as the head of her Army, and she was proud of the fact of
being a soldier’s daughter.
“To secure your best interests will be one of the dearest
objects of my heart, and I know I can count upon that loyal
devotion which you ever evinced towards your late Sovereign.
“EDWARD R.I.”
[Illustration: THE KING AS COLONEL OF THE 10TH HUSSARS
_From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory_]
A further honour was in store for the Army, for the _London Gazette_
announced:--
“WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, _26th February 1901_.
“The King has been pleased to confer upon the undermentioned
Regiments the honour of becoming their Colonel-in-Chief on his
accession to the Throne:--
“10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars, of which Regiment
he has been the Regimental Colonel since the year 1863.
“Grenadier Guards.
“Coldstream Guards.
“Scots Guards.
“Irish Guards.”
This was felt by the whole Army to be a special honour, for the four
regiments of Foot Guards had previously had only Colonels commanding,
not Colonels-in-Chief. It will be remembered that the 10th Hussars was
the regiment in which the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale served.
The connection of His Majesty with the Army has, in accordance with
precedent, been extremely close and long continued. Among the earliest
recollections of his childhood is the Crimean War, which undoubtedly
made a deep and lasting impression on his mind. On attaining the age
of eighteen His Majesty was gazetted a Colonel in the Army. Four years
later he was promoted to be a General; and in 1875 he was created a
Field-Marshal. The mere catalogue of his Colonelcies and Honorary
Colonelcies would be tedious; but it may be mentioned that he is
Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st and 2nd Life Guards, the Royal Horse
Guards, and the Gordon Highlanders. His Majesty is also Colonel of a
large number of distinguished foreign regiments. These latter, however,
are naturally formal distinctions, which, in these days, are not of
military so much as diplomatic significance. The interest which the
King takes in military matters is undoubtedly chiefly centred in the
British Army.
The King’s military service at the Curragh has been described in an
earlier chapter. His mind was also undoubtedly influenced by the
companions whom his parents selected to be with him when he set up
a separate establishment. Of these, two were soldiers of conspicuous
bravery--Major Teesdale, afterwards Sir Christopher Teesdale, who
had greatly distinguished himself at Kars; and Major Lindsay, V.C.,
afterwards Lord Wantage. King Edward’s keen interest in all that
concerns the art of war is well exemplified by his careful survey of
the battlefields of the Crimea, and by his visiting, during his tour in
India, the places rendered for ever memorable by the Mutiny.
The deep interest which His Majesty took in the Boer War will be fresh
in the recollection of everybody. Accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge,
he said good-bye, on 14th October 1899, to Sir Redvers Buller,
departing to take up the command in South Africa. Later on, accompanied
by his brother, the Duke of Connaught, he saw Lord Roberts off on
that cold winter morning when the Commander-in-Chief, in the midst of
his own bitter private grief, left for South Africa, sped by the deep
sympathy and encouragement of His Majesty. It will be remembered, too,
how frequently the King inspected battalions ordered to the front,
encouraging them with his outspoken interest and admiration; and it
will be remembered not less vividly how his gracious Consort cared for
the wounded and invalided soldiers, whose sufferings are the inevitable
price of victory. The _Princess of Wales_ Hospital Ship will never be
forgotten by a grateful nation.
The King and Queen Alexandra were among the earliest subscribers to
the Mansion-House funds for the relief of the Transvaal refugees and
of the sufferers from the war. The death of their nephew, Major Prince
Christian Victor, who was stricken down by disease in October 1900
while on active service in South Africa, was a deep grief to their
Majesties. The beginning of the year 1901 was signalised by the return
of Lord Roberts and by Queen Alexandra’s special appeal on behalf of
the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Association, which brought relief
to many a stricken family whose head had fallen at the front.
[Illustration: THE KING AND THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT
_From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory_]
In the reception of Lord Roberts the King took a prominent part.
Accompanied by Queen Alexandra, and their son and daughter-in-law and
Princess Victoria, His Majesty, as representing his Royal Mother,
presided at the State luncheon at Buckingham Palace in honour of the
Commander-in-Chief, while only a few days before Queen Victoria’s
death the King took the chair at the great banquet at which the United
Service Club entertained Lord Roberts.
The services of the Colonial contingents in South Africa made a
profound impression on the King’s mind. He showed this in the most
significant manner when, brushing aside all antiquated War Office
precedents, he not only inspected Strathcona’s Horse in the garden of
Buckingham Palace and gave them the South African Medal in advance
before its general issue, but actually presented the regiment with a
colour. That such honour should be conferred on a corps of irregulars
doubtless shocked military pedants, but it caused intense pride and
gratification to the gallant Canadians, who in their modesty refused to
believe that their services had been anything out of the common.