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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0170.PDF
75 FLIGHT. JANUARY 23, 1936. accession he moved his Court to Delhi to be there proclaimed Emperor of India. No previous King, and few other men, had more experience of the dis tances which separate the various lands of the British Empire, and none can have appreciated more keenly the boon which aircraft is bringing to all of them. King George's death has left us all mourning, but greater than our grief is our admiration for a kingly life well lived. The Neu» King In the midst of deep sorrow the Nation and the Empire greet the new King. He is a man who has already made his mark and gained for himself a w o r 1 d -w i d e reputation. Widely travelled, he has been described as "Britain's best Ambassa dor." Foreign observers have recognised in the Prince of Wales a man of mark, a man gifted with qualities which have already given him an established place in the world. It has often been said that his character closely resembles that of his grandfather, King Edward VII, who was universally recognised as one of the ablest men who has sat upon a throne in modern times. In many ways the experi ences of the new King have been unique. Not since George II has Britain had a King who has actually been in battle. Our new King won the Military Cross in the Great War, and his cool daring caused the greatest anxiety to those responsible for his safety. The War gave him a wonderful education, for it brought him in contact with all classes of his future subjects at a time when danger and suffering had brought to the surface all the best qualities of the British race. Since the Armistice the Prince of Wales—he is still Prince of Wales, although he has now assumed a higher tide —has travelled widely through out the Empire, and sometimes in foreign countries. He is a I 'andyk King George, as Chief of the Royal Air Force, inspecting the Guard of Honour at Mildenhali during his review of the youngest fighting Service last July. V' andyk The New King in the uniform of the Royal Air Force. ranch-owner in Canada; Australians have affection- ately hailed him as "Digger." Once, speak ing at a St. George's Day banquet, he humorously remarked "I am, among other things, an English man." That remark seems to give the key to his unique place in the world ; he is identified with every section of the British Empire. It has been said that the hardest position in the world to fill with success is that of Prince of Wales. It may safely be said that none has ever risen more whole-heartedly to the re sponsibilities of that posi tion than our new King has done. Following the best traditions of his House, he has put duty and service above every thing else. However fatiguing and irksome the duties, he has never shirked them. Yet, while following the beaten track of public duties, the new King has always displayed an originality of thought and of character. There has been individuality in every speech which he has delivered. His sense of humour is one of the minor points of his person ality which have helped to make him tremendously popular. Because of his character his taste for flying has been very helpful to the aeronautical movement. He took to it for purely utilitarian motives, because it saved him time and enabled him to do more work in a year with less fatigue. Then he began to like flying, and learnt unofficially to fly his own machines with consider able skill. His grandfather, probably for similar reasons, was an early patron of motor ing, and again the new King has shown his likeness to King Edward VII. His example naturally made a great impres sion on many who had thought flying a very dangerous pursuit. It was typical of the man to patronise what is best in modern scientific progress, and to identify himself with the movements of the day. His flight to London last Tuesday sets a royal example.
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