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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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George VI
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(1895–1952)
King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1936; second son of George V and Mary of Teck; married in 1923 Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (now the *Queen Mother).
He followed the example of his father and elder brother (the future *Edward VIII) in training as a naval cadet, first at Osborne and then Dartmouth; he then served at sea for much of World War I, seeing action at Jutland. Known as a child by his first name, Prince Albert, he was created duke of York in 1920.
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Between the wars his main concern was welfare and industrial relations (the Duke of York's Camps brought together boys from industrial areas and from *public schools), until he was suddenly elevated to the throne by the *abdication crisis. A shy man, for whom public speaking was torture because of his stammer, he seemed unsuited to the role in very difficult times. Events proved otherwise.
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*World War II gave the country its lasting impression of the new king and queen, who stayed in London through the bombing and became inspirational figures in the civilian war effort; in 1940 the king instituted the *George Cross in token of the courage being shown by civilians. By the time peace returned the royal family had acquired a historically unprecedented popularity.
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The independence of *India brought changes to the monarchy in the late 1940s. The king ceased to be an emperor and 'Ind. Imp.' was dropped from the coins. More important, India's wish to become a republic but to remain within the *Commonwealth of Nations gave the British sovereign a new and more significant position as head of the Commonwealth and symbol of a free association of nations – a role taken very seriously by the king's daughter, Elizabeth II, who succeeded him in 1952 after illness had led to his death at the young age of 56. His only other child was Princess Margaret (b. 1930).
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