The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-03

bitter war years. On the {
sense and tolerant counsel
of the men who were now to
make up the staff of his
own household.
AS controller or general man
ager, he was to have Admiral Sir
Lionel Halsey, a distinguished ma
val officer.
But the man who was to exer-
else possibly the greatest influ-
ence over him was his private sec
rotary, Sir Godfrey Thomas. Sir
Godfrey was five years older than
the Prince and had come to him
from, the foreign office. He was
the tenth baronet of his line, and
his father had been a brigadier of
artillery during the war.
A gentle, soft-spoken, almost
shy man, wise far beyond his
years, his counsel and advice
were to be of inestimable value
to a busy Prince.
NN a gray London morning
" few months after the Armi-
stice, he stood alongside Gen.
Pershing and reviewed a regiment
of United States troops. A
woman in black broke through the
circle around the Prince and hur-
ried toward him.
Il must speak to your royal
highness," she said with great
emotion. my husband was killed
at Cambria in October, 1917, and
I have never received a penny of
pension. Can't you help me,
sir?"
The Prince touched her arm.
"Of course, I will do everything 1
can. This is too bad. Well see
to it at once"
Then he turned to Winston
Churchill, who at this time was
chancellor of the exchequer. "Mr.
Churchill" the Prince went on,
may I ask you to take care of
this personality"
TN April, 1919, he made his first
l. visit to the slums of South
wark, London. He was seeing
first hand how his ex-comrades,
the men who had won the war,
were actually living.
In one unpainted, half -tumbled-
down tenement house he climbed
rickety stair to an attic with
ceiling so low that he could barely
stand upright. The window-panes
were broken and the whole room
reeked with unspeakable filth.
ut is damnable beyond Words"
the Prince said in low voice.
He was learning. He was going
down among them in peace time
life, just as he had done with his
comrades in the war. He was
seeing that civil life, for millions
of men, was even worse than war.
Ten days later he paid his first
visit to a working mems club near
Kew Gardens. And two weeks
after that he made his first speech
about proper housing.
In May he was initiated into the
Craft of Freemasonry in the
Household Brigade Lodge. He was
following the trail of English
kings.
DUT in the summer of 1919
- Downing Street and Bucking-
ham Palace had more to worry
about than the casual education
or passing indiscretions, or re-
porting engagements of youthful
Prince.
The empire. along with the
whole world, was aimless and be-
wildered. Canada and the other
dominions were asking themselves
the pertinent quetion of what they
had got out of the war.
Why not. take a long chance?
Why not send this appealing lad,
little difficult to handle in Lon
don and still feeling his youth, as
an unofficial ambassador to Can
ada? Each might help the other.
So it was that when the giant
cruiser H. M. S. Renown steamed
out of Plymouth on the morning
of Aug. 5. 1919, there was deep
concern felt as to Just what would
happen during the coming four
month tour of Canada.
Six days later the great ship
dropped anchor at Conception Bay
and the following day the Prince
transferred to a light cruiser, the
Dragon, and moved toward the old
city of st. Johns in the indepen-
dent colony of Newfoundland,
There were worried looks on the
faces of his staff. How would the
western world take the Prince
and how would he react to it?
a N hour later the questions had
-