Evening star., 1952-02-06
Georqe VI: ACommon Man Kinq

lsafer region as the danger Of Ger
Imam invasion heightened. They
lsaid in effect:
I'VE all face q common peril
Thousands Of parents in this coun-I
TRY, are compelled to keep their
children at home. We would pre-
Ifer to share whatever family
iperils there may be with parents
Iof this country" >
! The King "bucked up" his ha-|
raised people who for five years
endured the most sustained bom-l
bardment of civilians In history.
Even under aerial fire the King
many times accompanied BY the
IQueen. FASTENED to scenes Of blitzI
tragedy. He visited people as they
lstood defiantly in the rubble Of
their shattered Towns. moved
quietly and helpfully among them
lat their work, made. sure that the
bombed out received all possible
help.
Duke Of Kent Killed.
War cost the life Of the Kings
youngest brother, the Duke OIL
Kent. He was killed in the crash
lof a flying boat in Northern Scot
land in the summer Of 1912 while
len route to Iceland on active serv-
lice as an air commodore. The
entire crew Of the mission died
with him.
The grandeur and misery Of
lDunkerque appalled, the King
caused him untold suffering. yet
lat the same time thrilled him
with its qualities OF epic heroisrn.
And his emotions were one with
those Of his people during the
anxious months Of the Battle of
Britain, the perils Of which he
shared as q natural course.
He went to sea with Britain's'
home fleet that he might have q
first hand view OF naval defense,
and kept In constant touch with
all the armed services. He visited
Allied troops in North Africa.
Italy and Malta, island citadel
which with the motherland had
stood up to years Of furious aerial
assault.
There were many who thought
the King ran too many PERSONAL
risks. that he should not so ex-I
pose himself to multitude OF
hazards, that he taxed the inge-1
nuity OF the security authorities
too heavily.
t'It is my duty" he replied
simply.
Popular With Americans.
King George did much TO
strengthen Anglo sAmerican
friendship. Wounded soldiers. in-I
cluding many Americans, were
entertained at Buckingham Pal-,
ace. GIs were invited to royal
dances and parties. He praised the
battle brotherhood of the cousin
countries, and behind the scenes
the King stroye TO knit the trans
Atlantic ties ever closer,
he profoundly admired Presi-!
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt and
Edisclosed after. the war that he!
and the government had tried.
Iverg hard to have him visit
Britain.
George VI was born at York
Cottage. Sandringham. December
Ii. 1895. His childhood was spent
chiefly there or at Marlborough
House in London.
THE difficulties Of his own early
days. which included frequent
| Illnesses, helped to move him into
closer sympathy with struggling
youth. and indeed with the little
people generally.
Two serious handicaps plagued
him at the outset. Never rugged
in constitution, he suffered from
boyhood into early manhood
from a weakness which cut short
his naval career in World War I.
After an operation for a duodenal
ulcer, his general health Inn
proved.
Much more obstinate was aI
stammer. He largely overcame it
by will power, perseverance. the
services Of speech defect special
lists and the constant help and
encouragement Of his wife. !
American Tour. 1
When King George and Queen
Elizabeth made their North
American tour in 1899 it marked
the first time that a reigningI
British Monarch had set foot onl
United States soil. Their expert
enceS were as novel for them as
was their presence for a demo-
cratic people with storybook ideas
of royalty.
New sights and new customs
greeted the regal travellers every
where. The eaSy-going AmericanI
ways amused them, but also
they confessed afterward-shook
them a bit.
They arrived at Quebec May
III, after a rough and delayed
passage of II days. Travelling
westward across the Dominion tol
the Pacific Ocean, they stopped
briefly in Montreal, Ottawa, Van
|couver, Banf and other cities.
At Ottawa the King addressed
the Canadian Parliament. In To-
ronto he and the queen met the
IDionne quintuplets.
Welcomed by Hull.
On June they crossed from
Canada into the United States. at
niagara Falls, where Secretary Of
State CordeH Hull welcomed them
with simple informality to the