CHAPTER XXII

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.”

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.”

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.

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.