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The King's Pilgrimage to the Graves of British Soldiers

At Terlincthun War Cemetery on May 13th, 1922, the King concluded a pilgrimage to the graves of soldiers of the British Empire who fell in France and Flanders. The burial ground looks from the high cliffs near Boulogne across the English Channel, and on clear days the white cliffs of our own coast shine clearly. At the Cross of Sacrifice, standing with the Queen, and important representatives of the British and French Armies, the King spoke movingly of the dead, whose graves girdle "the whole circuit of the earth," and who, in France, "lie in the keeping of a tried and generous friend."

The Marriage of the Duke of York

The King's second son, the Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, were married at Westminster Abbey on April 26th, 1923. The bride drove with her father from Bruton Street to the Abbey in a closed carriage, but on the return journey the crowds along Piccadilly and Constitution Hill, cheering and showering confetti, saw her radiant and smiling at her husband's side. The two were acclaimed anew on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where 123 guests attended the wedding breakfast. The last act of Lady Elizabeth before her marriage was to lay her bridal bouquet on the grave of the Unknown Warrior.

The British Empire Exhibition, Wembley

One hundred thousand people saw the King inaugurate the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley on April 23rd, 1924. Their Majesties drove from Windsor and on reaching the Stadium, the Head of the Empire was asked by his son, the Prince of Wales (who was president of the Exhibition), to declare open "this picture of our Commonwealth of Nations." Within 220 acres of ground the Exhibition comprised, as the King said, "a vivid model of the architecture, art and industry of all the races which come under the British flag." Seated opposite Their Majesties are the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York.

The Consecration of Liverpool Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral (which is one of the world's largest cathedrals) was consecrated in the presence of the King and Queen on July 19th, 1924. It is the third Anglican Cathedral to be built in England since the Reformation. The architect Mr. (now Sir) Giles Gilbert Scott, was 21 years old when his design was chosen from more than a hundred others. About forty-five Bishops, including the Heads of the Church in Asia, America, Scotland and Wales attended the dedication. The Service was superb in its solemn ecclesiastical ritual. In the picture Lord Derby and Mr. Arthur Henderson, the Home Secretary, are standing beside the King and Queen.

A Royal Visit to H.M.S. "Victory"

A year of two after the War it was discovered that Nelson's famous flagship, the Victory, was sinking at her moorings in Portsmouth Harbour, and that the timbers of the hull were in perilous condition. She was accordingly moved permanently into dry dock, and thorough measures taken to restore her. A careful study of naval records has enabled the Victory's appearance at the time of the battle of Trafalgar, and the Admiral's quarters to be reproduced. On July 26th, 1924, before holding the Naval Review at Spithead, the King and the Prince of Wales went over the famous old man-of-war, and inspected the work of reconstruction.