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The King at a Test Match, Lords

The King's visit to Lord's on June 25th, 1934, for the second Test Match of the series was a happy augury for England, the home side winning on that ground for the first time for thirty-eight years by an innings and 38 runs. A crowd which filled every seat saw His Majesty walk down the pavilion steps to say a word to the teams. The English side are being presented, and the King is shaking hands with Bowes, who secured four wickets. The hero of the match, however, was his fellow-Yorkshireman, Verity, who, on a pitch exactly suiting his "slows," took fifteen wicket for 104 runs-an outstanding feat among the bowling performances of Test Cricket.

The Opening of the Mersey Tunnel

The largest under-water road tunnel in the world is the 8,000,000 pound "Queensway," which runs beneath the Mersey for over two miles, and connects Lancashire with Cheshire. This great engineering work was opened in Liverpool by the King, who was accompanied by the Queen, on July 18th, 1934. The green and gold draperies at the entrance parted like a stage curtain, revealing inside the mouth of the Tunnel the glow of an electrically-lit greeting: "Merseyside Welcomes Your Majesties"; and simultaneously a signal flashed to inform Birkenhead that the link had been accomplished. Thousands of school children took part in the ceremony.

The King and Queen in the Royal Yacht "Britannia"

The visit of the King and Queen to Cowes Regatta each year gives them a short care-free holiday from demands of State, and His Majesty is rarely happier than when racing in the Royal Yacht, Britannia. This grand old cutter, now in her fortieth year, did better than any of the big yachts at Cowes last season, carrying off two firsts in six races. A project the King with a new 30,000 pound yacht to celebrate his Jubilee, but the Sovereign considered that in hard times the money should be spent otherwise. A number of alterations are being made to improve the speed of Britannia this year.

The Launch of the "Queen Mary"

"I am happy to name this ship; 'Queen Mary'." Having bestowed her own name on the great vessel, formerly known as "534," Her Majesty the Queen launched the world's largest liner on the Clyde on September 26th, 1934. A quarter of a million people in Messrs. John Brown & Co.'s shipyard watched the huge shape gather momentum, cleanly take the water, and send a white wave foaming over the opposite shore. The King (who is seen with the Queen acknowledging the cheers as Their Majesties approached the launching platform) described the liner-the first built for the combined Cunard-White Star Fleet-as "the stateliest ship now in being."

The Duke of Gloucester's Australian Tour

In the autumn of 1934 the Duke of Gloucester began a deeply interesting but arduous tour of Australia and New Zealand, and he is seen landing at Fremantle on October 4th, from H.M.S. Sussex. The chief object of the Duke's voyage was to be present at the Melbourne Centenary celebrations, and to attend the dedication there on Armistice Day of the imposing "Shrine of Remembrance." Intent on observing the rural life of the Common wealth as well as the populous State Capitals, the Duke passed right across the vast Continent. The beginning of 1935 saw him loyally greeted in New Zealand.