King George VI's Uniform
King George VI's Uniform
The full dress uniform of King George VI was presented to Britannia Royal Naval College by HM Queen and Queen Mother in February 1953. The uniform consists of the full dress coat in rank of Admiral of the Fleet, full dress trousers, cocked hat, epaulettes, full dress belt and shoes.
The medals, the collar and badges of the order of the Thistle, the stars of the orders of the Garter and the Thistle, and the Garter sash are replicas.
The medals worn are as follows:1914 Star / British War Medal 1914-20 / Victory Medal & Palm / 39-45 Star / Italy Star / France & Germany Star / Defence Medal / War Medal / Queen Victoria Jubilee / Edward VII Coronation / George V Coronation / George V Jubilee / Order of St. Vladimir (IV class, Russian) / War Cross (Norway) / Greek Cross of Valour / European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign (USA) / French Croix de Guerre.
In July 1959 Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein took a passing out parade at Dartmouth and forgot his Garter star, so he borrowed the one from the King’s uniform!
As his father’s second son, Prince Albert did not expect to become king. His lot, as was the norm for the ‘spare’ son, was a career in the Royal Navy. Albert joined Dartmouth as a naval cadet in January 1911.
His stammer contributed to the bullying by other cadets while his determination to hide it baffled and irritated his masters who thought him either stupid or very shy. As he was later to confide to a friend, he chose to remain silent in maths classes to avoid pronouncing the letter ‘f’ in ‘fraction’.
While not academically gifted, Albert enjoyed cross-country running, riding and to follow the Britannia Beagles. He also became good at tennis and sailing, seizing the opportunity to take the College boats up the River Dart to Totnes and Dittisham to enjoy tea with the locals.
By the time he left Dartmouth Prince Albert had won the respect of staff and students alike for his persistence, generosity, loyalty and sense of humour, but most of all because he never talked ‘up’ or ‘down’ to anyone. All this stood him in great stead for the next part of his training on board HMS Cumberland, leading to his promotion to the rank of Midshipman and a career in the Royal Navy, which would include service during the First World War when he was mentioned in dispatches at the Battle of Jutland.
He would next visit Dartmouth as King, on the eve of the Second World War, accompanied by the Queen and their two daughters, and when the Princess Elizabeth would meet a certain cadet; Prince Philip of Greece.
First Published April 2011 By The Dart
