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1939 Royal Tour

Article by Carolyn Harris

Published Online April 22, 2015

Last Edited March 25, 2022

Albert and Elizabeth

The future King George VI was born on 14 December 1895. At the insistence of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria , he was named Albert after his great-grandfather, who died on the same day in 1861. As the second son of the future King George V , the young prince was not expected to succeed to the throne and instead trained for a naval career. At 17, he visited Canada for the first time on a six-month training cruise in 1913.

In 1930, the Canadian government requested that the Prince, who had become Duke of York in 1920, be chosen as Governor General . The British government decided against this because of the changing relationship between the United Kingdom and Canada — including Canada’s growing autonomy — soon to be enacted under the Statute of Westminster .

In 1923, the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the ninth of the 10 children of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, members of the Scottish aristocracy. The wedding and the arrival of the royal couple’s two daughters, the future Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926) and Princess Margaret (1930–2002), attracted public interest throughout the English-speaking world, including Canada. (When her daughter succeeded to the throne in 1952, Elizabeth became known as the Queen Mother .)

On 20 January 1936, King George V died and was succeeded by the Duke of York’s older brother, who became King Edward VIII . Almost a year later, Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. The Duke of York became King as a result of the Abdication Crisis and assumed the name George VI to symbolize continuity with the reign of his father, George V.

King and Queen of Canada

In 1931, the Statute of Westminster granted Canada control over its own foreign policy. The Statute changed the relationship between Canada and the monarchy, creating a distinct Canadian Crown . Canada became the political equal of the United Kingdom, sharing a common monarch. The Governor General’s position transformed from representative of the British government to representative of the shared monarch alone. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth therefore toured in 1939 as King and Queen of Canada.

Lord Tweedsmuir , Governor General from 1935 to 1940, extended the invitation to the royal couple to visit Canada after a planned tour of India was cancelled in 1938. Tweedsmuir met with George VI on 24 September 1938 at Buckingham Palace, where the King confirmed the historic trip to Canada. The itinerary was published in newspapers on 4 January 1939. The threat of the Second World War influenced preparations. Queen Elizabeth later recalled, “We were going [to go to Canada] in a battleship and had to change to a liner in case [the warship] was wanted. It was as close as that.”

Canada by Train

The King and Queen spent a month in Canada, touring the country from 17 May to 15 June (excluding four days in the United States from 8 to 11 June). They crossed the country twice in a blue and silver royal train that became the most recognizable symbol of the tour. The tour began in Quebec City when the royal couple arrived on the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Australia escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers of the Royal Canadian Navy . Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King formally welcomed the couple with a speech that included the words, “Today as never before the throne has become the centre of our national life.”

The westbound journey included stops in Trois-Rivières , Montreal , Ottawa , Kingston , Toronto , Winnipeg , Regina , Calgary , Banff , Vancouver and Victoria , as well as numerous small towns and villages. The train then travelled east, stopping, among other places, in Jasper , Edmonton , Saskatoon , Sudbury , Guelph , Kitchener , Windsor , Hamilton , St. Catharines and Niagara Falls . After the visit to the United States, the royal couple returned to Canada and continued their tour through Rivière-du-Loup , Fredericton , Saint John , Moncton and Charlottetown before departing by ship from Halifax . Before returning to Britain, the royal couple sailed to St. John’s , capital of the separate Dominion of Newfoundland at the time.

Mackenzie King welcomed the royal couple at every stop on the tour. George VI gave royal assent to nine bills and became the first Canadian monarch to directly meet his Parliament . He and Elizabeth also dedicated the National War Memorial in Ottawa and laid the cornerstone on the new Supreme Court of Canada building then under construction.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with Prime Minister King

First Royal Walkabout

The now-familiar royal walkabout, where members of the royal family meet and greet crowds of citizens during their tours, was spontaneously born in Ottawa in 1939. After dedicating the National War Memorial on 21 May, the royal couple, instead of returning to their motorcade immediately afterward, spent half an hour mingling with the 25,000 First World War veterans who were part of a crowd of at least 100,000 people. It was a stunning gesture, especially in an age when members of the royalty were often perceived as distant figureheads. A CBC radio announcer covering the event observed the warm rapport between the royal couple and the crowd: “One these old veterans is patting the King most affectionately on the shoulder…Her Majesty is chattering with one of the veterans of the amputations association…The Queen is speaking to a blind veteran now…The King is shaking hands….”

Tweedsmuir , who was also there, recognized the lasting impact of the walkabout on the eve of the Second World War : “One old fellow said to me, ‘Aye, man if Hitler could just see this.’ It was wonderful proof of what a people’s King means.”

Great Spectacle

The King and Queen were greeted by enormous crowds throughout the tour. The CBC described the reception as “a majestic mayhem.” Millions of Canadians gathered in cities, towns and rural railway crossings to see the royal couple or to simply watch the train pass through areas where no stop was scheduled. The enthusiasm was shared by Canadians of all backgrounds. In Quebec , prior to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, the Crown was viewed as a protector of minority rights within the larger democracy and the royal couple was well received by French Canadians. Queen Elizabeth wrote to her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II , “The French people in Quebec and Ottawa were wonderfully loyal; & [in] Montrea l there must have been 2,000,000 people, all very enthusiastic & glad to have an excuse to show their feelings. Yesterday in Toronto it was the same….”

The King and Queen gave speeches in both French and English. While the King still suffered from a mild stammer when giving speeches in English, he did not suffer the same impediment in his French addresses.

In his journals, Mackenzie King also made frequent mention of the enthusiastic crowds at every stop. For example, when the royal train reached Brandon , Manitoba , there was “wonderful cheering. A long bridge overhead crowded with people. The hour: 11 at night.”

French Canadian Responses

The enthusiastic response to the royal tour in Quebec was influenced by the views of French Canadian political and religious leaders. Two French Canadian cabinet ministers, Ernest Lapointe and Fernand Rinfret, encouraged public interest in the tour. Camillien Houde , the mayor of Montreal , ensured that Montreal spent more money on royal tour events than Toronto . Cardinal Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve , archbishop of Quebec, had met King George V and supported the monarchy. At the time, the Roman Catholic school system in Quebec taught that the British conquest of Quebec had protected the region from the secular influence of the French Revolution.

The presence of the King and Queen in Quebec received extensive press coverage, and Quebec tourism increased by 65 per cent in the aftermath of the tour. French-language newspapers emphasized that French Canadians were loyal to the Crown and admired the royal couple on a personal level but did not support British imperialism or view themselves as having assimilated into the British Empire. La Presse criticized the displays of British flags and decorations in Quebec as “imperialistic propaganda” and instead placed the royal tour in a French Canadian context, stating, “Why don’t we, French Canadians, profit from the occasion to manifest our loyalty and attachment to our sovereigns, certainly, but also to our language, our nationality, our rights, our ethnic character. If we must have inscriptions, let them be worded in French, if we cheer, cheer in French….”

American coverage of the royal tour assumed that Quebec was comparatively indifferent or hostile to the presence of the King and Queen in the province. Both Time and Life magazines reported that the royal couple had travelled in bulletproof limousines in Quebec City and Montreal for security reasons without mentioning that the royal couple would use the same kind of vehicles at other stops across Canada. Quebec commentators objected to the implications of this coverage. Le Devoir declared, “The only gangsters or gunmen we have come to us from the US” and compared the fine French cuisine that the King and Queen had enjoyed in Quebec to the “hot dogs or peanut butter sandwiches” that the royal couple might receive in the United States.

Media Coverage in English Canada

Coverage of the 1939 Royal Tour was extensive in both Canada and the wider world. CBC Radio sent a staff of 100 to cover the tour, and newspapers reported extensively on the events. The tour provided the impetus for inaugurating a Canadian shortwave broadcasting service. There was an international press corps as well, which also travelled on the royal train.

Queen Elizabeth wrote to her mother-in-law, Queen Mary: “In Ottawa , we had a reception for all the journalists who are travelling with us on the pilot train — about 80 of them! The Americans are particularly easy and pleasant, and have been amazed I believe at the whole affair. Of course, they have no idea of our Constitution or how the monarchy works….”

There were a few mishaps in the media coverage, including a Winnipeg radio announcer who swore on the air during his live commentary after becoming tongue-tied trying to describe the reception of the King and Queen by Mackenzie King and Winnipeg mayor John Queen.

American Visit

In the midst of their Canadian tour, the royal couple spent four days in the United States, which included a visit with US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt at his private residence at Hyde Park in New York and in Washington, DC. The royal couple visited the British and Canadian pavilions at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and enjoyed a picnic lunch of hot dogs with the Roosevelts.

The King and Queen developed a strong rapport with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, which lasted throughout the Second World War . Queen Elizabeth recalled decades later that the American visit “was very valuable because the King was able to talk to Roosevelt. Endless night talks they had, because Hitler was looming then.”

“Canada Made Us”

Although the original purpose of the 1939 tour was to allow the monarch to engage with Canadians as King of Canada, the impending outbreak of war shaped the significance of the event. Queen Elizabeth alluded to the threat of war in her thank you letter to Lady Tweedsmuir , stating, “Our chief emotion is one of deep thankfulness that [the tour] was such a success, for more & more one feels that a united Empire is the only hope for this troubled world of today.”

The separation of British and Canadian foreign policy in the Statute of Westminster meant that Canada did not automatically declare war on Germany along with the United Kingdom. The tour, however, renewed ties between Canadians and Britain, helping to ensure support for joining Britain in its war effort. On 10 September 1939, Mackenzie King advised George VI to declare war on Germany in his capacity as King of Canada — just one week after the United Kingdom had made its own declaration.

For Queen Elizabeth, the 1939 tour began a 50-year personal relationship with Canada that helped establish her and her husband as a modern royal couple and set precedents for future Canadian royal tours. She would say later that “Canada made us.” Her great-grandson Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge , repeated this sentiment in 2011 at the conclusion of his first royal tour in Canada with his wife, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge . As the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth visited Canada 14 times and became a patron of numerous Canadian charities and honorary colonel-in-chief of Canadian military regiments. In 2000, the Queen Mother was appointed to the Order of Canada at the age of 100.

Interested in the monarchy?

Royal Family

External Links

CBC's archived coverage of the first royal walkabout

A feature on the dazzling cars used by the royals on their 1939 tour

A National Film Board documentary of the 1939 royal tour

Associated Collections

Recommended, king george vi, queen mother (hm queen elizabeth the queen mother), king george v, royal tours of canada, 10 memorable royal tours of canada, 1901 royal tour, william lyon mackenzie king.

John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir

King edward viii, queen elizabeth ii, prince william (hrh the prince of wales), catherine (hrh the princess of wales).

Manitoba History : Cool Things in the Collection: Rare Footage of the 1939 Royal Visit: The R. A. Storch Films

by Wayne Chan University of Manitoba

Number 75, Summer 2014

In April 2013, the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections acquired six 16-mm films from Peter Wachniak of Peter’s Auction Sales, Ltd. in Winnipeg . The films were from the estate of R. A. (Rudolph Alexander) Storch , a graduate of civil engineering from the University of Manitoba (1927), who went on to become a teacher and vice-principal at various schools in Winnipeg. Upon Storch’s passing in 1988, [ 1 ] Wachniak purchased the estate and sold off most of the contents in the intervening years, but these films remained in his possession. [ 2 ]

Of the six films acquired by the University of Manitoba, three mainly showed local school track and field events and the old Osborne Street stadium, [ 3 ] but it was the remaining three films that were of the most interest and which will be the focus of this article. They depict the visit to Winnipeg of King George VI and his consort, Queen Elizabeth, in 1939. One film is in black & white [ 4 ] and one is in colour, [ 5 ] with the third film being a duplicate of the colour one. [ 6 ] The colour and black & white films are both slightly over four minutes in duration and are in remarkably good condition, considering they were stored in paper boxes in an unheated and un-air-conditioned trailer since 2004, and prior to that were stored in an unheated warehouse. [ 7 ]

The University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections transferred the original 16-mm films to digital video and released the film footage to the public on 20 May 2014, [ 8 ] to coincide with the visit to Winnipeg of Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. In contrast to the relatively low-key visit of Prince Charles and his wife, the reception for his grandparents 75 years earlier was anything but low-key. By all accounts, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Winnipeg on 24 May 1939 to a raucous welcome. Over 100,000 people were on hand to greet the royal couple, [ 9 ] and thousands of schoolchildren were bused in from rural areas for the event. [ 10 ] These numbers included an estimated 20,000 Americans, who came to Winnipeg for the royal visit. [ 11 ]

A significant part of the king and queen’s visit to Winnipeg consisted of a 26-mile procession through the city. [ 12 ] The Storch films show parts of this procession as it made its way through the West End of Winnipeg. Featured prominently are elementary and high-school-aged students waiting for the arrival of the procession.

Map of the royal procession route along Sherbrook Avenue. Black bars indicate location of school groups, and black dots represent first-aid stations. Cecil Rhodes students were assigned to the west side of Sherbrook between Notre Dame Avenue and Sargent Avenue. Source: Winnipeg Evening Tribune , 20 May 1939, p. 8.

We clearly know when the films were shot, but where exactly in Winnipeg were they shot? The limited field of view of the camera, the transitions in the footage, and the geographical changes that have taken place in the last 75 years made it challenging, but most of the places seen in the films were eventually identified, based on a detailed analysis of the footage and historical research.

The black & white film presents a narrative of students from Cecil Rhodes School going to watch the royal procession. It begins with a group of mainly older students walking on William Avenue W. behind the original Cecil Rhodes School No. 1, which is now the Adolescent Parent Centre on Cecil Street. In the next segment, we see a group of young children walking past streetcars on Notre Dame Avenue, heading east towards Sherbrook Avenue. A North Star Oil service station, which was at the corner of Notre Dame and Sherbrook, [ 13 ] is evident, along with Somerset School in the background. The remainder of the B & W film shows the Cecil Rhodes students and other spectators waiting on Sherbrook Avenue for the arrival of the royal motorcade. Schools were assigned to specific reserved areas along the procession route, and Cecil Rhodes School, where R. A. Storch was a teacher at the time, was assigned to the west sidewalk on Sherbrook Avenue, between Notre Dame and Sargent Avenue. [ 14 ]

The colour film starts with a group of schoolchildren standing in front of the Tremont Block at 694 Sherbrook. Many of the Cecil Rhodes students are wearing blue and white beanie caps with the letters “C.R.” on them, while other students can be seen wearing a crest with the initials “C.R.S.” A little later, we see the royal motorcade pass by, with the king and queen riding in an open car. The segment afterwards shows the royal procession travelling down Main Street, near the present-day turnoff to the Disraeli Freeway (which did not exist in 1939). The location was established by the tall building in the background with a sign on its roof that read, “Bible House.” This was identified as the British and Foreign Bible Society Building at 184 Alexander Avenue. [ 15 ] The building still exists and is now the Ukrainian Cultural and Education Centre .

Cecil Rhodes students standing on William Avenue West, behind the original Cecil Rhodes School No. 1. Google Street View image of same building, May 2012. Schoolchildren on Notre Dame Avenue near Sherbrook. A North Star Oil service station and Somerset School are visible in the background. Schoolchildren and other spectators on the west side of Sherbrook Avenue, in front of the Tremont Block at 694 Sherbrook. Students posing for the camera. In the background on the right side is the “Uneeda Transfer” garage, which was located at 671 Sherbrook Avenue. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth passing by on Sherbrook Avenue.

In the brief segment that follows, the colour film portrays the Hudson’s Bay Company “rent” ceremony at the Upper Fort Garry Gate , in which the governor of the HBC paid the customary tribute of two elk heads and two black beaver skins to the king. [ 16 ] The camera then shows Union Station across the street, with members of Lord Strathcona’s Horse visible in brass helmets and red tunics. [ 17 ] Next, we see a shot of a passing train (possibly the Royal Train leaving the city) and an unidentified road stretching into the distance.

This marked the end of the footage concerning the royal tour. At the 3:00 mark, the colour film cuts to a scene of a woman walking to the front of a house. This was ascertained to be the Storch residence at 7 Leslie Avenue in GlenElm. [ 18 ] The film ends with a group of people (possibly the Storch family) on an outing. The man who is seen kneeling and then reclining in front of the others (time index 4:00) bears a resemblance to R. A. Storch, based on his 1927 University of Manitoba yearbook photo. [ 19 ] These final segments may have been shot on a different date from the footage of the royal visit.

The R. A. Storch films are less about the royal visit than they are about the people who were there on that day. The films offer a rare and invaluable glimpse into the lives of everyday citizens on one memorable day in the history of Winnipeg. Looking at the footage 75 years later, one cannot help but wonder what happened to the children in the films, even the youngest of whom would be in their late seventies now. Their excitement on that day is palpable, and is made no less poignant by our knowledge of the world events that were to transpire in the months and years ahead.

The two Storch films are available for viewing on YouTube:

I would like to thank Shelley Sweeney, Head of the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections , for her suggestion to write this article and for her invaluable assistance. I thank Lewis Stubbs (U of M Archives & Special Collections) for providing research on the location of the Cecil Rhodes students during the royal tour, and Peter Wachniak for providing background information on the films. I would also like to acknowledge Brett Lougheed (U of M Archives & Special Collections) for reviewing the manuscript and Mark Vajcner (University of Regina Archives & Special Collections) for providing feedback on it.

1. Winnipeg Free Press , “Rudolph Alexander Storch” (obituary), 17 January 1988, p. 28.

2. Peter Wachniak, personal communication, 28 May 2014.

3. University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections , R. A. Storch fonds, PC 334 (A13-23), Box 2, Items 3-5.

4. Ibid ., Box 2, Item 1.

5. Ibid ., Box 2, Item 2.

6. Ibid ., Box 2, Item 6.

7. Wachniak, communication, 28 May 2014.

8. Winnipeg Free Press – Online Edition, “ U of M Archives Release Never-Seen-Before Footage of Earlier Royal Visit ,” Accessed 2 June 2014.

9. Winnipeg Free Press , “Their Majesties Captivate Hearts of Winnipeg,” 24 May 1939, p. 2.

10. Winnipeg Evening Tribune , “Royal Procession Changes Are Made,” 17 February 1939, p. 3.

11. Bousfield, Arthur and Garry Toffoli. Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939, and the Queen Mother in Canada , Toronto: Dundurn, 1989, p. 43.

12. Winnipeg Evening Tribune , “Route and Times of Royal Procession Shown in Map and Official Program,” 20 May 1939, p. 8.

13. 1938 Henderson’s Winnipeg Directory, Winnipeg: Henderson Directories, p. 1000.

14. Winnipeg Evening Tribune , 17 February 1939, p. 3.

15. Ibid ., p. 581.

16. Winnipeg Evening Tribune , “Old Days of West Recalled as King Gets Tribute From Hudson’s Bay Co.,” 25 May 1939, p. 8.

17. Winnipeg Evening Tribune , “’Straths’ Rehearse,” 18 May 1939, p. 3.

18. 1938 Henderson’s Winnipeg Directory, p. 1155.

19. University of Manitoba Students’ Union. Brown and Gold 1927 . Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Students’ Union, 1927, pp. 75, 141.

20. 1938 Henderson’s Winnipeg Directory, p. 1193.

Memorable Manitobans: Rudolph Alexander Storch (1903-1988)

Page revised: 20 February 2018

May 20, 2021

The Royal Visit of 1939

Updated: Aug 26, 2021

On 24 May 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth passed through Transcona on their way to Winnipeg as they crossed the country by train. The tour was a popular event, and a sizable crowd lined the tracks to greet the royal couple. The Town of Transcona was also decorated to mark the occasion. Several individuals and organizations from Transcona had an important role to play during the Royal Visit:

Mayor George Olive and Councillor W. Newman were named by the Town of Transcona Council as the official representatives to greet the King and Queen during their royal tour of Winnipeg.

John Henry Greengrass was given the responsibility of painting the British Royal Coat of Arms on the Royal Train CN 6047. Trained as a painter in England, he began work with the CN Transcona Shops in 1911 painting logos on boxcars and locomotives. Mr. Greengrass was well-known for his ability to paint the royal coat of arms freehand.

Canadian National Railway Transcona Pipe Band was among several local bands selected to line the route of the procession through Winnipeg from City Hall to Portage Avenue along Main Street on 24 May 1939. The CNR Transcona Pipe band was stationed on Fort Street, on the northside of Main Street. As the royal procession passed, the band played "God Save the King".

CN Transcona Shops provided special trains to operate the day of the Royal Visit for school children and residents visiting Winnipeg. Town Council also approved applications for free transportation of unemployed individuals wishing to attend the celebrations in Winnipeg.

Photographs courtesy of the Transcona Museum and Archives

---. “Gay Battle of Color and Music: Great Array of Bands to Line Route of Procession.” Winnipeg Free Press , May 12, 1939.

---. "Special Trains for Transcona." The Winnipeg Tribune, May 9, 1939.

---. "Transcona Names May 24 Delegates." The Winnipeg Tribune, April 11, 1939.

Transcona Museum and Archives.

Anniversary / Milestones
Community Stories
Railway History

U of M Archives releases historical film of 1939 Royal Visit

Just in time for the Royal Visit of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, never-before-seen film footage of a much earlier Royal Visit is being made available to the world.

On May 24, 1939, King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth visited Winnipeg as part of their Royal Tour of Canada , traveling by train across the nation. They were greeted in Winnipeg by an estimated 100,000 people, including thousands of Americans. And, while staying overnight at Government House in Winnipeg, the King made his longest ever radio broadcast to the British Empire.

In 2013, Archives & Special Collections of the University of Manitoba Libraries acquired some material that had belonged to R.A. Storch , a graduate in civil engineering (BCE/27) and a teacher and vice principal at Winnipeg schools including Cecil Rhodes, Earl Grey, King Edward and St. John’s. Storch died on January 14, 1988 at the age of 84. Among his personal effects were the materials that piqued the interest of U of M archivist Shelley Sweeney: more than 250 historical photographs of Winnipeg and a handful of colour and black & white 16mm films.

Two of the films feature the visit of King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth, to Winnipeg in 1939, showing people preparing for the Queen and King to drive by, and related festivities. School groups of children are shown, including some from what appear to be Somerset School and Cecil Rhodes School, excitedly waiting to see the Royal Couple.

In honour of the visit of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Archives & Special Collections have put online two of Storch’s films of the 1939 Royal Visit, including one colour film that is more than four minutes in length. In addition, Archives has also created a Vine showing the Royals driving by in their limousine, and will embed the short video on its Facebook page .

“This film had been long forgotten in a warehouse, and it is sheer serendipity to have it surface just in time for the visit of Charles and Camilla,” says Sweeney.

Winnipeg Royal Tour (King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth), 1939

Preparations for the visit

For more information, please contact Shelley Sweeney, head, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Elizabeth Dafoe Library, University of Manitoba, at: 204-474-6350, or email: Shelley [dot] Sweeney [at] umanitoba [dot] ca

Archives , Libraries

The 1939 Royal Tour

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By the time 1939 rolled around, 72 years had gone by since Canada had become a country. Amazingly, despite seven decades passing, it was not until 1939 that a reigning Canadian monarch set foot in the country. When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived at the shores of Canada, it would be an event unlike any other in Canadian history to that point.

While there have been many Royal Tours since then, it could be argued this was the most successful Royal Tour in Canadian history.

Canada had a strong history with King George VI, going back to when he was the Duke of York. In 1930, he was offered the role of Governor General of Canada, but the British government decided against this as Canada was becoming more autonomous from the United Kingdom, especially as the Statute of Westminster was about to be enacted that would greatly reduce the power of the Governor General in the country.

On Jan. 20, 1936, King George V died and was succeeded by King Edward VIII but just under a year later, Edward abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, this then made the Duke of York the new King.

There was talk of the couple coming in the fall of 1938 but that would fall through as the Royal Couple needed a holiday following the death of the Queen’s mother. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King would write in his diary on May 29, 1938, quote:

“Personally, I should like to be the one to receive the King and Queen while in officer as Prime Minister.”

It then came down to Lord Tweedsmuir, the Governor General of Canada at the time, to extend an invitation to the Royal Couple to tour Canada after their planned tour of India in 1938 was cancelled.

On Sept. 24, 1938, after meeting with King George VI, Lord Tweedsmuir was able to get a confirmation that the King and Queen would indeed be touring Canada. At first, the plan was for the King to come to Ottawa and then return home, but the King then said he wanted to visit the provincial capitals. From there, the itinerary just grew.

The Calgary Herald would report quote:

“The high and unprecedented event of the coming visit to Canada of the King and Queen will give the government a great deal to think about and arrange for the coming months. Among the public at large, it will create the thrill of an expectant emotion. Such a thing has never happened before.”

War was on the horizon, but that was not going to stop the journey, the itinerary of which was published in newspapers across Canada on Jan. 4, 1939. Originally, the Royal Couple were going to come to Canada in a battleship, but the Second World War looming would change that. Queen Elizabeth would say later quote:

“We were going in a battleship and had to change to a liner in case the warship was wanted. It was as close as that.”

Not everyone was happy about the royal visit though, especially with Canada in the throes of the Great Depression. One man was quoted as saying quote:

“I am not disloyal, but I don’t think the city should pay when our people haven’t bread.”

In Vancouver, city councilor Helena Guteridge would state that the city of Vancouver should not be called upon to bear costs from celebrations of the planned visit. She would say quote:

“I am not retracing anything. I feel those who will reap a profit from the celebrations should bear the cost, not the city.”

On May 1, 1939, the Canadian Royal Train would do a round trip test with six of the Royal Train Cars, pulled by Locomotive 6028, from Montreal to Brockville, Ontario. On May 9, another test run was conducted with 12 cars and Locomotive CP 2850 taking over. The 12 cars would include room for 20 domestic servants for the Royal Couple, Prime Minister King, Lady Katherine Seymour, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Airlie, as well as several journalists.

The couple would arrive in Canada on May 17, 1939, and they would spend the next month touring the country by train. The couple would travel in a blue and silver royal train, which made it instantly recognizable to the many Canadians who waited along the tracks to see the train go by.

In order to cover the historic tour, CBC radio had a staff of 100 people covering the events on the tour. On the train with the Royal Couple were 80 international journalists as well.

The tour officially began in Quebec City when the Royal Couple arrived on the Empress of Australia, escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers.

Prime Minister King would go aboard the Empress of Australia to meet with the King and Queen before the disembarked onto Canadian soil for the first visit by a reigning monarch. He would write in his diary, quote:

“The King was standing at the open door of one of the saloons. The Queen was beside him. His Majesty came forward and put out his hand to shake hands and expressed a word of greeting to the effect that he was glad to see me again. I said Welcome Sire to Your Majesty’s Realm of Canada. The Queen came forward and shook hands and spoke of being pleased to be here. I said to her Welcome ma’am to Canada.”

Prime Minister King would say in a speech, quote:

“Today as never before the throne has become the centre of our national life.”

The Royal Couple, the prime minister and others then drove to the Legislative buildings. King would write quote:

“The streets were lined with people who were quite enthusiastic. Great crowds.”

The Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“Roar like mighty thunder greets their majesties as they set foot ashore.”

A total of 35,000 schoolchildren would cheer for the King and Queen during their visit.

In his speech to the crowd, King would say quote:

“May it please Your Majesty. On behalf of the Canadian people, I respectfully extend to Your Majesty and to Her Majesty the Queen, a Royal welcome to your Dominion of Canada.”

A large luncheon was then held for the Royal Couple, which was enjoyed by everyone according to King, who wrote quote:

“The King was in very good form. Laughed a good deal. He had a wholesome, almost boyish way, seeing humour in things. I spoke to him of the main incidents in the history of Quebec. Spoke of the Privy Council being assembled at the gathering. He noticed Howard Ferguson in the audience and spoke of him and of the time he was in London.”

After more receptions, with roads lined with cheering people, a long day came to an end for the Royal Couple and King. Prime Minister King would write at the end of his diary entry for that day, one of the longest of all his entries, quote:

“Needless to say, all day I have had thoughts of my father and mother and grandparents, and Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, in my mind, but have been so tired that there were moments when I seemed to almost be forgetful of their existence. Have thought too of King George V a good deal but can say that I am very tired. However, Providence had been kind in giving me strength through the day and I have reason to rejoice that all has gone so well.”

The couple would make two trips across Canada, visiting nearly every major city along the way. At every stop of the tour, Prime Minister King was there to welcome them.

The next day, it was on to Montreal where the couple was greeted enthusiastically. King would write at the end of the day quote:

“I shall never forget today, however scenes of rejoicing, etc.”

While in Montreal, two Boer War veterans of Scottish heritage would ask the Queen, hoping to settle an argument, quote:

“Are you Scots, or are you English”

The Queen responded quote:

“Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am Canadian.”

Queen Elizabeth would write to her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, quote:

“The French people in Quebec and Ottawa are wonderfully loyal and in Montreal there must have been two million people, all very enthusiastic and glad to have an excuse to show their feelings.”

A 21-gun salute greeted the couple when they arrived in Montreal and the Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“A colorful array greeted their Majesties as they stepped from the train to a carpeted pathway leading from their private train. The King and Queen were greeted by spontaneous cheering and shouting, flag waving and singing.”

During their stops in Quebec, the King and Queen gave their speeches in both French and English.

The next big stop on the tour was Ottawa, where 200,000 people lined a 10-kilometre route to see the Royal Couple. The Couple would stay in the capital for three days.

“They cheered loud and lustily for the three minutes the train took to do the remaining 500 yards and when Their Majesties alighted, they started cheering all over again.”

One woman, upon seeing the Queen, screamed, “she looks like a little girl”

There were several important milestones during the visit of the Royal Couple as well. King George VI gave royal assent directly to nine bills. A total of 800 people crammed into the Senate Chambers to witness the historic event. No royal assent had been granted by the sovereign in person since 1854, so this was a major event. King George VI became the first Canadian monarch to directly meet with Parliament. He and Queen Elizabeth also dedicated the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and they put down the cornerstone for the new Supreme Court of Canada building that was under construction.

The Ottawa Journal wrote quote:

“Joined by hundreds of visitors who were coming in a steady stream by railways and highways from near and far, citizens of the Capital today waited with restive eagerness for the arrival of Their Majesties the King and Queen.”

There were some complaints from civil servants in Ottawa that the vantage points in government buildings to see the Royal Couple were occupied by high officials, their families and friends, while the civil servants who typically occupied those areas through long years of service in the buildings were forced to go elsewhere. Finance Minister Dunning would say that the government knew nothing of this, and that each department had authority over its own offices.

Today, what is called the Royal Walkabout is customary in Canada. It involves a member of the Royal Family visiting with crowds of citizens on tours. That tradition got its start in 1939 when on May 21, when the Royal Couple dedicated the National War Memorial, they chose not to immediately go back to their motorcade and instead spent the next half hour mingling with 25,000 First World War veterans. Those veterans were part of the crowd of 100,000 people who had come out to see the couple.

The CBC would report quote:

“One of these old veterans is patting the King most affectionately on the shoulder. Her Majesty is chattering with one of the veterans of the amputations association. The Queen is speaking to a blind veteran now. The King is shaking hands.”

King would write in his diary quote:

“The crowd began to narrow in. The King gave instructions to move the mounted escort along, down the street, so he could meet a larger number, and caused the crowds to begin to narrow in. There was a moment when I was afraid some of the party might be crushed.”

The Royal Tour then moved on to Toronto on May 22, where they attended the King’s Plate horse race and dedicated Coronation Park. The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, which was not quite completed, was also dedicated.

It was estimated one million people saw the couple in Toronto, as they lined the streets waiting for a glimpse of the King and Queen. King George VI would say in a speech quote:

“The people of Ontario, the central province of the Dominion, have by their great qualities made a very significant contribution to the material progress of Canada and an equally important one to the formation of its national character.”

“As we approached the City Hall, the crowds became all that they could possibly be in those areas. It was a joy as I stood there with the King and Queen to recall that my grandfather had been the first Mayor of Toronto and had designed its coat of arms.”

The couple then began the long journey out to Western Canada, to a region of the country that had dealt with the worst of The Great Depression.

On May 23, as the Royal Tour reached White River, Ontario, George Freethy was made mayor of the community only 40 minutes previously. He was chosen by other members of the committee in charge of the visit to White River to greet the King and Queen, before he went back to his normal job as a superintendent. He would say after meeting the King and Queen, quote:

“Her smile was so dazzling I forgot everything after that.”

At Fort William, the couple would meet with Indigenous leaders and were shown a traditional Indigenous dance. The Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“The Royal Couple seemed to enjoy the experience thoroughly.”

The couple would visit Winnipeg on May 24, arriving on the King’s official birthday. A crowd of 100,000 people greeted the Royal Couple and the King requested that the convertible roof on the limousine be opened, despite record rainfall, so as many people as possible could see the couple.

Macleans would write quote:

“Those who heard the spontaneous gasps of amazement and delight when Winnipegers saw this young couple driving along in an open car in the rain, will never forget it, neither will Winnipegers.”

While staying at Government House in Winnipeg, King George VI made his longest-ever radio broadcast to the British Empire. The table that he sat at to read the address remains in the hotel. Originally, the King had wanted to do the address outdoors, before the people of Winnipeg as he did not like speaking in a room by himself.

The King would say in his speech quote:

“Winnipeg, the city from which I am speaking, was no more than a fort and hamlet upon the open prairie when Queen Victoria began to rule. Today, it is a monument to the faith and energy which have created and upheld the worldwide Empire of our time.”

King would say of the speech, quote:

“I thought the broadcast was too long and not as felicitously worded as it might have been.”

The train then moved on to Brandon, where Prime Minister King would describe the arrival as quote:

“Wonderful cheering. A long bridge overhead crowded with people. The hour, 11 at night, the finest scene on the entire trip.”

Even Queen Elizabeth would state the reception was the biggest thrill of the tour to that point.

In Brandon, Manitoba, the population of the city, normally 17,000, swelled to 50,000 as people from around the area came out to see the Royal Couple. The Regina Leader-Post stated quote:

“School children, farmers, babies in arms and grandmothers from near and far swelled the city’s population, massed along the station platform and crowding along the railway tracks for half a mile.”

Some journeyed from as far away as 300 kilometres to glimpse the Royal Couple.

On May 25, the Royal Couple travelled into Saskatchewan. The first stop was Broadview, where an immense crowd greeted the Royal Couple. After Broadview, the train stopped so the Royal Couple could exercise. King would write quote:

“They walked down the track, coming back, were met by their suite. The Queen set up a foot race and brought them all in puffing pretty hard. She is full of life and charm.”

The train then reached Regina where it was unfortunately raining. Once again, King George VI asked that the top of the car be taken down.

In Regina, two Inuit men had been flown in from the Arctic after travelling 300 kilometres on foot to meet a pontooned plane. The plane would land on Wascana Lake directly in front of the Legislative Building, and the Royal Couple would speak to the two men for a few moments.

The Regina Leader-Post would state of the city’s efforts to welcome the couple quote:

“Regina’s street decorations were unsurpassed by any previous event celebrated in the city’s history. Miles of bunting in red, white and blue and in the royal colours of purple and gold, together with thousands of flags and colored lights provided a colorful setting for the celebration of Their Majesties.”

Saskatchewan was the hardest hit by the Depression in Canada, but it didn’t stop many from still celebrating. The Leader-Post would go on to state quote:

“A poor transient, his clothes ragged and his face dirty, walked proudly on South Railway Street with a large flag in his crumpled hat. A large shiny car moved slowly along Albert Street, its driver obviously in difficulty with the vast array of flags carried on the car front. Information bureaus at the city’s outskirts reported one car had passed into the city bearing Hawaii license plates. Another car intended to take in the royal visit in Regina came 600 miles from north of Prince Albert.”

After visiting the Legislative Building, and visiting with dignitaries, the couple moved on to Moose Jaw. At the station, they found a young boy who was laying on a cot. He had accidently ingested poison and was not expected to live beyond a few days. He had hoped to see the King and Queen before he died.

King wrote quote:

“We all went to the cot together. The little lad first smiled very pleasantly at me and then later at the King and Queen. Waved his little flag. It was quite a touching affair.”

The day after the stop in Regina and Moose Jaw, the tour was on its way to Calgary. King George VI would ask Prime Minister King what should be expected for crowds or ceremonial military welcome in Calgary. King stated that Calgary was only a small place of little consequence. Upon arrival, the King saw there was a guard of honour waiting on the platform and he realized he should be in uniform. It was too late to change, and according to those around the King, he was angry with Prime Minister King for the rest of the day.

It was also the first time that King was disappointed with the reception. He wrote quote:

“I was disappointed in the numbers of people on the streets. There were not the crowds I had expected. Many of the seats that had been constructed were empty.”

Despite his disappointment, a crowd of 135,000 did come to see the King and Queen. The Edmonton Journal reported quote:

“From towns, villages and lonely farmsteads, all over southern Alberta, from many parts of Saskatchewan and British Columbia, came farmers, ranchers, miners and townsfolk with their wives and children, to mingle on the streets with beribboned city veterans, cowboys, shop assistants, office workers, air force men, people of every description.”

In Calgary, the King and Queen would meet with local Indigenous leaders, who wore traditional clothing to meet the Royal Couple.

On May 27, the Royal Couple were in Banff where a famous photo of them with Prime Minister King at the Banff Springs Hotel was taken. This would provide the Royal Couple with some time for rest after the long trip across the country. The Regina Leader-Post’s Francis Stevens would report quote:

“Right now, in this mountain retreat surrounded by whispering fir trees, looking out on one of the most publicized views on Earth, I still hear the cheers of thousands ringing in my ears.”

One man would tell Stevens upon seeing the King and Queen quote:

“They were walking arm-in-arm. The Queen looked happy and carefree, and you could almost say she was skipping along like a girl. When I saw them coming, I stood at attention to let them pass and both of them said good evening to me.”

The King and Queen had actually left for their walk in the mountains without notifying any of their staff of their intention. They would return half an hour later to dine alone together in their suite.

The press that was along on the tour also stated they would not follow the Royal Couple on their walks in the mountains, to give them a break from the constant glare of the cameras and people.

At one point, one of the Mounties assigned to guard at the hotel began to follow the King and Queen on their walk and the King politely told him that they wished to be alone.

On May 29, the couple reached Vancouver. They would drive over the newly completed Lions Gate Bridge, and the King and Queen would be the first registered guests at the new and luxurious Vancouver Hotel, owned jointly by Canadian National Railways and Canadian Pacific.

The following day, the couple toured smaller communities as well as Victoria. Prime Minister King would write in his diary quote:

“The day in Vancouver was one of the finest on the entire tour. Without question, Victoria has left the most pleasing of all impressions. It was a crowning gem.”

While in Victoria, the King would make a speech that was broadcast across Canada. He would state, with war looming on the horizon, quote:

“Someday, the people of the world will come to realize that prosperity lies in co-operation and not in conflict.”

He would then add, quote:

“To travel through so grand a country is a privilege to any man but to travel through it to the accompaniment of such an overwhelming testimony of good will, from young and old alike, is an experience that has, I believe, been granted to too few people. We are deeply grateful for it; we shall never forget it.”

At this point, the Royal Couple began the trip back to eastern Canada. The couple would have another rest at Jasper, before once again moving on east.

Upon reaching Edmonton on June 2, the population of the city went from 90,000 to 200,000 as people from the outlying areas came to the capital to see the couple. Along Kingsway Avenue in Edmonton, specially constructed grandstands were made so 70,000 people could see the couple pass by.

“Tremendous crowds at and around the station. Mounted escort part of the way. We turned to the left along one of the large avenues, and there saw I think the finest sight in the whole trip thus far. Tiers of seats had been erected on either side, very wide avenue for a distance of two miles.”

With the King and Queen staying at the Hotel Macdonald, police had to keep crowds away from the entrance but that didn’t stop one 17-year-old boy from climbing up the building and looking in the window where he saw the King and Queen in the Lt. Governor’s suite, where they were having tea.

King would add later in his recollection quote:

“Edmonton better than Calgary. I think one of the great surprises of the trip.”

The next day, the couple then made their way to Wainwright, at the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan where there was another huge reception.

The King and Queen would also take a walk around Unity, and then visited Saskatoon where 150,000 came out to see the couple and hundreds of teenage girls dressed in red, white and blue and assembled in the image of the Royal Union Flag as they sang God Save the King.

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix would write quote:

“Royal weather and a royal crowd greeted Canada’s King and Queen in Saskatoon. One hundred and fifty thousand persons lost their hearts to the tall, square-shouldered Monarch and his unbelievably gracious consort.”

For two days before the arrival of the King and Queen, crowds were coming into the city for the big event. There were an estimated 30,000 school children who had also come to the city for the arrival.

The Star-Phoenix reported quote:

“It was a colorful scene which greeted Their Majesties as they stepped from the train. To the left of the Royal Couple was the military guard of honour furnished by the Saskatoon Light Infantry. Behind them were stands holding more than 800 high school girls wearing red, white or blue berets and carrying red, white or blue kerchiefs. To their right was a troop of Girl Guides and more stands with nearly 1,500 pioneers, visiting officials, committee chairman and honored guests.”

The Royal Couple later arrived in Melville at 10 p.m. and 60,000 people were waiting for them. The community typically had a population of only 3,000. With such a huge influx of people into the community, the Royal Couple decided to spend several hours in Melville, rather than the originally planned 10 minutes. In the crowd were 600 First World War veterans, 10,000 school children and a 200-piece orchestra.

R.J. Carnegie would say of the stop in Melville, quote:

“Never throughout the tour did I see such unbridled enthusiasm as then.”

The community is in the Central Time Zone but for the Royal Visit and to keep everything on the same day, the community temporarily switched to the Mountain Time Zone.

King would write quote:

“We got the surprise of our lives when we reached Melville. There was the largest outdoor massing of children and others that I have seen at any of the stations. I think the King and Queen were almost taken off their feet by surprise as they went to the platform.”

With its population swelling to 60,000 people, Melville became the largest city in Saskatchewan for a few hours.

From June 7 to 12, the Royal Couple visited the United States with Prime Minister King, who was the sole minister in attendance with the King to reinforce that King George VI’s visit to the United States was a state visit from Canada.

“I told the Queen that I felt somewhat embarrassed about taking in the entire trip with Their Majesties, that it looked like pushing myself into the fore, yet I felt that unless some evidence of Dominion precedence existed, one of the main purposes of the trip would be gone.”

The Queen would respond quote:

“The King and I felt right along that you should come with us.”

The Royal Couple returned to Canada on June 12, visiting the Maritimes. During a visit to Doaktown, New Brunswick, they had tea at a local teahouse and upon finishing their tea, went to the kitchen and surprised the owners.

The couple then went to Newfoundland, then not a part of Canada, visiting St. John’s where the population grew from 50,000 to 100,000 for the visit. When the couple left the city, residents built a huge bonfire on Signal Hill to say goodbye.

The Royal Couple then visited Prince Edward Island, followed by the last stop on their tour, Halifax, on June 15.

After a luncheon, the Royal Couple boarded the RMS Empress of Britain to return to the United Kingdom. Thus ended their 13,481-kilometre journey around Canada. During the tour, it was estimated eight million Canadians saw the King and Queen. At the time, Canada had a population of 11 million.

Maclean’s Magazine would write quote:

“There were tens and hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, who lined streets and waved flags and cheered as the Royal Procession went by. There were other tens of thousands, running into millions, who gained almost a vivid picture of the moving events without stirring from before their own radio loud-speakers. People on lonely farms and in lonelier lighthouses, in little red schoolhouses, that are almost forgotten, on trap lines and in mines, listened to the broadcasts. In solitary police posts fringing the Arctic Sea, in Eskimo igloo and Indian encampment, in hospital beds and houses of detention, people paused in whatever they were doing while a king went by.”

Prior to leaving, a Royal Prerogative was given in which any prisoner in Canada serving a sentence of three months or more for an offense against the criminal code, would have their sentences reduced.

P. Duff, Chief Justice of Canada and acting Governor General would state quote:

“It has been the traditional practice of sovereigns to mark celebrations of this great importance by an act of grace or mercy.”

The proclamation would extend to at least 4,000 prisoners in federal penitentiaries who had sentences of two years or more. Provincial and county jails, reformatories and farms would not benefit from the proclamation.

The tour also seemed to reinvigorate King, with journalists stating that his health seemed to improve, and his spirits rose despite the schedule.

Prime Minister King would write after the King and Queen left, stating quote:

“The Empress of Britain ran past one end of the harbour where she was towed around, then came back the opposite way to pull out to sea. She was accompanied by British warships and our own destroyers. The Bluenose and other vessels also in the harbour as a sort of escort. The King and Queen were at the top of the ship and kept waving. No farewell could have been finer.”

Information from Canadian Encyclopedia, Library and Archives Canada, Wikipedia, ThemeTrains.com, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Macleans, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Journal, Regina Leader-Post, Winnipeg Tribune,

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May 24, 1939 – A Royal Tour Of Canada – Visiting Winnipeg – Past Daily Reference Room.

May 24, 2022

May 24, 1939 – Mutual On-The-Spot coverage – Royal Visit to Winnipeg – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –

May 24, 1939. Sensing a war looming in Europe, it was decided the best thing to do was to ensure Britain still had allies and close relationships on the other side of the Atlantic. And so King George and Queen Elizabeth set foot on Canadian soil and began a tour which criss-crossed the then-British commonwealth, greeting the regular folk.

The 1939 royal tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was the first time a reigning British monarch had set foot in this country. It was the most successful royal tour in Canadian history, with enormous crowds greeting the royal couple as they crossed the country by train. The King and Queen spent a month in Canada, touring the country from 17 May to 15 June (excluding four days in the United States from 8 to 11 June). They crossed the country twice in a blue and silver royal train that became the most recognizable symbol of the tour. The tour began in Quebec City when the royal couple arrived on the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Australia escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers of the Royal Canadian Navy. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King formally welcomed the couple with a speech that included the words, “Today as never before the throne has become the centre of our national life.”

It was a huge success and did exactly what was needed to ensure Britain had a solid group of Allies (as well as the U.S.) to rely on in the coming months.

As part of the 1939 tour of Canada, here is a report via Mutual featuring the Royal stop-off in Winnipeg, as reported and broadcast live on May 24, 1939.

As you know, we’ve suspended indefinitely our ads in order to make Past Daily a better experience for you without all the distractions and pop-ups. Because of that, we’re relying more on your support through Patreon to keep us up and running every day. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a huge difference as well as be able to download all of our posts for free (news, history, music). You’ll see a banner just below. Click on that and become a subscriber – it’s easy, painless and does a world of good.

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April 30, 2024

Another splendid piece of history! I love hearing coverage of this tour in particular, as I’m a great admirer of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. I’d love to hear the speeches they themselves gave on the tour, I’m not sure if there were many.

If you listen closely, you will hear some of their unscripted asides, which might add an extra dimension to things.

Thanks for your comments!

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Golden Memories - souvenir booklet of the 1939 Royal Visit to Canada

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Item i01168 - Stage built for Royal Visit

City of Winnipeg (1874-1971)
Committee on Legislation and Reception
Communications
Visit to Winnipeg of Their Majesties the King and Queen on May 24, 1939

Stage built for Royal Visit

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1939 (Creation) Creator Winnipeg (Man.). Committee on Legislation and Reception

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The Committee on Legislation and Reception was responsible for wages and working conditions of civic employees, staff changes and appointments, grievances concerning civic personnel, labour union negotiations, work of the employer-employee advisory board, general legislation and charter amendments, and for reporting on legislation and receptions.

Names of the Committee over the years have included the Legislative Committee, Committee on Legislation, Reception, Trade and Commerce, Committee on Legislation and Reception, and Committee on Personnel and Legislation (1950-1957).

In 1958 the duties of the Committee on Personnel and Legislation were taken over by the Committee on Finance. In 1960 the Standing Committee on Utilities and Personnel was formed by By-Law 18236 to perform the combined functions of the former Committee on Personnel and Legislation and Committee on Public Works.* (See Municipal Manual, 1960 and Council Minutes 1957-1960).

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A photograph of a stage in front of City Hall, built for the visit to Winnipeg of Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on May 24, 1939.

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Visitors, Royal

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In 1939, Canada rolled out the red carpet for the royal tour

King george vi and queen elizabeth's month-long visit kicked off on may 17, 1939.

Social Sharing

The red carpet that had been rolled over concrete was a clue Canada was eager to impress its royal guests.

"We may expect at any moment now to see the King and Queen come down this short gangway and be greeted by the royal salute," a CBC Radio announcer told listeners on May 17, 1939.

King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, were about to disembark from the ship Empress of Australia in Quebec City and formally kick off their highly anticipated royal tour — the first such by a reigning monarch in Canada.

Trumpeters were standing by to sound a welcome to the sovereign and his wife at the start of their Canadian adventure, along with a group of Mounties who had symmetrically assembled on either side of the gangway.

'His foot is on Canadian soil'

"Here comes the King down the gangway, followed by the Queen," the announcer excitedly told listeners, as loud cheers could be heard in the background.

"The King saluting the prime minister, his foot is on Canadian soil and the royal tour has begun."

'Canada herself is news'

The royal couple's Canadian exploits were being closely covered by the British media from the start of their journey.

"The front pages of the newspapers are reserved for the daily events of the tour," said correspondent Graham Spry, when describing to CBC Radio listeners the extensive press coverage taking place overseas.

And that also meant lots of exposure for Canada.

"The royal visit, in word and in picture, is the predominant interest of every newspaper," Spry said.

"But not only their majesties, not only their tour and the welcome accorded them, but Canada herself is news."

Spry said the Canadian coverage was inescapable for the readers of British newspapers — in part because of a lack of other news.

"Happily, no untoward event in Europe has competed for the British public's attention," he said.

'Most expectant' crowds

After starting out in Quebec City, the royal tour progressed to Montreal and eventually to Ottawa.

While in the Canadian capital, the King and Queen unveiled the National War Memorial and afterward spent half an hour meeting veterans of the First World War.

According to CBC Radio's reporting, some veterans in the front row crouched down so the people behind them could see the royal couple.

Bulletproof glass? 'They don't need it'

At one point, the muffled voice of a veteran could be heard on the radio broadcast, before the announcer repeated the remarks.

"[He] says for me to tell you there's no bulletproof glass around, they don't need it with the veterans here. And I don't think they do," the announcer said.

"These veterans are taking a great pride in their King and Queen who have come to them so graciously today and have mingled so long among them."

'A wealth of affection'

The King and Queen's tour would take them through Ontario and the Prairie provinces and out to British Columbia over the four weeks that followed. Their itinerary would also include a visit to the United States , before wrapping up their tour in Halifax.

Their time in North America also took them to Newfoundland, which was not yet a Canadian province .

The Queen offered some kind words to Canadians ahead of their departure.

"I cannot leave Canada without saying a word of farewell to you all and thanking you for the wealth of affection that you have offered us throughout these unforgettable weeks," she said during a lunch.

For the Queen, her visit to Canada had "given me memories that the passage of time will never dim."

With a looming war in Europe, the tour would be the last of its kind for Canadians to see for some time.

The King never returned to Canada during his lifetime. His wife, however, would return many times in the years that followed his death — though none of those visits would be as lengthy as the one she made with her late husband.

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1939 Royal Tour

Published Online April 22, 2015

Last Edited March 25, 2022

Albert and Elizabeth

King and Queen of Canada

Canada by Train

First Royal Walkabout

Great Spectacle

French Canadian Responses

Media Coverage in English Canada

American Visit

“Canada Made Us”

Interested in the monarchy?

Royal Family

External Links

CBC's archived coverage of the first royal walkabout

A feature on the dazzling cars used by the royals on their 1939 tour

A National Film Board documentary of the 1939 royal tour

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Queen elizabeth ii, prince william (hrh the prince of wales), catherine (hrh the princess of wales).

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The 1939 Royal Visit

Royal Visit, 1939.

Canada Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-063457

19 May 1939

In early May 1939, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth sailed from England on the Empress of Australia bound for Canada on a month-tour of North America. It was the first visit by a reigning sovereign to Canada, for that matter to any overseas Dominion. It was also the first time that a British monarch had visited the United States of America. With the clouds of war darkening Europe, the tour had tremendous political significance as Britain sought allies in the expected conflict with Nazi Germany. Lesser known is the constitutional significance of the trip, with the King visiting Canada, not as the King of Great Britain, but as the King of Canada.

Lord Tweedsmuir, Canada’s Governor General, raised the possibility of a Canadian Royal Tour in early 1937, with Prime Minister Mackenzie King extending the official invitation while he was in London for the King George’s coronation in May of that year. Tweedsmuir, also known as John Buchan, the famous Scottish novelist, was a passionate supporter of Canada. He sought to give substance to the Statute of Westminster. The Statute, passed in Britain in December 1931, effectively gave Canada its autonomy, recognizing that the Canadian government was in no way subordinate to the Imperial government in either domestic or international affairs, although they shared a common allegiance to the Crown. At a time when many Canadians saw their first loyalty as being to the Empire, Tweedsmuir hoped that a Royal Tour of Canada would strengthen a still nascent Canadian nationalism. He believed that it was essential that King George be seen in Canada doing his kingly duties as the King of Canada rather than a symbol of Empire. Earning the ire of Canadian imperialists, Tweedsmuir publicly stated that “A Canadian’s first loyalty is not to the British Commonwealth of Nations but to Canada and Canada’s King.” When U.S. President Roosevelt heard that a trip to Canada was being planned for the royal couple, he extended an invitation to the King and Queen to come to the United States as well, writing that a visit would be “an excellent thing for Anglo-American relations.”

Although the British Government was supportive of a North American Royal Tour, the trip was delayed for almost two years owing to the political situation in Europe. When the decision was finally made to proceed in the spring of 1939, the original plan to use a battleship for the transatlantic voyage was scrapped in favour of a civilian ocean liner in case the warship was needed to defend Britain. Even so, the trip was almost stillborn given deteriorating European political conditions. The cruisers HMS Glasgow and HMS Southampton provided a military escort for the King and Queen. The two vessels also secretly carried fifty tons of British gold destined for the Bank of Canada’s vault on Wellington Street, out of reach of Germany, and ready to be used to buy war material and other supplies, from Canada and the United States.

After taking leave of their daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, at Waterloo Station in London, the royal couple made their way to Portsmouth where they met the 20,000 ton Empress of Australia. Delayed two days by heavy seas and fog, the gleaming white ship received a rapturous welcome on its arrival in Québec City on 17 May. In the days before the Quiet Revolution, the Crown, seen as a guarantor of minority rights, was held in high esteem in French Canada. More than 250,000 people crammed onto the Plains of Abraham and along the heights overlooking the St Lawrence to greet the ocean liner, and for a glimpse of their King and Queen. The crowds roared Vive le Roi and Vive la Reine as the King and Queen alit on Canadian soil for the first time at Wolfe’s Cove. A National Film Board documentary covering the event described King George as the “symbol of the new Canada, a free nation inside a great Commonwealth.”

The royal couple was greeted by federal and provincial dignitaries, including Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis, as well as an honour guard of the francophone Royal 22nd Regiment—colloquially known in English as the Van Doos—that escorted them through the crowded, flag-bedecked streets of old Québec to the provincial legislature building. There, the King and Queen were officially welcomed, with the King replying in both English and French in the slow, deliberate style he used to overcome his stammer.

The King and Queen spent two days in la belle province, also stopping in Trois Rivières, and Montreal before making their way to the nation’s capital. By one estimate, two million people were on the streets of Montreal to greet the monarchs. Their luxurious blue and white train, its twelve cars each equipped with a telephone and radio, stopped beside a reception platform located on Ottawa’s Island Park Drive at about 11am on 19 May. Despite the cold, inclement weather—drizzle and what suspiciously looked like snow—tens of thousands had assembled to greet the King and Queen. Many had gone early, either to the train station, or to find a viewing spot along the processional route. At morning rush hour, downtown Ottawa was deserted “as though its entire population had been mysteriously wiped out overnight” according to the Ottawa Citizen. In actual fact, the city’s population had doubled with many coming from outlying areas to see the King and Queen. Thousands of Americans had also come north to witness history in the making.

Descending from the train onto a red-carpeted platform under a canopy draped with bunting, King George and Queen Elizabeth were met by Lord and Lady Tweedsmuir, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, members of cabinet who were not presented at Québec City, and Ottawa’s mayor Stanley Lewis. A 21-gun salute was fired by the 1st Field Battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery to honour the sovereigns’ arrival. Church bells began pealing. With the clouds parting, the royal party, accompanied by an escort of the 4th Princess Louise’s Dragoon Guards, rode in an open landau from the Island Park Station through the Experimental Farm, along Highway 16, down the Driveway to Connaught Place, and finally along Mackenzie Avenue and Lady Grey Drive to Rideau Hall, the home of the Governor General. Along the route, the royal couple was greeted by a continuous rolling applause by the hundreds of thousands that line the eight-mile route.

That evening, a State Dinner was held at the Château Laurier hotel for more than 700 guests consisting of clear soup, a mousse of chicken, lamb with asparagus, carrots, peas, and potatoes, followed by a fruit pudding with maple syrup. While a formal affair, the meal was held “in an atmosphere of democratic ease.” Before dinner, the King and Queen stepped out on the balcony of the hotel to receive a thunderous applause from the 40,000 people in the Square below.

The following day, 20 May, was declared the King’s official birthday; his actual birthday was 14 December. With great pageantry, a Trooping of the Colours was held on Parliament Hill to mark the event. This was followed by the laying of the cornerstone of Canada’s Supreme Court building on Wellington Street by Queen Elizabeth as her husband looked on. Speaking in English and French, the Queen remarked that “Perhaps it is not inappropriate that this task [laying the cornerstone] should be performed by a woman; for a woman’s position in civilized society has depended upon the growth of law.”

After the laying the Supreme Court’s cornerstone, the royal couple had a quick tour of Hull, with an impromptu stop in front of the Normal School so that the Queen could accept a bouquet of flowers. They then returned to Ottawa via the Alexandra Bridge for a private lunch with the Prime Minister at Laurier House. That afternoon, the King and Queen took a break from their official duties to tour the Quebec countryside near Aylmer. On their way back home to Rideau Hall, they stopped at Dow’s Lake where they talked to a small boy who was fishing. When informed that he was talking to the King and Queen, the little boy fled.

On Sunday, 21 May, the King formally unveiled the National War Memorial in front of more than 100,000 spectators and 10,000 veterans of the Great War. Commenting on the allegorical figures of Peace and Freedom at the top of the memorial, the King said that “It is well that we have in one of the world’s capitals a visible reminder of so great a truth that without freedom there can be no enduring peace, and without peace, no enduring freedom.”

After the unveiling, God Save the King and O Canada were played. There was considerable press commentary that the King remained in salute for O Canada, which was until then just a popular patriotic song. It is from this point that the song became Canada’s unofficial national anthem, something which was finally officially recognized in 1980. The King and Queen then strolled into the crowd of veterans to greet and talk to them personally. This was an unprecedented event. Never before had the King and Queen walked unescorted and unprotected through such crowds; an act that delighted the ex-servicemen and terrified the security men.

Mid-afternoon, the King and Queen returned to their train, leaving Ottawa for Toronto, their next stop on their month-long Royal Tour of Canada and the United States. Interestingly, on their short U.S. visit, no British minister accompanied the King and Queen. Instead, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King was the sole minister present to advise the King. This underscored the point that King George was visiting the United States as King of Canada. After four days in the United States, with stops in Washington and New York, including a visit to Canada’s pavilion at the World Fair, the King and Queen resumed their Canadian tour in eastern Canada.

After crisscrossing the continent by train, King George and Queen Elizabeth bade farewell to Canada on 15 June, leaving Halifax on the Empress of Britain, bound for St John’s, capital of Newfoundland, then a separate Dominion. The royal couple left North America two days later, returning to England on 21 June.

The trip was an overwhelming success. The King was seen and widely acclaimed as King of Canada—the objective of the Governor General. It was a political triumph for Prime Minister Mackenzie King who accompanied the royal couple throughout their trip. It was also a huge success for the King and Queen. Later, the Queen remarked that “Canada had made us, the King and I.” The handsome, young couple charmed their Canadian subjects. With the world on the brink of war, they pushed the grim international headlines to the back pages, and reminded Canadians of their democratic institutions, and the freedoms they enjoyed. The King and Queen also enchanted President Roosevelt and the U.S. public. The goodwill they earned was to be of huge importance following the outbreak of war less than three months later. Lastly, the visit was a triumph for the new Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). With more than 100 journalists covering the Royal Tour, the event established the broadcaster as the authoritative voice of Canada.

Bousfield, Arthur and Toffoli, Garry, 1989. Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada , Dundurn Press Ltd: Toronto.

British Pathé, 1939. Royal Banners Over Ottawa ,

Canadian Crown, 2015. The Royal Tour of King George VI ,

Galbraith, J. William, 1989. “ Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit ,” Canadian Parliamentary Review,

————————-, 2013. John Buchan: Model Governor General , Dundurn Press Ltd: Toronto.

Harris, Carolyn, 2015. “ 1939 Royal Tour ,” Historica Canada ,

Lanctôt, Gustave, 1964. The Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America , 1939. E.P. Taylor Foundation: Toronto.

National Film Board, 1939. “ The Royal Visit ,”

National Post , 2004. “ It made Us, the King and I ,”

The Ottawa Citizen , 1939. “Over 10,000 Veterans Ready To Line Route For Royalty,”1 May.

———————–, 1939. “Magnificent Royal Welcome Given By Quebec,” 17 May.

———————-, 1939. “Complete Official Program For Royal Visit To Ottawa Contains Ceremonial Detail,” 18 May.

———————, 1939. “Palace on Wheels Official Residence Of King And Queen,” 18 May.

———————, 1939. “Our King And Queen, God Bless Them!” 19 May.

———————, 1939. “Their Canadian Capital Extends Affectionate, Warm-Hearted, Greeting,”19 May.

ThemeTrains.com, 2015. “ The Story of the Canadian: Royal Train of 1939 ,”

Vipond, Mary, 2010. “The Royal Tour of 1939 as a Media Event,” Canadian Journal of Communications , Vol. 35, 149-172.

Royal Visit, 1939. Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-063457.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth giving Royal Assent to Bills in Canada’s Senate, 19 May 1939, Imperial War Museum, C-033278.

Story written by James Powell, the author of the blog Today in Ottawa's History .

Retired from the Bank of Canada, James is the author or co-author of three books dealing with some aspect of Canadian history. These comprise: A History of the Canadian Dollar, 2005, Bank of Canada, The Bank of Canada of James Elliott Coyne: Challenges, Confrontation and Change,” 2009, Queen’s University Press, and with Jill Moxley, Faking It! A History of Counterfeiting in Canada, 2013, General Store Publishing House, Renfrew, Ontario. James is a Director of The Historical Society of Ottawa.

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The 1939 Royal Tour: Visiting BC

The politics of the 1939 royal tour.

George VI understood that with war approaching the support of both Canada and the United States of America would be crucial. It was with this in mind that the 1939 Royal Tour became one of the most carefully orchestrated Royal Tours in history. Even the cars used were custom-built to create maximum visual impact. Note the emphasis on alliance with the joined flags in the officially approved memorabilia. George VI was the first British King to tour Canada and the United States of America.

Visiting British Columbia

Highlights of the 1939 Royal Tour in British Columbia included travel by Royal Train, an engine type ever after called the Royal Hudson. On May 29th they left Banff, stopping briefly at Kamloops and then entered Vancouver, where large enthusiastic crowds greeted them. The King and Queen boarded the Princess Margueritefor Victoria, where they opened the Legislature, lunched at the Empress and presented Colours to the Royal Canadian Navy in Beaconhill Park before returning across western Canada to New York State.

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Royal Visit, 1939

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King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were the first reigning monarchs to visit Canada. It was also the only tour of George VI in Canada. Here during the tour of 1939, Their Majesties are accompanied by Prime Minister W.L. MacKenzie-King at Banff Spring Hotel with Cascade Mountain in the backdrop.

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COMMENTS

1939 royal tour of Canada
The 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was undertaken in the build-up of world political tensions to the imminent Second World War (1939-1945), as a way to shore up sympathy for the United Kingdom among her dominions and allies, should war break out in Europe. The tour lasted a month, from 17 May to 15 June ...
1939 Royal Tour
The 1939 royal tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was the first time a reigning Canadian monarch had set foot in this country. It was the most successful royal tour in Canadian history, with enormous crowds greeting the royal couple as they crossed the country by train. The tour, which included a four-day visit to the United States ...
7 June 1939: a Royal Visit and The RCR
The 1939 Royal Tour to Canada was an enormous event, designed to highlight the independence of the Dominion from Britain. It was also a build-up to gain support for the war looming in Europe with an itinerary that included a state visit to the United States (7 to 12 June 1939); the monarchs were accompanied by the Canadian PRime Minister at the time, William MacKenzie King.
Rare colour footage surfaces of 1939 royal visit to Winnipeg
A marching band plays on Portage Avenue as part of the royal visit to Winnipeg in May 1939. (Supplied by Justin Gulenchyn) Amateur footage of the Royal Family's visit to Winnipeg nearly 80 years ...
Rare footage released of 1939 royal visit to Winnipeg
Never-before-seen film footage of 1939 royal visit to Winnipeg by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth has been released by the University of Manitoba. The footage was taken on May 24, 1939, nearly ...
Manitoba History: Cool Things in the Collection: Rare Footage of the
By all accounts, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Winnipeg on 24 May 1939 to a raucous welcome. Over 100,000 people were on hand to greet the royal couple, ... who came to Winnipeg for the royal visit. A significant part of the king and queen's visit to Winnipeg consisted of a 26-mile procession through the city. The Storch films ...
The Royal Tour of 1939
PHOTO: 'On The Royal Train' 1939 (Library & Archives Canada) CBC Radio was just over two years old and was excited to cover the tour. The service committed 100 staff to cover the visit with two ...
The Royal Visit of 1939
The Royal Visit of 1939. Updated: Aug 26, 2021. On 24 May 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth passed through Transcona on their way to Winnipeg as they crossed the country by train. The tour was a popular event, and a sizable crowd lined the tracks to greet the royal couple. ... Winnipeg Free Press, May 12, 1939.---. "Special Trains for ...
Rare footage released of 1939 royal visit to Winnipeg
CBC. May 20, 2014. Never-before-seen film footage of 1939 royal visit to Winnipeg by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth has been released by the University of Manitoba. The footage was taken on May 24, 1939, nearly 75 years to the day that their grandson, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will arrive in the city.
U of M Archives releases historical film of 1939 Royal Visit
Two of the films feature the visit of King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth, to Winnipeg in 1939, showing people preparing for the Queen and King to drive by, and related festivities. School groups of children are shown, including some from what appear to be Somerset School and Cecil Rhodes School, excitedly waiting to see the ...
The 1939 Royal Tour
On May 1, 1939, the Canadian Royal Train would do a round trip test with six of the Royal Train Cars, pulled by Locomotive 6028, from Montreal to Brockville, Ontario. On May 9, another test run was conducted with 12 cars and Locomotive CP 2850 taking over. ... The couple would visit Winnipeg on May 24, arriving on the King's official birthday ...
The Canadian Royal Train
Timeline of the 1939 Royal Train across Canada. ... Their Majesties arrive in Canada, the first reigning monarchs ever to visit the New World. They disembarked the Empress of ... Winnipeg. May 24, 1939. Travelling via Rennie, Their Majesties arrived in the morning for a day of receptions and speeches. ...
A Royal Tour Of Canada
May 24, 1939 - Mutual On-The-Spot coverage - Royal Visit to Winnipeg - Gordon Skene Sound Collection - May 24, 1939. Sensing a war looming in Europe, it was decided the best thing to do was to ensure Britain still had allies and close relationships on the other side of the Atlantic.
Rare Footage Released of 1939 Royal Visit to Winnipeg
Rare never-before-seen footage of a Royal visit to Winnipeg in 1939 has been released by the University of Manitoba. About; Advertise; Contact; Submit News; News. The Canadian Press; Entertainment;
The Royal Visit
The Royal Visit. 1939 1 h 30 min. This feature documentary offers a complete record of the 1939 Royal Tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The film opens as the royal couple makes a stop in Québec city, where Premier Duplessis greets them. They then visit Montréal and meet mayor Camilien Houde.
souvenir booklet of the 1939 Royal Visit to Canada
1939 Topics 1939 Royal Visit Winnipeg Tribune Language English. This is a booklet that Winnipeg Tribune newspaper delivery persons were provided to give to their customers as a token of appreciation at Christmas time. This particular booklet is a compendium of photographs taken by Winnipeg Tribune photographers.
Stage built for Royal Visit
Item i01168 - Stage built for Royal Visit. City of Winnipeg (1874-1971) Committee on Legislation and Reception; Communications; Visit to Winnipeg of Their Majesties the King and Queen on May 24, 1939
In 1939, Canada rolled out the red carpet for the royal tour
Graham Spry, a Canadian in London, describes how the British press is covering the 1939 Royal Tour in Canada. Aired on CBC Radio's A Canadian in London on May 17, 1939. ... The visit took the ...
1939 Royal Tour
The 1939 royal tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was the first time a reigning Canadian monarch had set foot in this country. It was the most succe... The Canadian Encyclopedia Educators. Timelines. Quizzes. Collections. Browse toggler-button. People
The 1939 Royal Visit
19 May 1939. In early May 1939, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth sailed from England on the Empress of Australia bound for Canada on a month-tour of North America. It was the first visit by a reigning sovereign to Canada, for that matter to any overseas Dominion. It was also the first time that a British monarch had visited the ...
The 1939 Royal Tour: Visiting BC
The Politics of the 1939 Royal Tour George VI understood that with war approaching the support of both Canada and the United States of America would be crucial. It was with this in mind that the 1939 Royal Tour became one of the most carefully orchestrated Royal Tours in history. Even the cars used were custom-built to create maximum visual impact.
List of royal tours of Canada (18th-20th centuries)
There was an extended royal presence in Canada through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, either as an official tour, a vacation, a period of military service, or a viceregal posting by a member of the Royal Family.Originally, royal tours of Canada were events predominantly for Canadians to see and possibly meet members of their Royal Family, with the associated patriotic pomp and spectacle.
Royal Visit, 1939: Fairmont Moments
Used under Creative Commons Attribution License. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were the first reigning monarchs to visit Canada. It was also the only tour of George VI in Canada. Here during the tour of 1939, Their Majesties are accompanied by Prime Minister W.L. MacKenzie-King at Banff Spring Hotel with Cascade Mountain in the backdrop.

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1939 Royal Tour

Albert and Elizabeth

King and Queen of Canada

Canada by Train

First Royal Walkabout

Great Spectacle

French Canadian Responses

Media Coverage in English Canada

American Visit

“Canada Made Us”

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Manitoba History : Cool Things in the Collection: Rare Footage of the 1939 Royal Visit: The R. A. Storch Films

The Royal Visit of 1939

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Winnipeg Royal Tour (King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth), 1939

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For more information, please contact Shelley Sweeney, head, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Elizabeth Dafoe Library, University of Manitoba, at: 204-474-6350, or email: Shelley [dot] Sweeney [at] umanitoba [dot] ca

The 1939 Royal Tour

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