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In the Eye of the Storm: George V and the Great War
George V was largely an unknown entity to both his ministers and his people at the outbreak of war in 1914. By the end of the decade he had become the most visible and accessible Sovereign in British history. He had survived the "Crash of Thrones," as it was dubbed by Herbert Asquith that toppled his cousins: the Kaiser and the Tsar. Pioneering modern public relations he had not only established the House of Windsor in name, but in the hearts of his people; establishing a blueprint for the modern monarchy that is still followed today.
In depth coverage of George V's war work wipes out assumptions about his capability as a sovereign and his suitability for the role. It also reveals that the Sovereign took less time off than an ordinary private soldier in the years 1914-18. Throughout, it forms a detailed overview of life on the Home Front in the Great War through the eyes of a King; a much more balanced interpretation of a country at war than the usual focus on fighting on the Western Front and those killed in battle.
The image of the King and Queen Mary as distant, cold parents is debunked in full and the book also includes a wealth of new material about their youngest son, Prince John. Also reconsidered is the possibility of Nicholas II's asylum in Britain following the Russian Revolution from George V's point of view.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, the King's war legacy is examined. He played a key role in the introduction of the two minute silence and the unveiling of the cenotaph. He was the chief mourner at the burial of the unknown soldier and became the first battlefield tourist when he toured the Western Front in the company of those that won the war. Battlefield pilgrims today are walking in his footsteps.
In depth coverage of George V's war work wipes out assumptions about his capability as a sovereign and his suitability for the role. It also reveals that the Sovereign took less time off than an ordinary private soldier in the years 1914-18. Throughout, it forms a detailed overview of life on the Home Front in the Great War through the eyes of a King; a much more balanced interpretation of a country at war than the usual focus on fighting on the Western Front and those killed in battle.
The image of the King and Queen Mary as distant, cold parents is debunked in full and the book also includes a wealth of new material about their youngest son, Prince John. Also reconsidered is the possibility of Nicholas II's asylum in Britain following the Russian Revolution from George V's point of view.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, the King's war legacy is examined. He played a key role in the introduction of the two minute silence and the unveiling of the cenotaph. He was the chief mourner at the burial of the unknown soldier and became the first battlefield tourist when he toured the Western Front in the company of those that won the war. Battlefield pilgrims today are walking in his footsteps.
- GenresWorld War I
416 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2018
3 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Churchill
18 books43 followersBritish historian Alexandra Churchill has been researching the air war for a number of years in addition to compiling a detailed roll of honor for Eton College. She has a book due out next year, telling the story of the war through the eyes of the school’s old boys and will feature the Harvey brothers who appear in episode one of The Big Dig in more detail. Other projects in the pipeline include a biography of a pilot and something that will incorporate a personal passion of hers and tell the story of football in the Great War.
Alex has previously worked with John Hayes-Fisher on an episode of Timewatch about the air war in 1918, and on "Fighting the Red Baron" and "Titanic with Len Goodman" as a researcher / contributor.
Alex has previously worked with John Hayes-Fisher on an episode of Timewatch about the air war in 1918, and on "Fighting the Red Baron" and "Titanic with Len Goodman" as a researcher / contributor.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2019
5 Stars for content, 2 Stars for the edit.
This was a difficult one. 99.9% of the books I buy and read about the Great War are bought based on an interest in the topic covered in the book. With regards to matters the Royal Family, my attitude to them is: vive la reublique. That said, I've developed a soft spot for old George V, a monarch in Europe at a time when being a monarch in Europe could be hazardous to 'One's' health. And as he was related to most of them his thoughts expressed in his private diaries are illuminating.
George V had a busy war. Both on the home front and on the Western Front, and it appears that the author leaves no stone unturned in the when, where and why department. He also had a lot in common with the British military chiefs in that he too was undermined by David Lloyd George. Conned into taking the Pledge and abstaining from alcohol for the duration, though an injury whilst riding the then General Sir Douglas Haig's personal mount during his first trip to the Western Front in December 1915 (which explains why he was awarded the 1914-15 Star) resulted in him being "prescribed" alcoholic tonic by his doctor. Medicinal purposes eh?
This is one well researched book. Having access to the Royal Archives helps, and there is a wealth of information which treats each of the war years as it happens in a kind of real time way. The author's use of tense works - though one reviewer disagrees - and the narrative is well written and I like the sense of humour.
George V went by a few names most famously dropping the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha for Windsor in July 1917, and it was interesting to read the background to this. Another interesting fact (for me) was that his wife, Queen Mary went with him in 1917 to the Western Front, the first time that a "Queen of England has visited an army in the field since the War of the Roses in the fifteenth century. To find an instance of a King and Queen together visiting the seat of war, they (the press) think that you have to go back to 1304, when Queen Margaret accompanied Edward I to Stirling Castle." (p240) I wonder if the Queen got the Mutt and Jeff (BW and V medals).
A thoroughly enjoyable read, and well written, marred only by the poor editing, which is a shame that it has to be addressed here.
Recommended.
This was a difficult one. 99.9% of the books I buy and read about the Great War are bought based on an interest in the topic covered in the book. With regards to matters the Royal Family, my attitude to them is: vive la reublique. That said, I've developed a soft spot for old George V, a monarch in Europe at a time when being a monarch in Europe could be hazardous to 'One's' health. And as he was related to most of them his thoughts expressed in his private diaries are illuminating.
George V had a busy war. Both on the home front and on the Western Front, and it appears that the author leaves no stone unturned in the when, where and why department. He also had a lot in common with the British military chiefs in that he too was undermined by David Lloyd George. Conned into taking the Pledge and abstaining from alcohol for the duration, though an injury whilst riding the then General Sir Douglas Haig's personal mount during his first trip to the Western Front in December 1915 (which explains why he was awarded the 1914-15 Star) resulted in him being "prescribed" alcoholic tonic by his doctor. Medicinal purposes eh?
This is one well researched book. Having access to the Royal Archives helps, and there is a wealth of information which treats each of the war years as it happens in a kind of real time way. The author's use of tense works - though one reviewer disagrees - and the narrative is well written and I like the sense of humour.
George V went by a few names most famously dropping the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha for Windsor in July 1917, and it was interesting to read the background to this. Another interesting fact (for me) was that his wife, Queen Mary went with him in 1917 to the Western Front, the first time that a "Queen of England has visited an army in the field since the War of the Roses in the fifteenth century. To find an instance of a King and Queen together visiting the seat of war, they (the press) think that you have to go back to 1304, when Queen Margaret accompanied Edward I to Stirling Castle." (p240) I wonder if the Queen got the Mutt and Jeff (BW and V medals).
A thoroughly enjoyable read, and well written, marred only by the poor editing, which is a shame that it has to be addressed here.
Recommended.
May 29, 2021
This book focuses on just four years and three months of the reign of King George V - the period of The First World War. The book begins with the scene of hundreds of thousands of his subjects waiting in line to pay their respects when he died in 1936. This is done to show the incredible with which the king was held by so wide a swathe of his people.
The reason that he earned such respect is the subject of the rest of the book. Four years into his reign the war descended upon the United Kingdom and it was at this time that the king began to come into his own.
He found himself strangely without a formal role. The politicians of the day had an unusually high level of contempt for him - compared with the relationships between his father and grandmother and their prime ministers - and as such there was little call for his services among the people leading the country.
The king - on his own and with queen Mary - decided that he was going to be the chief cheerleader for Britain, its people, and particularly its soldiers and their families.
To the contrary of conventional thought, George and Mary were very down to earth, and liked nothing more than slipping past the reception line and heading for in-depth conversations with the workers, nurse, common soldiers and the like. The king was making a conscious choice to be as unlike his blustering, boorish German cousin who was now his enemy.
While 478 pages on any four year period can be a bit much, the story is one of commitment and service - something that his great great grandson could benefit by reading.
The reason that he earned such respect is the subject of the rest of the book. Four years into his reign the war descended upon the United Kingdom and it was at this time that the king began to come into his own.
He found himself strangely without a formal role. The politicians of the day had an unusually high level of contempt for him - compared with the relationships between his father and grandmother and their prime ministers - and as such there was little call for his services among the people leading the country.
The king - on his own and with queen Mary - decided that he was going to be the chief cheerleader for Britain, its people, and particularly its soldiers and their families.
To the contrary of conventional thought, George and Mary were very down to earth, and liked nothing more than slipping past the reception line and heading for in-depth conversations with the workers, nurse, common soldiers and the like. The king was making a conscious choice to be as unlike his blustering, boorish German cousin who was now his enemy.
While 478 pages on any four year period can be a bit much, the story is one of commitment and service - something that his great great grandson could benefit by reading.
August 10, 2023
A great book that does justice to King George V against all the stereotypes that his contemporaries created for him. George wasnt dull. He was quite the character but he was labelled "dull'' by his contemporaries who expected him to behave like his father Edward VII. By being low-key and an introvert family-oriented man, George set the standard for how a modern monarch should behave. And he wasnt a terrible father either. Maybe strict , but not terrible
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews