THE LATEST NEWS - MODERN WORLD

The latest edition of "Modern World"

Hereford newsagents have nearly sold out of the latest edition of "Modern World", chronicling the stout defence of the Cadbury's Marlbrook Chocolate Factory by elements of the Combined Corporate Guard (prop. Sir Charles Tite-Wadde, Bt.) against a combined force of Anglicans and Bromyardistas. Full descriptions of the Corporate Guards HERE, and of the Marlbrook battle HERE.

The Combined Corporate Guard defend the Cadbury Factory at Marlbrook.
In the advance are the purple uniformed Cadburys Commandos; in support (L to R)
are the red clad Oxo Brand Guardians and the yellow clad Fyffes Motor Guard.
In the rear (naturally) the white suited and enthroned Sir Charles with his standard bearer.
(photo courtesy JP)

The Cadbury's spotter plane did good service during the battle. Here it "runs interference"
for the advance of the "(Corporate) Guards Armoured Division" - consisting of one tank
each from the Cadbury, Oxo and Fyffes companies. Sir Charles and his standard bearer
peruse the battle from a specially selected sandbag emplacement.
(photo courtesy JP)

HAWKER SUPER FURY

Having flirted dangerously with considerations of modernity in the latest stream of Coronation posts, it's time to hitch a lift back to the kinder, gentler and infinitely more explosive times of Hereford 1938 - and what better ride, at more than 200mph, than a Hawker Fury:

The RAF's front line fighter of the 1930s, the Hawker Fury Interceptor

An aerobatic celebration of freedom - and valuable "underside" shot of the Fury.

The Hawker Fury 1 entered RAF service in 1931. An improved but only slight modified version, with an uprated Kestrel engine, the Fury 2 (or "Super Fury"), entered RAF service in 1937.

K3586, the most photographed of the Super Furies.

A colourised illustration of K3586 - the inevitable cigarette card.

K3586 - a contemporary colour photograph on a cigarette card
(Ardath's "Fighting & Civil Aircraft")

The reverse of the Ardath card explains:

"The standard Hawker Fury biplane has been used by the Royal Air Force for a number of years, but during 1933 the Hawker Company built, to the order of the Air Ministry, an improved version with less wing area than the earlier type. It is fitted with a special Rolls Royce engine of about 650hp, and there are other detail refinements such as 'spats' over the wheels. During official trials it reached a speed of 250mph with its full military equipment on board, establishing at that time that it was the fastest military aeroplane in the world. Since 1933 it has been further developed. The armament is the same as the standard Fury, i.e. two Vickers machine guns synchronised to fire between the blades of the airscrew."

And........throttle back.......flare.......touchdown at Hereford Racecourse..........

Notes: more posts on the Fury HERE and HERE. On the Hawker "family" of 1930s aircraft, see HERE

BUT WHO'S CORONATION ?

As we bring the present stream of "Coronation Posts" to a (perhaps merciful) end - in time for the forthcoming Bank Holiday - an extremely important question remains: just who was, in fact, crowned on Wednesday, 12th May 1937 ?

Edward VIII, King and Emperor, in his Coronation robes.

VBCW researchers and historians are now advised, for the sake of their mental health, to read no further. The remainder of our worldwide readership can then sympathise with the 1937 Editor of the "Illustrated London News", Mr Bruce Ingram. Having commissioned the above - extremely expensive, full colour - portrait of Edward VIII in his Coronation Robes well in advance, he must have been aghast at news of the Abdication on 11th December 1936, and the prospect of yet further enormous expenditure on royal portraiture. Thankfully, however, some old fashioned and Very British ingenuity saved the day:

 

George VI, King and Emperor, in his Coronation Robes

Just goes to demonstrate that "head swapping" is not unique to 28mm figure modellers......

CORONATION POST (10) - 1937 CORONATION IN COLOUR !

British Movietone (colour) film of the 1937 Coronation - and some atmospheric shots of 1937 Britain, too. Well worth watching !

CORONATION POST (9) - FLUNKIES AND FLUMMERY

The Very British do enjoy some pomp and circumstance, and the 1937 Coronation was clearly the only excuse needed for a collective deep dive into the Royal and Imperial "dressing up box":

Every English County has a Lord Lieutenant, and every
Lord Lieutenant (usually a civilian, although Head of the County
 Territorial Association) has a smart scarlet and blue uniform
(with cocked hat and ostrich feathers, naturally).
Lord de Braose, the VBCW Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire
 (and Governor of the Marches) no doubt turned up
 to the 1937 Coronation in just this type of outfit.

 

Court dress for foreign Ambassadors -
frock coat with lots of gilt, cocked hat
and white knee breeches.

Who knew that even Cabinet Ministers could dress up? This is Cabinet
"Levee Dress", as clearly modelled by, of all people, Sir Samuel Hoare, aka
"Slippery Sam", unfortunately one of the most untrustworthy and unpopular
Members of the inter war House of Commons.

Back to scarlet and blue with a cocked hat - a Military Knight of Windsor
(part of the Order of the Garter).

Comparisons with the 2023 Coronation can be made after Saturday (replies on the back of a postcard rather than back of a cigarette card, obviously.....)

CORONATION POST (8) - CLOSE SUPPORT UNITS

If any VBCW Royalist player is seeking a historical basis for fielding rather colourful infantry sections armed solely with halberds or longbows, read on:

The Yeomen of the Guard (colloquially known as 'Beefeaters') - the reverse of this 1937 cigarette card states:

"This ancient Corps was formed as a band of fifty archers, under a Captain to attend His Majesty. Soon after the accession of Henry VIII the number was increased to two hundred. The same held good in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I, but under Charles II the number was reduced to one hundred, at which figure the Corps now stands. For the Coronation Ceremony, detachments of the Bodyguard will be on duty at Buckingham Palace and the Abbey, a third forming part of the King's Procession to Westminster Abbey."

So much for halberds. As for bows -

The Royal Company of Archers. The reverse of this 1937 cigarette card states:

"Although of even earlier origin, the Royal Company of Archers, as at present constituted, came into being in 1676, when it was formed for the encouragement of archery, "the noble and useful recreation being for many years much neglected." It received a new charter from Queen Anne at the beginning of the 18th century and, under George IV, the Company was given the additional title of "The King's Bodyguard for Scotland"; it has acted in that capacity on visits of the Sovereign to Edinburgh. The Captain - General is the Gold Stick for Scotland and takes his place at Coronations and other Ceremonies. We show a Gentleman of the Body Guard in field dress."

The Yeoman of the Guard on ceremonial duties.
Or possibly VBCW re-enactors waiting for "long range archery support".

On receiving news that "the Royal Company of Archers hasn't been converted yet",
the Yeomen march off towards the sound of gunfire in any event.
Long live King Edward VIII...

CORONATION POST (7) - THE ROYAL DUKES

Straight to the top of the Coronation list of precedence, the Royal Dukes:

The reverse of this John Players cigarette card states:

"It is usual for the Sovereign to confer Peerages on his sons, thereby giving them the right to sit in the House of Lords. The Peerage conferred is usually a Dukedom, with subsidiary titles of an Earldom and a Barony, generally chosen from places in England, Scotland and Ireland respectively. A Royal Dukedom is granted by Letters Patent passed under the Great Seal. Royal Dukes take precedence of other Dukes, but rank (among themselves) according to their precedence as Princes. All Peers receive a Royal Command to attend the Coronation, and at the Ceremony they assume their coronets when the King is crowned."

The sons of George V and Queen Mary. The Royal Dukes  - LtoR the Duke of Kent,
 the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Duke of Gloucester.
Order of seniority - POW, York, Gloucester, Kent, in an imperial
mixture of uniforms : RN, Highland Brigade, RAF, Hussars.

It is an open VBCW question, even at this level of seniority, as to what each of the Royal Dukes would have done had Edward VIII refused to abdicate and instead opted to "fight it out" against his Government and the Church of England. The VBCW canon suggests that the Duke of York raised his own standard against Edward VIII, although the circumstances in which he chose to do so remain shrouded in some mystery. The loyalty of the remaining two brothers would have been of paramount importance to each faction, much as would the sympathies of their mother, Queen Mary.

While there is usually no geographical link between a Royal Dukedom and the holder of the title, in the Hereford VBCW timestream, the Duke of Gloucester (an army man through and through) has been sent north to defend Gloucester itself. Possibly this was to ensure the safety of Madresfield, Edward and Wallis' "Summer Palace" situated nearby, rather than specifically to defend the town: although the fact that Gloucester was a noted Parliamentary stronghold during the English Civil War will not have been lost on "the armchair strategists of Fleet Street".

And then there three : but who will the youngest son,
the Duke of Kent, support?

To date, the Duke of Kent has found it impossible to throw his support behind either of the senior brothers, and has "retired to his estates" (not, of course, in Kent). Both factions continue to make overtures to him.....