Card of the Day: The King at the Cenotaph

World War I was devastating to the British people whose moral had suffered terribly throughout the war. King George V and Queen Mary tried to encourage their people throughout despite their own fatigue. As the war ended, the British people needed time to grieve their losses as well as celebrate the end of the terrible affair. The Royal Family made sure to be present so that their subjects would know that they, too, were experiencing the same emotions, but were also looking to the future.


The eleventh in the series of Wills Cigarette Cards commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Queen Mary and King George V shows the King visiting the Cenotaph that had been erected in honor of those who lost their lives during the war.

The reverse of the card reads:

The Cenotaph at Whitehall as it is today.

THE KING AT THE CENOTAPH


On November 11, 1920, the Cenotaph commemorating all of the valour and loss of the Great War was unveiled by the King at Whitehall: and perhaps the capital of the Empire has never known a day of such spontaneous and deep emotion. The Unknown Warrior, with Admirals, Marshals, and Generals as pall-bearers was borne to the Cenotaph, where the King stood motionless at the salute. As the gun carriage halted, the King laid a wreath upon it. Then, the hour of eleven sounded, and the King with a quick movement, pressed the electric button that swept aside the veiling flags. He is seen at the end of the Silence, laying the first tribute.