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24TH MAY - EMPIRE DAY....for Queen and Country!
The very idea of a day that would …“remind children
that they formed part of the British Empire, and that
they might think with others in lands across the sea,
what it meant to be sons and daughters of such a
glorious Empire.”, and that “The strength of the
Empire depended upon them, and they must never forget
it.”, had been considered as early as 1897. The
image of a motherly Queen Victoria, Empress of India, as
its paramount ruler would be shared by an Empire
spanning almost a quarter of the entire globe.
However i t
was not until after the death of Queen Victoria, who
died on 22 January 1901, that Empire Day was first
celebrated. The first 'Empire Day' took place on
24th May 1902, the Queen’s birthday. Although not
officially recognised as an annual event until 1916,
many schools across the British Empire were celebrating
it before then. One New Zealand school journal from 1910
records: "This is the ‘Union Jack’; and now that
Empire Day has come round once more, you will hear its
history. It is really a coloured picture from a
history-book, telling of things that happened, long
before you were born"’.
Each Empire Day, millions of school children from all
walks of life across the length and breadth of the
British Empire would typically salute the union flag and
sing patriotic songs like Jerusalem and God
Save the Queen. They would hear inspirational
speeches and listen to tales of ‘daring do’ from across
the Empire, stories that included such heroes as Clive
of India, Wolfe of Québec and ‘Chinese Gordon’ of
Khartoum. But of course the real highlight of the day
for the children was that they were let of school early
in order to take part in the thousands of marches,
maypole dances, concerts and parties that celebrated the
event.
In Britain an Empire Movement was formed, with its goal
in the words of its Irish founder Lord Meath, “to
promote the systematic training of children in all
virtues which conduce to the creation of good citizens.”
Those virtues were also clearly spelled out by the
watchwords of the Empire Movement “Responsibility,
Sympathy, Duty, and Self-sacrifice.”
Empire Day remained an essential part of the calendar
for more than 50 years, celebrated by countless millions
of children and adults alike, an opportunity to
demonstrate pride in being part of the British Empire.
By the 1950’s however, the Empire had started to
decline, and Britain’s relationship with the other
countries that formed the Empire had also changed, as
they began to celebrate their own identity. Political
parties of the far-left and pacifist dissenters had also begun to use Empire Day itself as an
opportunity to attack British imperialism.
Political correctness appears to have 'won the day' when
in 1958 Empire Day was re-badged as British Commonwealth
Day, and still later in 1966 when it became known as
Commonwealth Day. The date of Commonwealth Day was also
changed to 10th June, the official birthday of the
present Queen Elizabeth II. The date was again changed
in 1977 to the second Monday in March, when each year
The Queen still sends a special message to the youth of
the Empire via a radio broadcast to all the various
countries of the Commonwealth.
A now largely forgotten anniversary, perhaps only your
grandparents will recall the chant Remember,
Remember Empire Day, the 24th of May.
Only your grandparents and several million loyal
Canadians that is, who still celebrate Victoria Day each
year on the last Monday before 24th May.
©
HUK
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