<
 
 
 
 
×
>
Vous consultez une page Web conservée, recueillie par Bibliothèque et Archives Canada le 2007-05-15 à 20:38:07. Il se peut que les informations sur cette page Web soient obsolètes, et que les liens hypertextes externes, les formulaires web, les boîtes de recherche et les éléments technologiques dynamiques ne fonctionnent pas. Voir toutes les versions de cette page conservée.
Chargement des informations sur les médias

You are viewing a preserved web page, collected by Library and Archives Canada on 2007-05-15 at 20:38:07. The information on this web page may be out of date and external links, forms, search boxes and dynamic technology elements may not function. See all versions of this preserved page.
Loading media information
X
Skip navigation links (access key: Z)Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
Graphical element FrançaisContact UsHelpSearchCanada Site
HomeAbout UsWhat's NewWhat's OnPublications

Banner: Canada, by Train Graphical element
Introduction
Ties That Bind: Essay
Transcontinental Tour
Tracking Time
Travelogues
Graphical element		 Graphical element Graphical element
Index of Railway Companies
Collection Search
The Kids' Site of Canadian Trains		 Graphical element
Graphical elementEconomyTravelUrban GrowthCommunicationTechnologyNation BuildingImmigrationTourismNorthwest RebellionWartimeThe DepressionRoyal ToursFuneral TrainsGraphical elementResourcesAbout this siteCommentsCopyright/SourcesGraphical element

Royal Tours


In Canada, British royals had conducted their tours by train since the Prince of Wales's highly touted visit in 1860. Even after Confederation, the royals still intrigued many Canadians. The visits of the Duke of York in 1901, and the Duke of Connaught in 1906, were popular with the public. But the Royal Tour of 1939, by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, took Canada by storm.

Brochure of the Grand Trunk Railway, 1906, reading TOUR OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ARTHUR OF CONNAUGHT
Copyright/Source		   Title page of brochure of the Grand Trunk Railway, 1906, talking about the royal tour, with a Canadian coat-of-arms
Copyright/Source
Grand Trunk Railway, 1906, cover and title page

Video Clip   Excerpt of a silent film showing the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Toronto, May 22, 1939 (running time: 1 m, 8 s)
    Copyright/Source

Brochure of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1939, reading WELCOME TO THEIR GRACIOUS MAJESTIES, with the British royal coat-of-arms
Copyright/Source		   Frontispiece of brochure of the Canadian Pacific Railway, 1939, with an illustration of the locomotive used on the 1939 royal tour
Copyright/Source
Canadian Pacific Railway, 1939, cover and frontispiece

Travelogue

It was the first visit to Canada by a reigning monarch. Even though the country was still in the throes of the Depression, town and cities all over Canada decorated their buildings, issued souvenirs and wrote speeches to mark the occasion. Thousands of people, from miles away, came to see the couple as the royal train passed through their region. The timing of the tour was no accident. War was becoming imminent in Europe and the visit served as a gentle reminder to English-speaking Canadians of their ties to the motherland and imperial duty. The trip took 44 days and was conducted almost exclusively by train: on the CPR heading west and on the CNR returning east.


Photo of Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on board the Royal Train, visiting Hope, British Columbia, May 31, 1939
Copyright/Source		   Photograph of Queen Elizabeth, in front of the royal train, accepting flowers from a little girl
Copyright/Source
Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on board the royal train, visiting Hope, British Columbia, May 31, 1939   King George VI and Queen Elizabeth accept flowers from a little girl in Beavermouth, British Columbia, 1939

Top of Page

Created: 2002-10-04
Updated: 2003-12-22
Top of page
Important Notices