The death of King George the V on January 20, 1936, was reported in the Grande Prairie Herald issue of January 24. The entire front page, edged in black, is devoted to praise of the former King and to a recital of admirable qualities of the new king, Edward VIII. he issue of the following week, Jan. 31, reports on the local memorial service attended by 600 people. There is also an item about window displays in local businesses. It certainly shows how much a part of the British world Canada, and indeed, this area, still felt itself to be.
The write-up in the Jan. 24 newspaper about Edward VIII is interesting because it is very obvious that the silence of the British press on the subject of Edward’s love life extended to the press in Canada. Statements such as “it would be far from correct to believe that his inclination toward entertainment for a moment led him to even the slightest of indiscretions. His code of ethics, despite his apparent gay and carefree attitude, is almost as severe as that of his late father” strike us now as terribly naive.
