The King's Visit to Cardiff - The Royal Yacht 'Victoria' passing Penarth Head prior to entering Queen Alexandra Dock, Cardiff - June 1912. This fine photographic record is accredited to L. E. Wehrley, Penarth whom I believe to be George's elder brother Leopold Ernest Wehrley. He is recorded as being a railway clerk in the census of the previous year, so we all agree that it is an extremely good photo from an 'amateur'! The postcard complete with a halfpenny-stamp was posted in 1913 to an address in Runcorn, Cheshire. Another historic postcard from the Penarth Dock Collection. [001]
King George V and Queen Mary arrived aboard the Royal Yacht 'Victoria' for a four day visit to South Wales on the 25th June 1912. They arrived during a thunderstorm which provided torrential rainfall for the remainder of the day but did nothing to calm the excitement of the Cardiffians. Following the usual addresses in Cardiff the King proceeded to knight the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Sir John Courtis, presented medals to two miners and a certificate of the Royal Humane Society to a boy-scout whom had rescued another boy from drowning in the dock.
The following day the King laid the foundation stone of the Welsh National Museum to a 'hurricane of cheers' as he stated 'I declare the stone well and truly laid.' A suffragette, a well dressed woman, grabbed the arm of Mr. McKenna, the Minister in attendance. On her way to the police-station she gave her name as Helen Cragg of London and denounced Mr. McKenna for jaunting about the country whilst women were starving in prison.
The following day (Thursday) was begun at the Lewis Merthyr Colliery amongst the working class with their grimy clothes and blackened faces. They both won the hearts of the miners after chatting informally to many. They talked to the men in charge of the old pit ponies. One, seventeen years of age, was rather restless. 'I expect the daylight worries him,' the King suggested. 'No, Sir,' replied the miner holding 'Butlerss'' head, 'it's the head-stall he doesn't like. He can't see your Magesty plain enough'.
The Royal visitors were shown a model of a typical underground 'heading'; a mine passageway supported by pit-props with rails running through on which the Queen's train ran. Her Magesty was somewhat 'amused' when the tram rolled up with an armchair in it! While she was sitting in her armchair waiting for the tram to commence its journey through the heading she noticed two boys with blackened faces staring at her. They had just come up from the pit and could hardly believe that the lady who smiled at them was really The Queen. 'Ask them to come nearer,' her Majesty said, and, looking very shy, they were brought up to her. Their names, they said, were Lewis Morris and Reggie Jones. Lewis pleased the Queen especially. 'I never saw a finer little fellow,' she declared. 'I should like a photograph of him. I should like the King to see him.' There was no photographer immediately at hand and when one was found the boys had disappeared. A message sent to little Morris's house found him having his dinner. Off he went to Pontypridd Station in a tramway car. Here he was again led up to the Queen. 'Oh,' she said, 'here's that little boy again. Do look at him.' The King looked and laughed. 'Glad to see you,' he said in a hearty fashion. 'You are certainly a fine little chap.'
Afterwards the party traveled to Dowlais to visit the iron and steel works. Returning via Merthyr to Cardiff they departed Wales for Bristol from the Great Western Railway Station. The Royal Yacht 'Victoria' departed Queen Alexandra Dock late in the afternoon and as she sailed away around Penarth Head there were a few sighs of relief from Dock Officials and the Dock Police alike. Many thanks to an edition of the Grey River Argus of New Zealand published 5th September 1912 which was used as the basis of the foregoing account. [427] [428]
