Nearly 86 years of age, Britain’s ‘Senior
Lady’, Queen Mary, died on March 24, 1953, ten weeks before the
coronation of her granddaughter.
Virtually destined from birth (in 1867) to be a Queen, she was originally
engaged to the Duke of Clarence, eldest son of the Prince of Wales who,
in 1901, was to become Edward VII. But in 1893, after Clarence’s
death, she married his younger brother and became Queen in 1910 when he
succeeded to the throne as George V. Among the tragedies of her life,
apart from Clarence’s premature demise, was the death at the age
of 16 of John, her youngest son, in 1919, the death of her husband in
1936, the abdication of her eldest son, Edward VIII in 1936, the death
on active service of another son, the Duke of Kent, in 1943 and the death
of George VI in 1952.
On April 4, 1953, the ILN produced the ‘Queen Mary In Memoriam
Number’
(Appendix List No. 145). Its pages show
Queen Mary at many stages of her life both as wife, mother and consort
as well as gardener and collector. It is interesting to see that for 50
years her dress never changed. Her jewelled toques sat on top of tightly
packed curls and there was always next to her a long umbrella, parasol
or silver topped cane. The days before her death are fully illustrated
as are scenes from her homes at York Cottage, Sandringham and Marlborough
House.
The cover in purple shows a sepia photograph of a seated Queen Mary in
a square frame around which are columns, transverses and floral decorations
associated with so many commemorative issues.
This is issue number 5946, vol. 222, pages 501-548, measuring 37 x 26
cm.
and priced at three shillings and sixpence.