• “Long Live Their Gracious Majesties”
• Eatons. The store loved its monarchist pomp. James North approximately opposite Rebecca?
•
June 7, 1939. Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The Royals arrived at the CNR Station on James North at 2:24pm, were received at City Hall by Mayor Morrison, visited Civic Stadium and ended at the Jockey Club railway siding at 4:09pm.
It was the first time a reigning monarch had visited Canada. The Hamilton stop was scheduled just before a jaunt into the United States during which time the royals visited the United States (another historic first) and
President Roosevelt. It is presumed that the
1939 tour was partly designed to strengthen Canada’s bond with Britain, a practical matter as Europe had been sinking deeper into war.
• The visit also saw the ceremonial opening of the
QEW. The highway from Toronto to Hamilton had been completed by 1937 but was then simply called the Middle Road Highway. In extending it south to St. Catharines, the province decided to rededicate it in the Queen’s honour, to coincide with the Royals’ first visit to Canada.
• The tour also gave the CBC its first real workout and showcased the broadcaster to the country, as its crews followed the King & Queen for almost six weeks, broadcasting daily. As Concord University historian Mary Vipond
puts it: “The CBC was central to making the royal tour a media event; the media event also helped to make the CBC a national cultural institution.”