king george speech 1939

: 5/9/20 :

King George VI Speech – Declaration of war against Germany 1939

George VI, the British Monarch, made a live radio broadcast to the country and the Commonwealth declaring the outbreak of war with Germany. The King’s speech was made on 3 September 1939.

The King’s Speech

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself.

For the second time in the lives of most of us we are at war. Over and over again we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies. But it has been in vain. We have been forced into a conflict. For we are called, with our allies, to meet the challenge of a principle which, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to any civilised order in the world.

It is the principle which permits a state, in the selfish pursuit of power, to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges; which sanctions the use of force, or threat of force, against the sovereignty and independence of other states.

Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right; and if this principle were established throughout the world, the freedom of our own country and of the whole British Commonwealth of Nations would be in danger. But far more than this – the peoples of the world would be kept in the bondage of fear, and all hopes of settled peace and of the security of justice and liberty among nations would be ended.

This is the ultimate issue which confronts us. For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear, and of the world’s order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge.

It is to this high purpose that I now call my people at home and my peoples across the seas, who will make our cause their own. I ask them to stand calm, firm, and united in this time of trial. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead, and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield. But we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God.

If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then, with God’s help, we shall prevail.

May He bless and keep us all.”

George VI – September 3, 1939

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The King’s Speech

Perhaps you have seen the Oscar winning film, now you can view the original transcript of the King’s Speech, which was sent to Scotland Yard in 1939, announcing that Britain was going to war…

Ben Johnson

Perhaps you have seen the award winning film – which was nominated for 12 Oscars – now you can view the original transcript of the King’s Speech, which was sent to Scotland Yard in 1939, announcing that Britain was going to war.

The transcript – which was broadcast to the nation on 3 September 1939 – can be viewed free at the Metropolitan Police’ Historical Collection – along with hundreds of other documents, artefacts and images detailing the history of policing since 1829.

The King’s Speech – starring Colin Firth – tells the inspiring story of George VI who overcomes his stammer as he reluctantly takes the throne when his brother, Edward VIII abdicates in 1936 over his plans to marry twice divorced Wallis Simpson.

A series of announcements by the King and Prime Minister were broadcast to the country asking police for their help in getting people to follow air raid precautions and wear gas masks. A war cabinet was also formed and people were asked to stand firm and resolute in the battle ahead.

In his first speech, on 3 September 1939 , King George VI said: “In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, for the second time in the lives of most of us we are at war. Over and over again we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies. But it has been in vain. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead and war is no longer confined to the battlefield.”

The new king quickly won the respect of his ministers and his people and his hard work and conscientious manner eventually brought him respect in his war torn country.

Neil Paterson, Manager of the Historical Collection said: “The Met is in such a unique position to have a rich history of documents, photos and images dating back to 1829. We are very proud of our Collection – which is free to see – and people from all over the world regularly come to view it.”

View the transcript below of the King’s speech:

The Historical Collection is based at Empress State Building, Empress Approach, Lillie Road, London, SW6 1TR, London, from 10am – 4pm weekdays.

Published: 25th December 2014.

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King George VI's 1939 Speech

At a private luncheon Monday, King's Speech star Colin Firth said he was inspired by the real speeches of King George VI. Now, thanks to the BBC, you can hear part of his iconic 1939 speech for yourself.

At a private luncheon Monday, King's Speech star Colin Firth said he was inspired by the real speeches of King George VI. Now, thanks to the BBC , you can hear part of his iconic 1939 speech for yourself.

READ THIS LIST

The Royal Watcher

The king’s speech, 1939.

King George VI  addressed the British people over radio, after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that Britain had declared war on Nazi Germany, on this day in 1939, saying :

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, for the second time in the lives of most of us we are at war. Over and over again we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies. But it has been in vain. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead and war is no longer confined to the battlefield.”

The speech was the culmination of years of speech therapy to overcome the King’s stammer, a story immortalized in the award-winning film ‘The King’s Speech’, starring Colin Firth.  During the war, the King and Queen visited troops and traveled around the country to raise morale, gaining immense popularity, though the King’s health rapidly deteriorated, leading to his early death in 1952.

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The Speech of H.M. The King

Broadcast to the Commonwealth after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, 3 September 1939.

B.B.C. News 6.0 p.m.

3rd September, 39 Information Room

The Speech of H.M. The King Summary

This work is in the public domain worldwide because it was created by a public body of the United Kingdom with Crown Status and commercially published before 1974.

See Crown copyright artistic works , Crown copyright non-artistic works and List of Public Bodies with Crown Status .

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Videos and transcripts of speeches by famous people, past and present, real and fictional

King George VI: September 3, 1939 (‘The King’s Speech’)

King George VI (the father of Queen Elizabeth II) gave this speech on radio after Britain’s declaration of war against Germany on September 3, 1939.

The story of the king and his difficulty speaking due to stuttering was the subject of the 2010 movie ‘ The King’s Speech ‘ starring Colin Firth as a speech therapist and Geoffrey Rush as the young king.

The music in the film version, which you can see on this Youtube video , is the slow 2nd movement from Beethoven’s 7th symphony .

The transcript is from breakingcopy.com , and the video is from here .

King George VI :

In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself.

For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war.

Over and over again, we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies, but it has been in vain.

We have been forced into a conflict, for we are called, with our allies to meet the challenge of a principle which, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to any civilized order in the world.

It is a principle which permits a state in the selfish pursuit of power to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges, which sanctions the use of force or threat of force against the sovereignty and independence of other states. Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right, and if this principle were established throughout the world, the freedom of our own country and of the whole British Commonwealth of nations would be in danger.

But far more than this, the peoples of the world would be kept in the bondage of fear, and all hopes of settled peace and of the security of justice and liberty among nations, would be ended.

This is the ultimate issue which confronts us. For the sake of all we ourselves hold dear, and of the world order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge.

It is to this high purpose that I now call my people at home and my people across the seas who will make our cause their own.

I ask them to stand calm and firm and united in this time of trial.

The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead, and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield, but we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God. If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then with God’s help, we shall prevail. May He bless and keep us all.

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Lisa's History Room

Where the past is always present, the king’s speech: the gate of the year 1939.

December 31, 2012 by Lisa Waller Rogers

George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India, and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

It was Christmas, 1939, and Great Britain was at war with Nazi Germany . Like his father before him, King George VI would continue the holiday tradition of addressing the British Empire in a live radio message. That year, he would broadcast from the royal country house at Sandringham , where he and his family would spend Christmas.

The Royal Residence at Sandringham, England

King George VI and his family leave Buckingham Palace, 1939, to spend Christmas at their country house at Sandringham. Pictured are the King and his wife Queen Elizabeth, daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Princess Elizabeth would become Queen Elizabeth upon the death of her father in 1952.

You will remember that King George VI was not a man comfortable with public speaking. His struggle to overcome a debilitating speech impediment – a stutter – was immortalized in the 2011 American Academy Award -winning film for Best Picture, “The King’s Speech.” A shy, nervous man, a heavy smoker and drinker (it would kill him at 56), King George VI would have preferred to have remained the Duke of York, living a quiet, out-of-the-public eye life with his sturdy wife and two rosy-cheeked daughters.

British Royal Princesses Elizabeth (l.) and Margaret Rose. This photo was taken in February 1939, seven months before the outbreak of WWII.

King George VI – born Albert, called Bertie – never wanted to be king. He wasn’t supposed to be king. He was only king because his brother David had abdicated the throne in 1936 and he, Bertie, was next in line. Nevertheless, unwillingness aside, this unlikely monarch would rise to the occasion and be the very king the British people so sorely needed in a time of great trouble.

It was December 25, 1939, the day of the broadcast. Dressed in the uniform of the Admiral of the Fleet , the tall and too thin sovereign approached the table where two radio microphones were set up, taking his seat.

King George VI addresses his people on September 19, 1939, at the outbreak of WWII.

Taking a few deep breaths, he began to speak, slowly yet solidly. Measuring his words carefully, he spoke from the heart:

“A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.”

Toward the end of his nine-minute broadcast, he said:

“I feel that we may all find a message of encouragement in the lines which, in my closing words, I would like to say to you:”

He then read from a poem given to him by his 13-year-old daughter, Princess Elizabeth ,

“ I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.’”*

He finished by saying,

“May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all.”

For a king not known for compelling speeches, this one would be a landmark. It united King and Country in common cause and inspired the people to hold fast. After all, at this point in history, no one knew that the Allies would triumph. Britain was to face five more years of war and brutal bombing by Hitler before the day of liberation would arrive. The end of 1939 was a shaky time and great leadership by King, Queen, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill would hold Britain steady against the Nazi aggressors.

Queen Elizabeth and King George VI of Great Britain stop at Vallence Road, Stepney, in the East End, London, to examine the debris following an air raid in the Second World War. October 4, 1945

King George VI pins a Distinguished Service Medal on Chief Petty Officer C.L.Baldwin in December 1939.

For more about the British Royal Family on this blog, click here .

Click here for the full text of the King’s 1939 Christmas Message plus The REAL austerity Christmas: How a nation gripped by fear kept calm and carried  on three months after outbreak of war in 1939

*“The Gate of the Year,” by Minnie Haskins (1908)

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Posted in Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the , King George V , King George VI , PEOPLE , POLITICS & GOV'T , Queen Elizabeth II , Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mum , ROYALTY/NOBILITY | Tagged "The King's Speech , Adolf Hitler , biographies of kings , brave people , Buckingham Palace , Great Britain , King George VI , London , Man at the Gate of the Year , Nazi Germany , Princess Elizabeth , Princess Margaret Rose , Queen Elizabeth II , Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother , Sandringham , stammering , stuttering , the British Royal Family , The King's Christmas Speech 1939 , the King's stammering , the King's stutter , World War II | 9 Comments

9 Responses

Amazing this email came into today. We just watched “King’s Speech” New Year’s Eve and loved every minute of it. Colin Firth well deserved the oscar but the history of King George and his speech impediment and how he came to be king of England is summed up by saying ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ and his speaking coach was phenomenal. What a grand job and true friends in life to the end. What the movie did not detail was his abuse of alcohol but did show his smoking quite a bit. I wondered how he passed on, now I have history at my hands. Thank you Lisa for making this question answered. Great job.

How many Brits languished in Poor houses while the so called royal family stayed at Sandringham? How can you praise Winston Churchill when he did so much to falsely poison the world against the Soviet Union?

Edward, maybe you could eat something sweet today. Such bitterness and strange opinion on such a glorious day in a brand-new year.

Not so falsely today. Ukraine is finding that out for itself. Poor housing has been with us through successive Labour and Tory Governments and little has been done, except by the Government under MacMillan. I, for one honour our Queen who has served her people for 70 years and still works today. I don’t suppose you will ever achieve that Mr Palumbo.

Excellent blog as always!!! Thank you for sharing the story and the uplifting words.

Excellent post! I enjoyed it very much!

[…] The following posting is forwarded from Lisa’s History Room ( https://lisawallerrogers.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/the-kings-speech-the-gate-of-the-year-1939/ ) […]

Hi. Thanx for you . Article on King George Vi , re The gate of the year ,,,,written by Minnie Hoskins in 1908 ,, I liked the fact you gave the source of that quote to this woman, Please would you put in your introduction that the piece is quoted from Miss Hoskins in the main body of text. ? Last night I stood outside my front door, and said those words just a minute past midnight 01/01/15. They gave my great comfort. I am so happy to have found yr website. Happy New Year! ANd God Bless You!

Thank you for this information regarding ‘The Gateway…’

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Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

The Honourable Anita R. Neville, P.C., O.M.

The King’s (Winnipeg) Speech – 1939

King George VI is pictured here broadcasting to the Empire from Government House Winnipeg on May 24, 1939. King George VI and The Queen were travelling across Canada in 1939, and on arrival in Winnipeg, on Empire Day (now Victoria Day), he broadcast to the Empire from the Library at Government House. In September, 1939, he broadcast once again to the Empire announcing that Britain was at war. This is the speech that inspired the movie “The King’s Speech”.

At Government House in Winnipeg, Manitoba May 24, 1939

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