Great Britain, North Ireland & The Republic of Ireland Heritage, History, Traditions & Customs “The British Isles Historic Society Newsletter” 06-21a Queen’s Birthday June 12th. Queen Elizabeth’s II, Official Birthday the Sovereign's birthday was first officially marked in the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1748, for King June 6th. D-Day, George II. 1944, Battle of Queen’s Birthday History Normandy: The royal birthday, a.k.a. The King’s Birthday During World has been present on the United Kingdom calendar War II (1939-1945), since 1748 when King George II ruled. The exact day the Battle of has been moved around several times. Significantly, Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August King Edward, who reigned from 1902 to 1910, 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western moved the celebration to summer in hope for better Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed weather. Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, After the British Commonwealth stopped 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 existing as an Empire, various territories made their American, British and Canadian forces landed on five own decisions on keeping the Queen’s birthday beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily holiday. Some even have two – for example, fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The Scotland and Canada also observes the birthday of invasion was one of the largest amphibious military Queen Victoria in May. assaults in history and required extensive planning. The official ceremony of the Holiday, Trooping Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale The Colours, has existed in some forms since the deception campaign designed to mislead the 17th century. The Colours stand for the flags of the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late different regiments in the Royal Army. Since 1820, August 1944, all of northern France had been the accession year of King George 4th, this liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had magnificent parade became an annual ceremony of defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have monarchs checking out their troops. been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day TRIVIA: Our Queen has a sense of humour. Queen Elizabeth II Once on a low-key trip to Scotland, she met Born: April 21, 1926 (age 95 some American tourists while walking. When the years), Mayfair, London, United tourists asked if she lived locally, she mentioned that Kingdom she had a house nearby, and when asked if she’d Full name: Elizabeth Alexan- ever met the Queen she simply pointed at her dra Mary Windsor security and said, “No, but he has!” Spouse: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Juno Beach: Nearly (m. 1947–2021) 150,000 Allied troops landed Children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Prin- or parachuted into the cess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Ed- invasion area on D-Day, ward, Earl of Wessex including 14,000 Canadians at Juno Beach. The Royal Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom Canadian Navy contributed and 15 other Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth was 110 ships and 10,000 sailors and the RCAF born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the contributed 15 fighter and fighter-bomber Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and squadrons to the assault. Total Allied casualties on Queen Elizabeth). Her father ascended the throne on D-Day reached more than 10,000, including 1,074 the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in Canadians, 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home The Queen’s and began to undertake public duties during the birthplace is now Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary a fancy Cantonese Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and restaurant Denmark, with whom she had four children: Charles, Called Hakkasan, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince at 17 Bruton Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Street in Mayfair Wessex. Breakfast with the Queen! The Queen loves scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a grating of truffle. But she was too frugal to ever order fresh truffles and only really enjoyed them at Christmas when the truffles were TRIVIA: As Queen, she has been served by 14 sent as a gift.” Instead, she prefers UK Prime Ministers Including Winston Churchill, regular cereal with fresh fruit for a Margaret Thatcher and more recently, Boris typical breakfast. Johnson. Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh “His legacy will live on forever ” Born: June 10, 1921, Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece Died: April 9, 2021, Windsor Castle, Windsor, United Kingdom Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was a member of the British royal family as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Philip was born June 10, 1921, Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece into the Greek and Danish royal families. He was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was eighteen months old. Philip’s father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1882–1944), a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes (originally Prince William of Denmark). His mother was Princess Alice (1885–1969), who was the eldest daughter of Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and the Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Reared chiefly in Great Britain, Philip was educated at Gordonstoun School, near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, and at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, Devon, England. From January 1940 to the end of World War II, he served with the Royal Navy in combat in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. His marriage to his distant cousin Princess Elizabeth took place in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. On the eve of his wedding, he was designated a Royal Highness and was created a Knight of the Garter, Baron Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth, and Duke of Edinburgh. While much of his time was spent fulfilling the duties of his station, Philip engaged in a variety of philanthropic endeavours. He served as president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) from 1981 to 1996, and his International Award program allowed more than six million young adults to engage in community service, leadership development, and physical fitness activities. In 2011, to mark his 90th birthday, Elizabeth conferred on him the title and office of lord high admiral, the titular head of the Royal Navy. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philip-duke-of-Edinburgh Corpach Wreck, Queen Elizabeth II was Fort William, Scotland, UK born on April 21, 1926. Her Majesty was the first child of King George VI Built in 1975, the fishing (The Duke of York) and Queen vessel trawler MV Dayspring Elizabeth. once brought mackerel and herring to the shores of the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth Scottish Highlands. Last II is Queen of Canada. She has launched in the early 2000s, she dedicated her life to public service and continues to had been safely moored for serve Canada and Canadians. On her 21st birthday over a decade when she ran aground during a storm (April 21, 1947), she addressed the Commonwealth on 8 December 2011. and dedicated her life "whether it be long or short" to the service of A kipper is a others. Ever since, she has been whole herring, a small, steadfast in keeping her promise oily fish, that has been — a promise valued by Canada split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the and the entire Commonwealth. dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold- smoked over smouldering woodchips (typically oak). TRIVIA: Queen Elizabeth remains the only In Britain, Ireland, Scotland and on the Isle on female royal family member to have entered the Man kippers are most commonly consumed for armed forces, and is currently the only living head of breakfast. In Great Britain, kippers, along with other state who officially served in World War II. preserved smoked or salted fish such as the bloater and buckling, were also once commonly enjoyed as a Hattit kit,is a high tea or supper treat, most popularly with inland traditional Scottish milk and urban working-class populations before World dish. The fresh milk used in War II. the recipe must be warm The Kipper was invented by a man called John and traditionally it was Woodger in 1843. John lived in Seahouses, made by milking straight Northumberland and worked as a Fish Monger when from a cow into a pail or other vessel (the kit) one day he left some prepared fish in a room containing fresh buttermilk and sometimes rennet. overnight with a smoking stove. Recipes variously instruct to mix well or to refrain from stirring. More milk was added at the next The Manx word for kipper is skeddan jiarg milking. The resultant "hat" that floats atop the which literally translates as red herring. whey is then skimmed off and mixed with sugar, Our Queen the Truck Driver: nutmeg, or cinnamon and sometimes wine. The Elizabeth eventually joined the hatted kit tends to become more acid, so limewater women's Auxiliary Territorial Service or charcoal may be added with later use of a batch. and trained as a truck driver and It may be served with cream, stewed fruit or with mechanic in 1945, when she was 18 years old. brown bread and salt, instead of butter. Queen Elizabeth’s Canadian Patronage: The Queen’s Royal Patronage — Canadian Organizations Royal Canadian Air Force Association (1951) Her Majesty is patron of more than 600 Canadian Cancer Society (1952) charities and organizations, of which 36 are in Canadian Red Cross Society (1952) Canada.