THE KING IS DEAD ...

King George VI died aged 56 in the early hours of the morning of 6 Feburary, 1952 during his winter sojourn at Sandringham, Norfolk - the place of his birth.

He had suffered from ill health for some years and had had an operation on his lung the previous year. He died of a heart attack. His under-valet found him at 7.15 am when he took him tea in bed.

News of the King's death was first broken to his family. Then calls were made to the Home Secretary and Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister; cables were sent to Princess Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family who were abroad.

At 10.45 am the announcement of the King's death was made from Sandringham House, and the news swept over the country and Commonwealth.

The King was greatly mourned. The edition of the Daily Mail newspaper on 7 February reflected, 'His palace was in every home, and his throne in all men's hearts.' Telegrams were sent around Britain on the day of his death ordering theatres, cinemas, dancehalls and other places of entertainment to close in respect.

The England v. Ireland Rugby International to be played the following Saturday was postponed. Football matches took place with players wearing black armbands.

Town hall and church bells in the cities tolled throughout the day, and people gathered in public places in silence. In London the lights of Piccadilly and the West End were dimmed and the fountains turned off in Trafalgar Square.

The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, broadcast to the nation on the radio on the evening of 7 February.

"The King was greatly loved by all his peoples and respected as a man and as a prince far beyond the many realms over which he reigned. The simple dignity of his life, his manly virtues, his sense of duty - alike as ruler and servant of the vast spheres for which he bore responsibility - his gay charm and happy nature, his example as a husband and a father in his own family circles, his courage in peace or war - all of these were aspects of his character which won the glint of admiration, now here, now there, from the innumerable eyes whose gaze falls upon the throne."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, issued a statement saying: "The King was a grand leader of his people by reason of his courage, his simple humanity, his selfless regard for others, his single-minded devotion to duty. We thank God for his example."

Cardinal Griffin, on behalf of Roman Catholics, sent a telegram to the Royal Family. In it he said: "We mourn the loss of a great King. By his selfless devotion to duty, by his loving interest in the welfare of his peoples, by his courage in the face of illness and by his magnificent example of family life, King George VI won a unique position in the hearts of his subjects."

The body of King George VI was taken to Sandringham Church, where Sandringham estate workers kept a round-the-clock vigil. On the Monday after the king's death, the coffin was taken by train to London and then to Westminster Hall. Over a quarter of a million people queued for hours throughout the following days to pay their respects to their late king.

On Friday 15 February the coffin of the king was taken in a military procession to Paddington railway station, and was conveyed from there by train to Windsor. The burial service took place in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The country observed two minutes' silence as the coffin was lowered into the ground and the new Queen threw a handful of earth into the grave.