The King's Pilgrimage

The King's Pilgrimage was published in 1922. The book details King George V's tour of British war cemeteries and memorial sites on the battlefields of Flanders and Northern France. This was Queen Mary's copy and it includes a facsimile letter written by the King. Proceeds from the sale of this book supported charities established to help relatives visit the graves and memorials.

 

The Imperial War Graves Commission was created in 1917 to ensure the proper burial of the thousands of British and Empire war casualties. The author Rudyard Kipling, who became a member of the Commission on its inception, wrote the poem, The King's Pilgrimage, along with a speech given by King George V at Terlincthun Cemetery, Boulogne, 13 May 1922. The main principle of the Commission was that all soldiers should be buried close to where they fell and that all men and women, regardless of rank, race or creed, would be treated equally.