A Sketch of how "The Diamond Anthem" was Sung around the World The 60th Anniversary of the Accession Day of Her Majesty Queen Victoria

“The Diamond Anthem”

=was sung around the world= =through the Colonies of the Empire= =on the 20th June, 1897=

THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACCESSION DAY OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA

Being an extract from the Annual Report of The Supreme Grand President of the Sons of England, given at St. Catharines, Canada, 8th March, 1898.

TORONTO THE ROBINSON-ARBUTHNOT PRESS 1898

TIME TABLE FOR SERVICES AROUND THE WORLD.

An interval will be arranged in the regular afternoon service to allow of the National Anthem being commenced at 4 p.m., or in Australia and Canada at the exact Standard Time stated; this being the equivalent of the moment the sun is passing the place at 4 p.m. Sun Time.

─────────────────────────┬────────────┬────────────────── DAY COMMENCES AT LONG. │ Standard │Time at the Heart 180. │ Time. │ of the │ │ Empire—Windsor │ │ Castle ─────────────────────────┼────────────┼────────────────── │ P.M. │ A.M. │ 20th. │ 20th. FIJI ISLANDS │ 4.00 │ 4.05 │ │ NEW ZEALAND: │ │ Napier │ 4.00 │ 4.20 Auckland │ 4.00 │ 4.21 │ │ AUSTRALIA: │ │ Sydney │ 3.55 │ 5.55 Hobart │ 4.11 │ 6.11 Melbourne │ 4.20 │ 6.20 Adelaide │ 3.46 │ 6.46 Perth │ 4.16 │ 8.16 │ │ MAURITIUS: │ │ P.M. St. Louis │ 4.00 │ 12.10 │ │ SOUTH AFRICA: │ │ Durban (Port Natal) │ " │ 1.56 Addington │ .... │ 1.57 East London │ " │ 2.08 King William’s Town │ " │ 2.11 Graham’s Town │ " │ 2.14 Port Elizabeth │ " │ 2.18 Uitenage │ " │ 2.19 Cape Town │ " │ 2.46 │ │ WEST AFRICA: │ │ St. Helena │ " │ 4.23 Sierra Leone │ " │ 4.53 Ascension │ " │ 4.58 │ │ MID-ATLANTIC: │ │ British Ships at sea │ .... │ .... │ │ NEWFOUNDLAND: │ │ St. John │ " │ 7.31 │ │ CANADA: │ │ CAPE BRETON— │ │ Sydney │ 4.01 │ 8.01 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND— │ │ Charlottetown │ 4.12 │ 8.12 NOVA SCOTIA— │ │ New Glasgow │ 4.10 │ 8.10 Truro │ 4.13 │ 8.13 Halifax │ 4.14 │ 8.14 Springhill │ 4.17 │ 8.17 Windsor │ 4.17 │ 8.17 Digby │ 4.23 │ 8.23 Yarmouth │ 4.24 │ 8.24 NEW BRUNSWICK— │ │ Moncton │ 3.20 │ 8.20 St. John │ 3.24 │ 8.24 Fredericton │ 3.27 │ 8.27 Stanley │ .... │ .... Woodstock │ 3.30 │ 8.30 QUEBEC— │ │ Sherbrooke │ 3.48 │ 8.48 Lennoxville │ 3.48 │ 8.48 Richmond │ 3.49 │ 8.49 Quebec │ 3.50 │ 8.50 Montreal │ 3.54 │ 8.54 ONTARIO— │ │ Cornwall │ 3.59 │ 8.59 Ottawa │ 4.03 │ 9.03 Brockville │ 4.03 │ 9.03 Carleton Place │ 4.04 │ 9.04 Smith’s Falls │ 4.04 │ 9.04 Almonte │ 4.05 │ 9.05 Arnprior │ 4.05 │ 9.05 Gananoque │ 4.06 │ 9.06 Kingston │ 4.07 │ 9.07 Renfrew │ 4.07 │ 9.07 Pembroke │ 4.08 │ 9.08 Deseronto │ 4.09 │ 9.09 Belleville │ 4.10 │ 9.10 Peterborough │ 4.13 │ 9.13 Port Hope │ 4.13 │ 9.13 Bowmanville │ 4.14 │ 9.14 Burke’s Falls │ 4.15 │ 9.15 Lindsay │ 4.15 │ 9.15 Oshawa │ 4.15 │ 9.15 Whitby │ 4.16 │ 9.16 Huntsville │ 4.17 │ 9.17 Bracebridge │ 4.17 │ 9.17 Orillia │ 4.18 │ 9.18 Toronto │ 4.18 │ 9.18 St. Catharines │ 4.18 │ 9.18 Barrie and Allandale │ 4.19 │ 9.19 Rosseau │ 4.19 │ 9.19 Grimsby │ 4.19 │ 9.19 Hamilton │ 4.20 │ 9.20 Orangeville │ 4.20 │ 9.20 Collingwood │ 4.21 │ 9.21 Guelph │ 4.21 │ 9.21 Brantford │ 4.21 │ 9.21 Simcoe │ 4.21 │ 9.21 Paris │ 4.22 │ 9.22 Woodstock │ 4.23 │ 9.23 Sudbury │ 4.24 │ 9.24 Aylmer │ 4.24 │ 9.24 Stratford │ 4.24 │ 9.24 Owen Sound │ 4.24 │ 9.24 St. Thomas │ 4.25 │ 9.25 London │ 4.26 │ 9.26 Goderich │ 4.27 │ 9.27 Petrolea │ 4.28 │ 9.28 Chatham │ 4.29 │ 9.29 Sarnia │ 4.30 │ 9.30 Windsor │ 4.32 │ 9.32 Port Arthur │ 3.57 │ 9.57 Fort William │ 3.57 │ 9.57 Rat Portage │ 4.18 │ 10.18 MANITOBA AND NORTHWEST │ │ TERRITORIES— │ │ Winnipeg │ 4.28 │ 10.28 Carman │ 4.32 │ 10.32 Brandon │ 3.40 │ 10.40 Virden │ 3.43 │ 10.43 Russell │ 3.45 │ 10.45 Moosomin │ 3.46 │ 10.46 Regina │ 3.58 │ 10.58 Moose Jaw │ 4.02 │ 11.02 Medicine Hat │ 4.22 │ 11.22 Calgary │ 4.26 │ 11.36 Banff │ 4.49 │ 11.49 BRITISH COLUMBIA— │ │ Donald │ 3.49 │ 11.49 Revelstoke │ 3.53 │ 11.53 Vernon │ 3.57 │ 11.57 │ │ A.M., │ │ 21st. New Westminster │ 4.12 │ 12.12 Vancouver │ 4.12 │ 12.12 Victoria │ 4.13 │ 12.13 │ │ PACIFIC OCEAN: │ │ British Ships at sea │ .... │ .... │ │ ─────────────────────────┴────────────┴──────────────────

=THE SONS OF ENGLAND= =Diamond Jubilee Services Around= =the World,= =Sunday, 20th June, 1897.= Being an extract from the Annual Report of the Supreme Grand President of the Sons of England, given at St. Catharines, Canada, 8th March, 1898.

18. It has been my happy lot to be the President of the Sons of England during the record year of Her Majesty’s reign, an epoch year in the history of our British Empire, and it has given me the intensest pleasure to devote whatever power lay within me toward sustaining the loyal sentiments which have been evoked in so remarkable a degree.

The Foreign nations were amazed at the wondrous attachment with which the subjects of Queen Victoria, at home and all over the world, joined in rejoicing over her welfare, and in attesting their loyalty to her person and her Crown, but the Jubilee home-coming was a revelation also to the people of the Home Land, who found thus vividly brought before their eyes the marvellous area over which our fathers and we who had emigrated from her shores, have spread her power, and at last have seemed to “understand” how real is the blood union existing between the Sons who have gone out into the world, and the Brothers who have remained at home.

Summoned by the magic call of the Empress Queen, “Greater Britain” has suddenly stepped forward on the field as an actual and integral part of her Realm and Empire.

In accordance with the instructions of the Supreme Grand Lodge at Brantford, an address, most beautifully and appropriately illuminated, was forwarded to Her Majesty conveying our devotion, and stating the belief “that the personality of the Crown is the strongest and most stable bond of union between the millions of people who spread in a world-embracing circle around the old Home-Kingdom, delight in proving faithful allegiance, and doing loyal service.”

Our Society also joined heartily with all other societies in testifying together with them our united affection and loyalty upon the 22nd of June, the officially appointed Jubilee day.

It seemed to me, however, that the Sons of England owed it to their Queen, and earnestly desired to do something more, and I therefore organized the “_Jubilee Service of a continuous anthem around the world_,” to take place on Sunday, the 20th of June, the actual anniversary day of Her Majesty’s accession.

The idea when first mooted met with immediate acceptance as a happy conception, but many doubts were expressed as to the possibility of its being actually accomplished, for it seemed to the faint-hearted almost an impossibility to arrange for a connecting line of services, which should take place in succession around the whole circle of the earth for the space of twenty-four hours. Yet I have much pleasure in informing Supreme Grand Lodge that the “_continuous Anthem and Prayer offered_,” as stated in the Official Circular issued by me on the 8th April, “_as the loyal and affectionate tribute of the Sons of England to their Gracious Queen upon the Diamond Jubilee of her accession to the Throne_,” has been carried out in actual fact, and in completest detail.

It is not possible within the limits of this report to give more than a sketch, but some record is due of a “service” which was so universally and ardently adopted, which is absolutely unique in history, and which, moreover, is one capable of being carried out only by our nation, upon whose Sovereign’s dominions the sun never sets.

The intention was that commencing from the hour of 4.05 in the morning at Windsor Castle on the 20th of June, the Sons in the Colonies should join in a world-wide carol, and encircle their Queen with the continuous singing of the National Anthem all through the hours of that great day of her life, and on through the night until daylight the next morning.

On the opposite side of the world from the Heart of the Empire at Windsor Castle are the Fiji Islands, the colony situate nearest to longitude 180, where it is 4 o’clock in the afternoon at the same moment at which it is 4 o’clock in the morning of the same day in England at Greenwich.

The problem was therefore to have the National Anthem commenced in Fiji at the beginning of Her Majesty’s day, and sung thereafter precisely at 4 p.m., as the sun arrived at that moment in succession over each place in the Colonies, and passed onwards around the world.

A form of service was devised suitable for any Sunday afternoon service, to commence at 3.30, in which the National Anthem should be sung at the appointed moment of 4 o’clock.

Full descriptive circulars, forms of service, and a time-table of longitudes, prepared by the Meteorological Department of Canada, and showing the meridian or sun time at each place, were sent in multitude to friends and correspondents in every Colony and Dependency owning allegiance to the Union Jack.

With the co-operation of the Right Rev. The Bishop of Toronto, who is a member of our Order, communications were opened up with all the Colonial bishops and clergy, and their services were enlisted. Patriotic societies and the secretaries of the Royal Colonial Institute were asked by me to assist. Letters were sent to the captains of every British passenger ship which would be at sea on the 20th of June, asking them to sing the Anthem, fire a gun, and note the position of their ship at 4 p.m. on that day.

Our own brethren in Newfoundland and Canada and patriots in the United States took the service up with energy and enthusiasm. The Sons of England in South Africa answered with alacrity, Australia and New Zealand joined in heartily, and thus, by prompt and efficient action, the organization was completed and ready for the eventful day. Copies of the time-table were sent to Her Majesty, by reference to which it could be seen at any hour how far the Anthem had proceeded on its way and in what colony it was at any moment being sung.

In acknowledging receipt the Colonial Secretary, The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, says to His Excellency Lord Aberdeen: “I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your dispatch of the 24th April with its enclosures on the subject of the Continuous Service around the World which is being arranged by the Sons of England in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Accession to the Throne. I have to inform you that, in accordance with your request, the matter has been brought before the notice of the Queen, and that Her Majesty was graciously pleased to express her sincere appreciation of the loyal feelings that have prompted this interesting method of Commemoration.”

The 20th of June came and the Anthem passed around the world.

Reports and letters kept coming in month after month in reply to my request and giving an account of the proceedings held in each place. A few extracts only can be give here as samples of many hundreds of similar character which have been received from the continuous line now recorded around the world.

The service commenced on Sunday afternoon 20th June in Levuka, Fiji Islands. Dr. Garner Jones, headmaster of the Levuka Public Schools, writes: “Owing to geographical position—viz., 178.51 E. long.—the inhabitants of Levuka, Fiji Islands, enjoyed the unique honor of initiating “The Wave of Song” that hailed the Jubilee (Diamond) of Her Majesty’s Ascension, a wave which travelled from colony to colony in order of longitude, encircling the entire globe.”