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League of the Empire, often referred to as "League of Empire" was a British organisation established in 1901 with branches throughout the British Empire, with the aim of inculcating patriotic feelings. It was successful in inaugurating
Empire Day Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, member states of the Commonwealth ...
, on 24 May, prior to 1901 celebrated as the Queen's Birthday. The object of the league was stated as
"... to inspire personal and active interest in the Empire as a whole, and to promote educational and friendly intercommunication between its different parts (1) through the teaching of Imperial history and conditions by means of public and school lectures; (2) through the furtherance of such training as shall make members efficient citizens in whatever part of the Empire they may be called upon to live; and (3) through the supplying to the youth of the Empire a common bond of literary intercourse by means of a magazine, or by means of written correspondence, member with member, or school with school."


History

By 1904 there were 70 branches in Great Britain.


Branches


Australia

The
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
n branch, which may have been the only branch in Australia, was founded in 1904 with president Samuel Way, and secretary M. Rees Ward. The
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, (Sir
George Le Hunte Sir George Ruthven Le Hunte (20 August 1852 – 29 January 1925) was a British politician. He served as Governor of South Australia from 1 July 1903 until 18 February 1909, soon after the federation of Australia. Life He was born in Porthgai ...
), was Patron. Meetings were held at the
Advanced School for Girls The Advanced School for Girls was a South Australian State school whose purpose was to prepare girls to qualify for entry to the University of Adelaide. Founded in 1879, the school merged with Adelaide High School in 1907. History From its inc ...
on Grote Street, later at Our Boys' Institute on
Wakefield Street, Adelaide Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting Adelaide city centre, the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square, Adelaide, Victoria Square in the centre of the city, ...
. The League was prominent at the wreath laying ceremony at the statue of Queen Victoria on
Victoria Square, Adelaide Victoria Square, also known as Tarntanyangga (formerly ''Tarndanyangga'', ), is the central square of five public squares in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. It is one of six squares designed by the founder of Adelaide, Colonel Willia ...
each May 24 (or 23rd if the 24th was a Saturday), and participated in many Empire-related activities until the early 1950s, by which time newspaper reports were confined to its membership in the Council of Empire Societies, and after 1954 had disappeared altogether.


Canada

Mrs. Elizabeth Middleton Ordmarshall, C.B.E., sometime secretary of the League, represented the League in the Dominion of Canada for six months in 1910. She went on to found the Imperial Union of Teachers in 1913, and died on 29 March 1931.Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, 30 March 1931, p. 8, col. 3 https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search/us-and-world-newspapers/page/view/62622297


References

{{Reflist Patriotic societies