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Queen’s incredible service to British military spanned eight decades

The Queen signed up for active duty as a Princess aged 19 and her service would become one of her many enduring links to Britain’s armed forces (Picture: IWM London)
The Queen signed up for active duty as a Princess aged 19 and her service became one of her many enduring links to the armed forces (Picture: IWM London)

Through war and peace, Queen Elizabeth II was steadfast by her nation’s side.

As a princess, and then a reigning monarch, her unwavering support to the armed forces over eight decades included active service and raising morale during the war years.

Images which were digitised in the summer show the then Princess Elizabeth as she answered the call of duty with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War.

The longest-ruling British monarch, whose death at the age of 96 brings an era of service to an end, was a guiding hand during times of conflict.

As well as enlisting in 1945, this has also included meeting troops before the D-Day landings in Normandy and appearing before crowds on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on VE Day.

The poignant collection of images includes a black-and-white shot of Princess Elizabeth watching on as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, talks to a paratrooper during a tour of airborne forces on May 14, 1944.

They were accompanied by King George VI as they inspected units and watched a mass drop by parachutists during the build-up to D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France.

Another photograph, taken the same year, shows Queen Elizabeth and the Princess with RAF crews at a heavy bomber station, another occasion when the young royal joined her parents on morale-boosting visits to British and Allied forces during the war.

The pictures form an exhibition allowing visitors to explore a lifetime of service through 19 pictures at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London.

(Picture: IWM London)
Princess Elizabeth stands in front of an L-plated truck during her time in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Picture: IWM London)
(Picture: IWM London)
The Queen inspects a Royal Guard of Royal Marines from HMS Newfoundland during her visit to Colombo in April 1954 (Picture: IMW London)

The Head of the Armed Forces had always attached great importance to the military side of her role, visiting service personnel and their families,

She also instituted the Elizabeth Cross for the families of those who have died in war and conflict.

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Aged 19, Princess Elizabeth joined the auxiliaries, training as a driver and mechanic with the rank of Second Subaltern, before being promoted to Junior Commander, the equivalent of Captain.

Imperial War Museums Queen's 'incredible' wartime service immortalised for Diamond Jubilee
Princess Elizabeth next to an ambulance during her time with the Auxiliary Territorial Service in April 1945 (Picture: IWM/Ted Dearberg)
(Picture: IWM London)
Princess Elizabeth takes plugs out of a vehicle as part of her training in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Picture: IMW London)
The Queen signed up for active duty as a Princess aged 19 and her service would become one of her many enduring links to Britain’s armed forces (Picture: IWM London)
The Queen greets Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC during an event at Buckingham Palace in 2010 (Picture: IWM)

She became the first female royal to serve on a full-time, active basis.

More relaxed moments from her wartime service are captured in pictures from her time with the auxiliaries, including images showing her standing by a military ambulance and leaning against the bonnet of an L-plated truck.

The moment that all those who served made great sacrifices for came on May 8, 1945 with VE Day, when the royals joined Winston Churchill on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. The Princess and her younger sister, Margaret, were allowed to leave the palace and join the celebrations.

After ascending the throne in 1952, the Queen kept up her duties as she inspected a Royal Guard of Royal Marines from HMS Newfoundland during her visit to Colombo, the capital of Ceylon, which is now Sri Lanka.

The Queen’s reign spanned war and peace and the transition from black-and-white to colour photography.

(Picture: IWM London)
Queen Elizabeth talks to a paratrooper during a tour of airborne forces in 1944 as Princess Elizabeth looks on (Picture: IWM London)
(Picture: IWM London)
Queen Elizabeth, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret during a visit to the battleship HMS King George in 1944 (Picture: IWM)

While the sovereign may have been known to modern generations in a ceremonial role, another picture shows her getting hands-on, taking the plugs out of a vehicle as part of her Army service.

A Humber staff car used by the Queen’s father, King George VI, during his visit to Italy in 1944, and a Princess Mary gift tin are part of an object trail at the exhibition.

The Queen retained a number of titles and patronages with the military, as well as having close relatives, including grandson Prince Harry, who have served in the armed forces.

(Picture: IWM London)
The Royal Family and Winston Churchill at Buckingham Palace during Victory in Europe (VE) Day celebrations on May 8, 1945 (Picture: IWM London)
(Picture: IWM London)
Princess Elizabeth is shown beside a B-17 Flying Fortress at a USAAF base in Bedfordshire (Picture: IWM London)

In recent times, her enduring links were realised in the Trooping of the Colour, when the monarch’s birthday was celebrated with a grand military display that this year was a centrepiece of the Jubilee celebrations.

The Queen also introduced the Elizabeth Cross, the first medal to which she put her name, which was instituted in 2009 to recognise the families of those who have died on, or as a result of, military operations since 1948.

Her Royal Highness died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon, ending a remarkable reign of more than 70 years.

Paying tribute, the IWM said: ‘We at Imperial War Museums are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty The Queen and would like to express our condolences to all her family.

‘During her life, the world changed dramatically as a result of conflict.

‘From her childhood and her wartime service to her role as monarch, IWM holds film and photographic records that help tell the story of her extraordinary life.’



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