The King of Siam

In 1938 the 13 year old King of Siam (HM King Ananda Mahidol) was at school in Switzerland when it was decided that he should be shown to his people for the first time since his accession. He was to be accompanied by his mother, by his younger brother and sister and by a small suite. The party was to travel out and back on a cargo liner of the Danish East Asiatic Company, only calling at Aden on the return journey. The Minister at the British legation in Bangkok thought it advisable to agree in advance with the Siamese authorities as to the reception the young king should receive in the various ports of call within the British Empire (Colombo, Singapore and Aden).

As the king was travelling in a private capacity the Siamese view was that no arrangements should be made; to which the Minister replied that after all a reigning King was a King and his presence in a British colony could not be completely ignored. There was also the political factor to consider – the King would almost certainly go ashore and if no notice was taken of him the Japanese would make anti-British propaganda of this. It was eventually decided that the best solution was for the Governors of each Colony to call unofficially (i.e. not in uniform) on the King on the arrival of his ship. Subsequently the King, his mother and suite could avail themselves of an invitation to come to Government House – perhaps for tea as a formal meal would be out of the question for one so young.

The party sailed from the port for Bangkok on 13 January 1939 and their ship, the Selandia, was due at Aden on the 31^st of the same month. The ship arrived at Aden early that morning, when the Governor, accompanied by the AOC, Air Commodore Macfarlane Reid and by Mrs Macfarlane Reid went on board. They were received by the King but he and his party declined an invitation to come ashore as they said they had seen the sights on a previous visit, plus the fact that the ship was making only a short stay at Aden. However the King’s Lord-in-Waiting did land and called on both the Governor and the AOC.