Black ties everywhere: London mourns George V – archive, 22 January 1936

22 January 1936: Many had made their own mind up to pay tribute to the king despite no official request for the wearing of mourning by the general public

Fleet Street, Tuesday
The tolling of Great Tom," the mightiest bell of St Paul's Cathedral, is always the first official intimation to the City of London that a King of England is dead. For two hours this morning, beginning at eight o'clock, the slow heavy notes, beating above the noise of the traffic, proclaimed the news to residents and to workers as they arrived.

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