Malaya | 1943 | 1 Cent | King George VI |

 







King George VI


The Malayan dollar was issued by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya, except during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945. In 1952 the issuing authority was renamed the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya and British Borneo, and its notes carried the portrait of King George VI.

George VI (1895–1952) reigned from 1936 until his death. Initially the second son of George V and not expected to become king, he ascended the throne after the abdication of his elder brother, Edward VIII, who chose to marry Wallis Simpson. George VI had served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force during World War I and married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, with whom he had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.

His reign saw profound constitutional and geopolitical change. The British Empire rapidly evolved into the Commonwealth, particularly after World War II, during which George VI provided a stabilizing presence. India and Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the title “Emperor of India” was dropped in 1948, and Ireland left the Commonwealth in 1949. He became the first monarch to adopt the title Head of the Commonwealth. Plagued by health issues in later years, he was succeeded by his elder daughter, Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II).


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