Page 5 - A SOUVENIRS STORY

Timely updates to the subscriptions were published in the Government Notices which were posted on boards in public areas for citizens to read the Government news of the day. Today a listing of contributors and amounts contributed can be found in the collections of the Cayman Islands National Archives.
In order to fully understand the importance of this relatively small monument, it is necessary to journey back in time and immerse oneself in that historical moment.
King George V was the grandson of Queen Victoria and the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, who referred to the King as “Grandpa England”. His reign was to span a period from 1910 to 1936. A reign which included World War I (or the Great War) between 1914 and 1918. By the time of his Silver Jubilee in 1935, King George V’s Victorian sense of duty and ordinary lifestyle had earned him the endearing title of “beloved King”.
One could also argue that the King’s career as a British naval officer strengthened the relationship with Caymanians who at that time were keenly aware of the importance of their seafaring heritage. Although unstated, the Islanders saw him as a captain, a leader and a King, someone with their own home grown sense of duty.
The story of the Clock Tower starts to unfold a decade and a half after the Great War. Despite the vestiges of war and the great devastation of the 1932 hurricane, the people of these Islands spirited pursuit of fair winds and calm seas had put them on the course to better times.
World War I, however, had taken its toll on the King’s health. By 1928, he fell seriously ill. His heavy smoking exacerbated recurring breathing problems. He long suffered from emphysema, bronchitis, chronic obstructive lung disease and pleurisy.