hilst most British citizens looked forward to the Coronation of a new King in
1911, the Collie world continued to
mourn the passing of Edward VII whose death, after only nine years on the throne, severed the Royal patronage the Collie had enjoyed for more than sixty years.
On the international front this second decade of the 20th century is most notable for the European conflict, which engulfed a whole continent including the UK, eventually extending to citizens of the British Empire and North America. Millions would never return to their families, and countless young men were so severely affected mentally and/or physically that it became impossible for them to reconstruct meaningful futures.
Other than a flood of Collies crossing the Atlantic as kennels reduced stock levels, there was little disruption seen in the canine world until the difficulties of retaining kennel staff, obtaining food supplies and travel to and from shows began to make kennel ownership problematic. The introduction of conscription for single men, which instigated a state of National fervour, encouraged the Kennel Club to suspend all canine activity, including registrations unless litters were whelped under licence, from early 1917 until the spring of 1920. The full effects of these measures hardly felt or appreciated by the British canine world until the next decade.
