Back today with my journey into the world of 1938 A Very British Civil War and today it is part one of the Lord Protectors’, The Albertine Forces.

The Forces of the Lord Protector, The Albertines and The Yorkists
The move to pass the Acts of Attainder by King Edward VIII’s administration and Mosley’s Government, removing the King’s absent family members from the line of succession, proved the final straw. Prince Albert, already in self-imposed exile in Canada with a sizable remnant of the Royal Navy sought redress against his brother Edward by legal and political means, but this proved fruitless. Meanwhile the city of York, under the military control of General Stanley Birch, is the first city to openly declare Albert as King. Having installed some discipline into the York Anglican League forces, Birch and his allies defeated the British Union of Fascists and Royalist forces assault on Hull.

Finally Prince Albert has bowed to the wishes of Parliament, now having moved from Canterbury to safer Winchester, which is also symbolic as England’s ancient capital. The Parliament awarded Prince Albert the title pf Lord Protector in his absence and charged him with restoring order to the broken nations. The title was carefully chosen, avoiding being seen as making a play for Edward’s crown and rather as doing his duty for his country, which Edward has evidently failed to do. King Edward VIII’s reaction has been to declare his brother Prince Albert a traitor, as well as leading members of the Parliament and has issued warrants for their arrest.

To back his position and now to protect himself Prince Albert needs as army. Although many of the Anglican League militias would be happy to follow Albert, Archbishop Cosgrove still has concerns about the legality of this arrangement and distances himself from direct support believing if Prime Minister Mosley is just defeated Edward can be made to compromise and this save the Monarchy from further dislocation. The Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Archbishop of York were both initially more enthusiastic about Prince Albert’s intervention, however, York has had to rethink his position since the first Albertine troops landed in Devon and on the Cumbrian Coast.