Ah, the Fraternity-class! Sadly it was not to last as around the time of King Edward's death, the major components of Britain's overseas empire began to assert their own military independence - not because they wanted to but because they were being beggared by Britain to fund their fair share of the security costs. So instead of sending cheques to London to pay for "HMS Canada" or HMS Whatever of the Royal Navy, by 1910 you got in the case of the elder dominion, Laurier's "Tin Pot Navy", which got mercilessly mocked by pro-imperial Canadian Tories.
The dominions may have been going wobbly on imperial defence, but that is not how the King Edward VII and her seven shipworthy sisters earned the sobriquet "The Wobbly Eight". They were nicknamed so during the First World War because they couldn't steer a straight line, which by that time were so outclassed by the new dreadnoughts they were given the inglorious task of steaming at the heads of divisions, where they could protect the far more valuable dreadnoughts by watching for mines or by being the first to strike them. This is how the King Edward VII met her fate in January 1916.
As for the rest of the wobbly eight, HMS Britannia was torpedoed in 1918 and the remainder were sold for scrap in 1921.
Completely unrelated to the post, but I felt I had to write something from here in Quebec where I have just finished my tour of the Citadelle and the GG's personal residence. I am deeply distressed and can't help but borow someone's computer to quickly write this; One immediately walks in to be confronted by an hodge-podge of styles where everything is thrown in without any reference or image of HM The Queen to be seen. The result, I have been told by the guide, due to to the fact that it is seen as 'controversial'. Treason through cowardice. I left believing that the Queen has been completely replaced and history adapted to make Champlain our first G.G. and us English as nothing more but carrying on the French tradition. And this is the least diverse province I have been to. Meanwhile my home province has named as a Lt.Gov another representative of the Queen who was not even born in this country, let alone the province. And yet as the Cdn GG's coat of arms is full of Haitian images and symbols unrelated to this country, I was told how the Queen is not seen as representative of this country!
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