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== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/leicester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9377000/9377098.stm Lionel Logue 'never swore in front of King George VI' from [[BBC Radio Leicester]]]
* Bowen, C. (2002). ''Lionel Logue: Pioneer speech therapist.''http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ll.htm Retrieved January 1, 2011.
* Bowen, C. (2002). ''Lionel Logue: Pioneer speech therapist.''http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ll.htm Retrieved January 1, 2011.
* Hutchinson, Norman C, ''Lionel Logue: the King's Mentor'', self-published, Box Hill South, Victoria, Australia 2010.
* Hutchinson, Norman C, ''Lionel Logue: the King's Mentor'', self-published, Box Hill South, Victoria, Australia 2010.
* Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. http://www.rcslt.org/about/docs/lionel_logue_letter Letter sent by Logue to George VI.
* Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. http://www.rcslt.org/about/docs/lionel_logue_letter Letter sent by Logue to George VI.
*[http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/lionel-logue-laurie-jo Rare photo of Lionel Logue near the end of his life, from the U.K. National Archives]
*[http://www.awesomestories.com/assets/lionel-logue-laurie-jo Rare photo of Lionel Logue near the end of his life, from the U.K. National Archives]



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{{DEFAULTSORT:Logue, Lionel}}

Revision as of 15:30, 27 January 2011

Lionel Logue
CVO
File:Lionel Logue 3.jpg
Lionel Logue in 1937
Born26 February 1880
Adelaide, South Australia
Died12 April 1953(1953-04-12) (aged 73)
London, United Kingdom
NationalityAustralia
Years active1902–1953
Known forWork with George VI of the United Kingdom
Scientific career
FieldsSpeech and elocution
InstitutionsBritish Society of Speech Therapists
College of Speech Therapists

Lionel George Logue, CVO (26 February 1880–12 April 1953) was an Australian speech therapist. Logue successfully treated King George VI, who had a pronounced stammer.

Early life

Logue was the eldest of four children, born in Adelaide, South Australia. His parents were George Edward Logue, a clerk, and Lavinia Rankin. He attended Prince Alfred College as a schoolboy between 1889 and 1896. There, he received elocution training from Edward Reeves. He worked for Reeves as a secretary and assistant teacher from 1902, studying music at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium. He subsequently spent time working in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia at a gold mine.[1]

Professional career

Logue's professional career began in Perth. There, in addition to teaching elocution, acting and public speaking, he put on public events such as plays and recitations and also founded a club for public speakers. Part-time teaching commitments led him to contribute to the town's Young Men's Christian Association, numerous schools including Methodist Ladies' College, Loreto Convent, Scotch College, Perth Technical School and Claremont Teachers' College.

In 1911 Logue set out on a tour of the world to study methods of public speaking. Following his return to Perth, and after the Great War, he developed treatments for war veterans whose exposure to shell-shock had left them with impaired speech.[2] In addition to physical exercises, which helped with patients' breathing, Logue's distinctive therapy emphasised humour, patience and 'superhuman sympathy'.

In 1924 Logue took his wife and three sons to England, ostensibly for a holiday. Instead, he took jobs teaching elocution at schools around London. In 1926 Logue opened premises at 146 Harley Street, London, for the purpose of treating speech defects. It was here that the Duke of York, the future King George VI, sought Logue's help. Logue used fees paid to him by wealthy clients to subsidise the free service he gave to patients who could not afford to pay. In 1935 Logue co-founded the British Society of Speech Therapists, and became a founding fellow of the College of Speech Therapists in 1944.

Treatment of King George VI

c. 1930

Before he ascended the throne, Albert, Duke of York, dreaded public speaking because he suffered from a severe stammer.[3] His closing speech at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley on 31 October 1925 proved an ordeal for speaker and listeners alike. The experience left the Duke resolved to find a way to manage his stammer, so he engaged Logue.[4]

Diagnosing poor co-ordination between the Duke's larynx and thoracic diaphragm, Logue prescribed vocal exercises which would occupy an hour daily. Logue's treatment gave the Duke confidence to relax[5] and avoid tension-inducing muscle spasms. As a result he suffered only occasional hesitancy in speech. By 1927, he was speaking confidently and managed his address at the opening of the Australian parliament in Canberra [6] without stuttering.[7]

Logue's work with the Duke continued through the 1930s and 40s. He used tongue-twisters[8] to help King George VI rehearse for major speeches, his coronation, and his radio broadcasts to the British Empire throughout World War II. The two men remained friends until the King's death. The King recognised his friendship and gratitude to Logue by inducting him to the Royal Victorian Order, appointing him a Member (MVO) on 11 May 1937 and elevating him to Commander (CVO) in 1944. The Order rewards personal service to the sovereign and admission to it is the personal gift of the monarch.

Personal life

Logue with Myrtle Gruenert at the time of their engagement in Perth in 1906

Logue married Myrtle Gruenert, a 21-year-old clerk, at St George's Anglican Cathedral, Perth, on 20 March 1907. Their marriage produced three sons, all of whom outlived their father.

Logue was a Christian Scientist for most of his professional life, at least until after his wife's death in 1945, when he took up an interest in spiritualism. He died in London 12 April 1953, and his remains were cremated.

Logue's grandson, Mark, wrote a book with Peter Conradi about his grandfather's relationship with The Duke of York, who would later become King George VI, entitled The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy.[9] The short title was used for the 2010 British film The King's Speech, a historical drama in which Logue was played by Geoffrey Rush. Logue was also portrayed by Trevor Littledale in the 2008 radio play A King's Speech.

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Logue, Lionel George (1880 – 1953), by Suzanne Edgar". Australian Dictionary of Biography, published by Australian National University. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  2. ^ "Stuttering and The King's Speech". The Stuttering Foundation. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  3. ^ "Public Speech and Public Silence, by Margaret Drabble". The British Stammering Association. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  4. ^ Bousfield, Arthur (2002). Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, 1900–2002: The Queen Mother and Her Century. Dundurn Group (CA). p. 50. ISBN 1550023918. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Erickson, Carolly (2005). Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II. St. Martin's Press. p. 15. ISBN 0312339380.
  6. ^ National Film and Sound Archive: Official Opening of Canberra by His Royal Highness the Duke of York 1927
  7. ^ Shawcross, William (2009). The Queen Mother: The Official Biography. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 460. ISBN 1400043042.
  8. ^ According to Sreedharan (2007), p.100, two of the tongue twisters were "Let's go gathering healthy heather with the gay brigade of grand dragons", and "She sifted seven thick-stalked thistles through a strong, thick sieve".
  9. ^ Logue, M and Conradi, Peter (2010). The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy. Quercus, London. ISBN 9780857381101. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Sources
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