Philip Game

{{Short description|British Army Veteran (1876-1961)}} {{Use British English|date=January 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[Air Vice-Marshal]] | name = Sir Philip Game | honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100|GCB|GCVO|GBE|KCMG|DSO}} | image = Sir Philip Game.jpg | image_size = | caption = Sir Philip Game on his arrival in Sydney wearing his 1920 pattern [[Royal Air Force uniform#Full dress|RAF Full Dress uniform]], 29 May 1930. | order1 = 26th | office1 = Governor of New South Wales | lieutenant1 = [[Philip Whistler Street|Sir Philip Street]] | term_start1 = 29 May 1930 | term_end1 = 15 January 1935 | monarch1 = [[George V]] | predecessor1 = [[Dudley de Chair|Sir Dudley de Chair]] | successor1 = [[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven]] | office2 = [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]] | term_start2 = 1 November 1935 | term_end2 = 1 June 1945 | monarch2 = [[George V]] [[Edward VIII]] [[George VI]] | predecessor2 = [[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|The Lord Trenchard]] | successor2 = [[Harold Richard Scott|Sir Harold Scott]] | birth_date = {{Birth date|1876|3|20|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Streatham]], Surrey | death_date = {{Death date and age|1961|2|4|1876|3|20|df=y}} | death_place = [[Sevenoaks]], Kent | resting_place = | spouse = Gwendolen Hughes-Gibb (m.1908–1961, his death) | children = Philip, David, Rosemary  | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = [[British Army]] (1893–1918) [[Royal Air Force]] (1918–1929) | service_years = 1893–1929 | rank = [[Air Vice-Marshal]] | commands = [[Air Member for Personnel]] (1923–29) [[RAF India]] (1922–1923) [[South Western Area RAF|South Western Area]] (1918–1919) | battles = [[Second Boer War]] [[First World War]] * [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]] | mawards = [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Distinguished Service Order]] [[Mentioned in dispatches]] (6) [[Order of the Crown of Italy|Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy]] [[Legion of Honour|Officer of the Legion of Honour]] (France) | prime_minister2 = [[Stanley Baldwin]] [[Neville Chamberlain]] [[Winston Churchill]] }} '''Sir Philip Woolcott Game''' (30 March 1876 – 4 February 1961) was a [[Royal Air Force]] commander, who later served as [[Governor of New South Wales]] and [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]] (London). Born in Surrey in 1876, Game was educated at [[Charterhouse School]] and entered the military at [[Royal Military Academy Woolwich]], gaining his commission in 1895. Serving with the Royal Artillery, Game saw action in the [[Second Boer War]] and the [[First World War]]. After serving with distinction and bravery, Game transferred to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] in early 1916 serving as [[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|General Trenchard]]'s chief staff officer. Finishing the War as an acting major-general, Game remained in the [[Royal Air Force]] after the close of hostilities. Notably he served as Air Officer Commanding [[RAF India]] and [[Air Member for Personnel]]. He retired from the military in 1929, having reached the rank of air vice-marshal.

In March 1930, Game was appointed Governor of New South Wales, serving during a time of political instability and coming into conflict with the NSW Labor government over attempts to abolish the [[New South Wales Legislative Council]]. Game dismissed the Government of Premier [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]] in May 1932, forcing the [[1932 New South Wales state election|1932 election]]. Ending his term in January 1935, Game returned to Britain and was appointed Commissioner of the [[Metropolitan Police]] in London. He held it during the tumultuous 1930s, the [[Edward VIII abdication crisis|1936 abdication crisis]] and the Second World War, before retiring at the end of the war in Europe in 1945.<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography |title=Game, Sir Philip Woolcott (1876–1961) |id2=game-sir-philip-woolcott-6272 |first=W G |last=McMinn |access-date=2021-08-05}}</ref> Between 1937 and 1949 he resided at Langham House, [[Ham Common, London|Ham Common]], Surrey and was Vicar's Warden at [[St Andrew's Church, Ham|St. Andrews church]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Vanessa |last=Fison |title=The Matchless Vale: the story of Ham and Petersham and their people |year=2009 |publisher=Ham and Petersham Association |isbn=978-0-9563244-0-5 |page=42}}</ref> Retiring with his wife Gwendoline to his home in Kent, Game died in February 1961, aged 84.<ref name=adb/>

==Early life and career== Game was born in [[Streatham]], [[Surrey]], on 30 March 1876 to George Beale Game, a merchant from [[Broadway, Worcestershire]], and his wife Clara Vincent. Before entering the army, he was educated at [[Charterhouse School]]. Following officer training at the [[Royal Military Academy Woolwich]], Game was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] on 2 November 1895 into the [[Royal Artillery]]. Promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 2 November 1898 and further promoted to [[Captain (BARM)|captain]] on 3 June 1901, he served in the [[Second Boer War]] and was [[mentioned in dispatches]] (including the final despatch by [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Lord Kitchener]] dated 23 June 1902<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27459 |date=29 July 1902 |pages=4835–4840 }}</ref>). As a young artillery captain he was made officer in charge of the gun carriage bearing the coffin of [[Queen Victoria]] at her funeral in February 1901.<ref name=raf/> In July 1902, he was appointed divisional adjutant of the IX division [[Royal Field Artillery]], stationed at [[Middelburg, Eastern Cape|Middelburg]], [[Cape Colony]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27462 |date=8 August 1902 |page=5098 }}</ref> Following brief postings in India and Ireland, Game attended the [[Staff College, Camberley]] in 1910 and was posted as a General Service Officer (GSO) at the [[War Office]]. He later won the [[Royal United Services Institute]] Gold Medal Essay. On 11 August 1908 he married Gwendolen Margaret Hughes-Gibb (1882–1972), the daughter of Francis Hughes-Gibb of [[Dorset]], and was promoted as a major on 15 February 1912.<ref name=raf/>

Following the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914, Game served on the front in France, including at the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]]. In the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the [[Legion of Honour]] and the [[Order of the Crown of Italy]] and was five times Mentioned in Despatches.<ref name=OffCrown>{{London Gazette|issue=30096|page=5200 |supp=y|date= 26 May 1917}}</ref><ref name=Legion>{{London Gazette|issue=30431|page=13206 |supp=y|date= 14 December 1917}}</ref> In early 1916 Game transferred to the [[Royal Flying Corps]] as a result of [[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|Hugh Trenchard's]] request for an experienced staff officer to serve in his headquarters. Game transferred to the [[Royal Air Force]] on its creation in 1918.<ref name=raf>{{Cite web| title =Air Vice-Marshal Sir Philip Game| publisher = Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation| url =http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Game.htm| access-date =24 July 2010}}</ref> At the end of the war, Game continued to work under Trenchard, but as Director of Training and Organisation in the RAF. In 1922 he was promoted to the rank of [[air vice-marshal]] and appointed [[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF India]]. The next year he took up the post of [[Air Member for Personnel]] and was appointed as a [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]] (KCB) a year later.<ref name=KCB>{{London Gazette|issue=32941|page=4409 |supp=y|date=3 June 1924}}</ref> Game retired suddenly on 1 January 1929, at the age of 52, allegedly owing to the rumours of his being appointed [[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Air Staff]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33453|page=72|date= 1 January 1929}}</ref><ref name=book/> On 1 March 1929 he was appointed a [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] in the military division (GBE).<ref name=GBE>{{London Gazette|issue=33472|page=1440 |supp=y|date= 1 March 1929}}</ref>

==Governor of New South Wales== At the height of the Great Depression, Game was appointed [[Governor of New South Wales]] in March 1930.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33593|page=2061|date=28 March 1929}}</ref> He arrived in [[Sydney]] with his family aboard the [[P&O]] liner, [[RMS Moldavia (1922)|RMS ''Moldavia'']] on 29 May 1930.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article117517874 |title=NEW GOVERNOR |newspaper=[[The Farmer and Settler]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=31 May 1930 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 30 June 1930, Game was appointed by King George V as a Knight of Grace of the [[Venerable Order of St John]] (KStJ).<ref name=KStJ>{{London Gazette|issue=33618|page=3956|date= 30 June 1930}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16670825 |title=BRILLIANT SCENES. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 May 1930 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> At the October 1930 State elections the [[Thomas Bavin|Bavin]] Nationalist Government was defeated and the [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|Labor Party]] leader, [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], became Premier.<ref name=book>{{Cite book| last =Clune| first =David|author2=Turner, Ken | title =The Governors of New South Wales: 1788–2010| publisher =Federation Press| year =2009| location =Sydney| pages =473–495|no-pp=y}}</ref>

===Legislative Council abolition=== Lang's previous term of office from 1925 to 1927 had brought him into conflict with Game's predecessor, Sir [[Dudley de Chair]], over the proposed appointment of additional members to the [[New South Wales Legislative Council|Legislative Council]], in order to enable the abolition of the house, using the same techniques used to abolish the [[Queensland Legislative Council]] in 1922. His inability to gain control in the Upper House obstructed Lang's legislative programme and in November 1930, claiming a mandate to abolish the council, Lang's Labor MLCs put forward two bills, one to repeal section 7A of the NSW Constitution (which prevented the abolition of the Council without a referendum), the other to abolish the council. Lang requested the necessary additional appointments to pass the legislation from Game. However, these requests were met with Game's refusal.<ref name=adb/> [[File:JackLang.jpg|thumb|left|190px|Premier Jack Lang. Throughout the Legislative Council dispute and the events leading to his dismissal, Lang and Game maintained a cordial relationship.]] Believing that a [[referendum]] was necessary before the bills could become law, the Legislative Council permitted the bills to pass without a division on 10 December. Lang then announced his intention of presenting the bills for Game's [[Royal assent]] without a referendum. The following day, two members of the Legislative Council, [[Thomas Alfred John Playfair|Thomas Playfair]] and [[Arthur Trethowan]], applied for and were granted an injunction preventing the president of the council, Sir [[John Beverley Peden|John Peden]], and the ministers from presenting the bills to the Governor without having held a referendum. On 23 December the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales]] in the case of ''Trethowan v Peden'', upheld the injunction and ordered the government not to present for royal assent, unless ratified by the electors in a referendum, bills to abolish the council.<ref>{{cite AustLII|NSWStRp|90|1930|litigants=Trethowan v Peden |parallelcite=(1930) 31 [[State Reports New South Wales|SR (NSW)]] 183 |date=23 December 1930 |courtname=[[Supreme Court of New South Wales|Supreme Court (Full Court)]]}}.</ref> Lang immediately prepared an appeal to the [[High Court of Australia]]. In the case of ''[[Attorney-General (New South Wales) v Trethowan]]'', the appeal was rejected by a majority(3-2) of the court.<ref>{{cite AustLII|HCA|3|1931|litigants=[[Attorney-General (New South Wales) v Trethowan]] |parallelcite=[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1931/3.pdf (1931) 44 CLR 394] |courtname=[[High Court of Australia|High Court]]}}.</ref> Lang then appealed this decision to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] in London. On 31 May 1932 the Privy Council dismissed the government's appeal.<ref>{{cite BAILII |litigants=[[Attorney-General (New South Wales) v Trethowan#Privy Council|Attorney-General (New South Wales) v Trethowan]] |year=1932 |court=UKPC |num=1 |parallelcite=[1932] [[Appeal Cases Law Reports|AC]] 526}}; {{cite AustLII|UKPCHCA|1|1932|parallelcite=(1932) 47 [[Commonwealth Law Reports|CLR]] 97 |courtname=auto}}</ref>

Reflecting his status as a representative of the British Government, Game at all times informed the [[Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs|Dominions Office]] of political developments. In hard financial times, NSW soon came into conflict with the federal government as Lang's unorthodox financial policy opposed the economic orthodoxy advocated by Sir [[Otto Niemeyer]], who was the main financial advisor to the Federal [[Scullin ministry|Scullin Labor government]] and later the [[Joseph Lyons|Lyons]] [[United Australia Party]] Government. In July 1931, in a personal contribution towards economic recovery, Game notified Treasury to make a 25% deduction from his own monthly salary.<ref name=adb/>

Lang's Government soon introduced legislation to cope with the economic problems the state was facing. Its first move was the Reduction of Interest Bill, which was intended to default on payments of overseas debts to British bondholders in an attempt to negotiate the interest rate. The Legislative Council prevented passage on 26 March 1931 by resolving that the bill be read again in six months time. Lang again asked for additional members to force his legislation through. Game, aware of the weight of opinion in the [[Ramsay MacDonald|MacDonald Government]] in London, the [[James Scullin|Scullin government]] in Canberra, and Sydney against the Lang administration's financial policies, refused. On 28 March the Federal Labor Party expelled the New South Wales Labor Party for its opposition to the financial policy of the Federal government. Despite various petitions and demands that he dismiss Lang, Game declined to act. Game later informed the Dominions Secretary, [[James Henry Thomas]], on 29 March 1931 that he was not convinced that Lang would lose an election at this time.<ref name=asm>{{citation |first=A S |last=Morrison |year=1984 |title=Dominions Office Correspondence on the New South Wales Constitutional Crisis 1930–1932 |work=PhD thesis |location=London}}</ref>

In March and June 1931 Lang repeatedly requested the necessary 80 appointments to swamp the council and prevent obstruction to his legislation. Game again refused, offering 21 appointments, which were enough to pass some of the legislation but not the most controversial bills, including the bill to default on debts.<ref name=asm/> Finally, in a compromise move with Lang, on 19 November 1931 Game assented to 25 appointments, reasoning that it would not be possible to refuse Lang's requests until the Privy Council case was resolved. His telegram to the Dominions Secretary the next day explained further: "I foresee if I refuse now I shall most probably be placed in position before long where...I should not be able to stop at twenty five but should have sooner or later to give sufficient appointments to carry rejected legislation. Such numbers might give Government a permanent majority to carry any and every extreme measure, and extreme factions would probably gain ascendancy owing to what they would represent as my obstinate partiality. Should I refuse appointments until appeal case is heard and should it result in abolition extremists would be in an even stronger position. After reviewing all arguments and considering possibilities I have reached conclusion that my proper and wiser course is to accept advice and have done so."<ref>Telegram to Dominions Secretary James Thomas from Governor Game, 20 November 1931.</ref>[[File:Sydney Harbour Bridge opening.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ribbon ceremony to open the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 19 March 1932. Premier Lang cuts the ribbon while Game looks on.]]

During this Game questioned the result if Lang won the appeal to the Privy Council and the Legislative Council was abolished. Various correspondence between him and London confirms that had Lang succeeded, Game may have refused assent to the abolition bills, thereby making it the first time it had been withheld since 1708. This potential situation disappeared, however, with the judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on 31 May 1932. The judgment dismissed the appeal by the [[Government of New South Wales]]. The bills repealing Section 7A and abolishing the Legislative Council could not therefore be presented to the Governor for assent until they had been passed in a referendum.<ref name=asm/> Faced with other problems, Lang's plans for abolition ultimately failed. His successor as Premier, [[Bertram Stevens (politician)|Bertram Stevens]], later passed major reforms to replace the appointed Legislative Council, by a Council elected by the whole parliament to terms equivalent to four Assembly terms. This was passed by referendum in 1933.

===Harbour Bridge opening=== In March 1932, in anticipation of the opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]], when Lang decided that he would cut the ribbon and incurred the displeasure of the King, Game reassured the King that Lang had the right to cut the ribbon. Game and his family found much amusement in the controversy thrown up over the matter and the question of whether Game, as governor, should have a 17-gun salute. The far-right [[New Guard]] were nevertheless enraged over Lang's decision, culminating in [[Francis de Groot]]'s cutting of the ribbon just before the scheduled official opening on 19 March 1932. The ribbon was hastily reattached and Lang opened the bridge with Game looking on, and he later gave a speech commemorating the occasion.<ref name=book/>

===Dismissal=== When the United Australia Party [[Government of Australia|Government]] of [[Joseph Lyons]] came to power in January 1932, it passed the ''Financial Agreement Enforcement Act'', thereby forcing the NSW government to adhere to its debt commitments and to cut government spending. Lang appealed the decision to the High Court. When the court ruled that the law was valid, Lang ordered Treasury officials to withdraw all the state's funds from government bank accounts so that the federal government could not gain access to the money. Game advised Lang that in his view this action was illegal. Game added that if Lang did not reverse it, he would dismiss the government in order to obtain ministers who would act lawfully. Lang stood firm, and issued a leaflet in defiance of Game. On 13 May, Game reluctantly decided to exercise his reserve powers and called Lang to [[Government House, Sydney|Government House]] to sack him. However, Lang was not the first to hear of his impending dismissal. The pianist [[Isador Goodman]], who had been befriended by Sir Philip and Lady Game, was at Government House for dinner that night. There were a number of interruptions, and Goodman asked if he perhaps ought to leave. Game replied, "No, that's not necessary. You see, I am about to dismiss the Premier."<ref>Virginia Goodman, ''Isador Goodman: A Life in Music'' (1983)</ref> [[File:Game Stevens farewell.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Sir Philip and Lady Game are farewelled by Premier Stevens on board ''[[RMS Niagara]]'', upon their departure on 15 January 1935.]] Game appointed the Leader of the Opposition, [[Bertram Stevens (politician)|Bertram Stevens]] of the UAP, as caretaker Premier. Stevens formed a coalition with [[Michael Bruxner]]'s [[National Party of Australia – NSW|Country Party]] and immediately called [[1932 New South Wales state election|an election]], at which Lang's NSW Labor Party was heavily defeated. This was the first case of an Australian government with the confidence of the lower house of Parliament being dismissed by a vice-regal representative, the second case being when Governor-General Sir [[John Kerr (governor-general)|John Kerr]] [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|dismissed]] [[Gough Whitlam]]'s government on 11 November 1975. Game himself felt his decision was the right one, despite his personal liking of Lang. He wrote to his mother-in-law on 2 July 1932: "Still with all his faults of omission and commission I had and still have a personal liking for Lang and a great deal of sympathy for his ideals and I did not at all relish being forced to dismiss him. But I felt faced with the alternative of doing so or reducing the job of Governor all over the Empire to a farce."<ref>Letter by Sir P Game to Mrs Eleanor Hughes-Gibb, 2.7.1932, ML MSS 2166/5.</ref> Lang himself, despite objecting to his dismissal, conceded that he too liked Game, regarding him as fair and polite, and having had good relations with him.<ref name=book2>{{Cite book| last =Foot| first =B| title =Dismissal of a Premier – The Sir Philip Game Papers| publisher =Morgan Publications| year =1968| location =Sydney| pages =190|no-pp=y}}</ref>

===End of term=== During his governorship Game was the patron of several organisations including the District and Bush Nursing Associations and the [[Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales]], and was Chief Scout of the NSW Boy Scouts Association. Lady Game was President of the District and Bush Nursing Associations and the Girl Guides Association. The rest of his term was fairly uneventful, and he returned to Britain following the expiration of his term on 15 January 1935. Before he left Sydney he was appointed a [[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG), on the recommendation of Premier Stevens, for his service as governor.<ref name=KCMG>{{cite It's an Honour |recipient=Air Vice Marshal Philip Woolcott Game, KCB GBE DSO |award=Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George |postnominal=KCMG |ausawardid=1138564 |access-date=2021-08-06 |date=11 May 1937 |citation=Governor of NSW}}</ref><ref name=KCMG2>{{London Gazette|issue=34166|page=3597 |supp=y|date= 3 June 1935}}</ref> In honour of their service to the state, in 1933 [[Ku-ring-gai Council|Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council]] named a major road in [[Lindfield, New South Wales|Lindfield]] as Lady Game Drive, and a nearby park as Sir Phillip Game Reserve.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248132826 |title=SCENIC DRIVE OPENED |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 September 1933 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name=lindfield>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17009779 |title=LADY GAME DRIVE. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 September 1933 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name=lindfield2>{{NSW GNR|id = KWqwBKqbTR|title = Sir Phillip Game Reserve|access-date = 3 August 2013}}</ref> In memory of Game's time as governor, a portrait was commissioned by public subscription and painted by [[Reginald Grenville Eves|R.G. Eves]]. It was then displayed at the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales|National Art Gallery of New South Wales]] before being presented to Government House.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17332494 |title=Sir Philip Game |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=7 March 1936 |page=16 |via=Trove |access-date=25 July 2010}}</ref>

==Metropolitan Police Commissioner== [[File:Game Duke of Gloucester.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Commissioner Game (left) with the [[Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester|Duke]] and [[Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester|Duchess]] of Gloucester at Euston Station on the eve of their departure for Australia in 1945.]] Upon his return to Britain, Game served as [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Metropolitan Police Commissioner]] from November 1935 until 1945, the last senior armed forces officer to be appointed to that post (with the exception of [[Harold Scott (police commissioner)|his immediate successor]], a senior civil servant, all successive commissioners have been career police officers). Not long after his appointment Game was responsible for policing the [[Death and state funeral of George V|funeral of King George V]] and the 1937 [[Coronation of George VI and Elizabeth]].<ref name=raf/> For his work in the 1937 coronation, Game was appointed by King [[George VI]] a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO) on 11 May 1937.<ref name=GCVO>{{London Gazette|issue=34396|page=3084 |supp=y|date=11 May 1937}}</ref> His time in the post also saw the experimental introduction of patrol dogs at [[Peckham]] in 1938.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fomphc.com/timeline-1900-to-1945/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022185419/http://fomphc.com/timeline-1900-to-1945/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=22 October 2019|title=Timeline – 1900 to 1945|work=Friends of Metropolitan Police Heritage Charity|access-date=24 May 2023}}</ref>

Serving as Commissioner during very tumultuous times, Game had to deal with Fascist and Communist demonstrations, a [[S-Plan|bombing campaign]] waged by the [[Irish Republican Army]] and, during the [[Second World War]], the organisation of the police role in air-raid precautions and relief. He dealt effectively with those problems and the consequent improvement in police morale was an important factor in the survival of London during the concentrated German air attack of 1940–41.<ref name=met/> In 1943, in an attempt to prevent burglaries, Game urged householders not to keep furs, adapting a verse from [[Ecclesiastes 9|Chapter 9]] of [[Ecclesiastes]] saying, "they are no doubt warmer, and look nicer than a tweed coat, but a live dog is better than a dead lion."<ref name=met>{{Cite web| title =History of the Metropolitan Police (1930–1949)| publisher =Metropolitan Police| url =http://www.met.police.uk/history/timeline1930-1949.htm |access-date =24 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602095700/http://www.met.police.uk/history/timeline1930-1949.htm |archive-date=2 June 2002}}</ref>

Towards the end of his time as Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Game worked to establish a boys' club. The Sir Philip Game Boys' Club, situated in [[Croydon]], was opened in 1946. The club was officially opened on 19 July 1947 in Game's presence by the then Home Secretary, [[James Chuter Ede]]. On 2 May 1945 Game was appointed a Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in the Civil Division of the [[Order of the Bath]]<ref name=GCB>{{London Gazette|issue=37064|page=2351 |supp=y|date=2 May 1945}}</ref> (he was already a Knight Commander in the Military Division of the same Order);<ref name="KCB" /> and he retired soon after on 1 June 1945.<ref name=book/>

He died at his home, Blakenhall, [[Sevenoaks]], [[Kent]], on 4 February 1961, survived by his wife, daughter, and by his elder son, Philip Malcolm Game, who in 1939 had married Vera Blackburn, an Australian artist and the daughter of Sir [[Charles Blackburn]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27973025 |title=MR. PHILIP GAME MARRIED. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=2 June 1939 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kerr |first1=Joan |title=Vera Blackburn b. 27 May 1911 |url=https://www.daao.org.au/bio/vera-blackburn/biography/ |website=Design & Art Australia Online (DAAO) |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref> His second son David, a lieutenant of the [[Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve]], had been killed in 1943 at age 29, while on active service at [[Taranto]], Italy.<ref name=book/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17868817 |title=SIR PHILIP GAME'S SON DEAD |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=25 October 1943 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> His daughter Rosemary recalled her childhood and her father's work in her 1989 memoir, ''Growing Up at Government House''.<ref name=rosemary>{{cite book |last=Harmar |first=Rosemary |date=1989 |title=Growing Up at Government House |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/906559 |location=Sydney |publisher=Angus & Robertson |isbn=0207163472}}</ref> New premises for the Boys' Club named after him were completed in 1964 and officially opened on 8 May 1966 by the then Home Secretary, Sir [[Frank Soskice]], in the presence of Game's widow, who unveiled a plaque in memory of her husband.<ref name=SPG>{{Cite web |title=One Bright Spot |publisher=Sir Philip Game Centre |url =http://spgcentre.co.uk/one-bright-spot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129204055/http://spgcentre.co.uk/one-bright-spot/ |archive-date=2016-11-29}}</ref>

==Honours== {{Infobox viceroy styles | image = [[File:Badge of the Governor of New South Wales.svg|50px]] | name = Sir Philip Game | dipstyle = His Excellency | offstyle = Your Excellency | altstyle = Sir }}

{| class="wikitable" |- |rowspan=3|[[File:Order of the Bath UK ribbon.png|80px]] || Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (GCB) || 1945<ref name=GCB/> |- | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) || 1924<ref name=KCB/> |- | Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) || 1919<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31098|page=91 |supp=y|date= 1 January 1919}}</ref> |- |[[File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png|80px]] || Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] (GCVO) || 1937<ref name=GCVO/> |- |[[File:UK OBE 1917 military BAR.svg|80px]] || Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (GBE) || 1929<ref name=GBE/> |- |[[File:Ord.St.Michele-Giorgio.png|80px]] || Knight Commander of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) || 1935<ref name=KCMG/> |- |[[File:Dso-ribbon.png|80px]] || Companion of the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) || 1915 |- |[[Image:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|80px]] || Knight of Grace of the [[Venerable Order of St John]] of Jerusalem (KStJ) || 1929<ref name=KStJ/> |- |[[File:Queens South Africa Medal 1899-1902 ribbon.png|80px]] || [[Queen's South Africa Medal]] || |- |[[File:1914 1915 Star ribbon bar.svg|80px]] || [[1914–15 Star]] || |- |[[File:British War Medal BAR.svg|80px]] || [[British War Medal]] || |- |[[File:Victory Medal MID ribbon bar.svg|80px]] || [[Victory Medal (United Kingdom)|Victory Medal]] with palm for [[Mentioned in dispatches]] || |- |[[File:GeorgeVSilverJubileum-ribbon.png|80px]] || [[King George V Silver Jubilee Medal]] || 1935 |- |[[File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png|80px]] || [[King George VI Coronation Medal]] || 1937 |- |[[File:UK Queen EII Coronation Medal ribbon.svg|80px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]] || 1953 |- |[[File:Ufficiale OCI Kingdom BAR.svg|80px]] || Officer of the [[Order of the Crown of Italy]] || 1917<ref name=OffCrown/> |- |[[File:Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg|80px]] || Officer of the [[Legion of Honour]] || 1917<ref name=Legion/> |- |[[File:Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Grand Officer.svg|80px]] || Grand Officer of the [[Order of Orange-Nassau]] || 1947<ref>Nationaal Archief, Archive 2.02.32, Dossier 375, Registry Number 765</ref> |- |}

===Honorific eponyms=== *Governor Game Lookout, [[Royal National Park]] (1932).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16842268 |title=GOVERNOR GAME LOOKOUT. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=20 February 1932 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16840991 |title=GOVERNOR GAME LOOKOUT. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 February 1932 |accessdate=23 May 2025 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Governor Game Lookout, Royal National Park |url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/lookouts/governor-game-lookout |website=NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |publisher=NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref> *Sir Phillip Game Reserve and Lady Game Drive, [[Lindfield, New South Wales|Lindfield]] (1933).<ref name=lindfield/><ref name=lindfield2/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} *[http://www.spgcentre.co.uk/ The Sir Philip Game Centre] *[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp56761/sir-philip-woolcott-game?search=sas&sText=philip+game&OConly=true Portraits of Game in the National Portrait Gallery]

{{S-start}} {{S-mil}} {{S-bef|before=[[Robert Brooke-Popham]]}} {{S-ttl|title=Chief of Staff, [[Royal Flying Corps]] in the Field [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] in the Field from 1 April 1918|years=March 1916 – October 1918}} {{S-aft|after=[[Kenneth Wigram]]}} {{S-bef|before=[[Mark Kerr (Royal Navy officer, born 1864)|Mark Kerr]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[General Officer Commanding]] [[South-Western Area RAF|South-Western Area]]|years=1918–1919}} {{S-aft|after=[[Charles Longcroft]]}} {{S-bef|before=[[Tom Webb-Bowen]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Air Officer Commanding]] [[RAF India]]|years=1922–1923}} {{S-aft|after=[[Edward Ellington]]}} {{S-bef|before=[[Oliver Swann|Sir Oliver Swann]]}} {{S-ttl|title=[[Air Member for Personnel]]|years=1923–1929}} {{S-aft|after=[[John Salmond|Sir John Salmond]]}} {{S-gov}} {{Succession box| title=[[Governor of New South Wales]] | years=1930–1935 | before=[[Dudley de Chair|Sir Dudley de Chair]] | after=[[Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie|Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven]]}} {{S-civ|pol}} {{Succession box| title=[[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]] | years=1935–1945 | before=[[Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard|The Lord Trenchard]] | after=[[Harold Scott (police commissioner)|Sir Harold Scott]]}} {{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Game, Philip}} [[Category:1876 births]] [[Category:1961 deaths]] [[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]] [[Category:People educated at Charterhouse School]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]] [[Category:Royal Artillery officers]] [[Category:British Army personnel of the Second Boer War]] [[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force generals of World War I]] [[Category:Royal Air Force air vice-marshals]] [[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]] [[Category:Officers of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Knights of Grace of the Order of St John]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]] [[Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau]] [[Category:Governors of New South Wales]] [[Category:20th-century British police officers]] [[Category:Commissioners of police of the Metropolis]] [[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Lambeth]] [[Category:People from Streatham]] [[Category:British recipients of the Legion of Honour]]