CELEBRATING THE ARMISTICE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16421, 15 January 1919, Page 8

CELEBRATING THE ARMISTICE.

SCENES IN LONDON. The following extract from the letter of a Canterbury gives an excellent idea of the wild joy _ with which Londoners hailed the signing of the armistice: "I can just imagine how overjoved you all must be in Now Zealand that the armistice preparatory to_ poace terms has been signod. . . . Well, on Monday evening, the armistice being signed, several of us decided to go down aVid sec how London was taking its peace mixture. So wo commandeered an ambulance motor-van, and tore into Salisbury in about 20 minutes, just managing to catch the non-stop express to Waterloo. I must say I've never seen anything like London was that night. The great city 'did itself proud.' All the lights were up again—first time for years—and the people just went 'dippy' with joy. In fact the crowd were so emotional one might have been in Paris. You simply couldn't move in' the streets for dancing, cheering, flag-wagging, and inter-allied kissing. "The restaurants were just the gayest thing you ever saw. We chose the Piccadilly, and as we entered the room everything was in full swing. Imagine a huge suppor-room decorated up to the nines, and hundreds of beautifully dressed and very decolletee ladies, stuff-officers, men in dress-suits, all standing on their_ tables! Perfect strangers were rushing up and embracing one. Wild war-whoops were coming from everywhere. Ragging couples were between tlio tables, ama- ] teur conductors of the jazz-band (in- j eluded in which were two Scotch bag- ] pipes which had somehow got into the proceedings). Gay old ladies got fearfully jolly and galloped gregariously hither and thither. One dear old soul who weighed at least 18 stone pirouetted over, and tickled mo playFully with one of those long feathers which she had plucked from an Italian Bersaglieri's hat, exclaiming in dulcet and arch tones, 'Bogey, bogey.' A very handsome . auburn-haired girl, beautifullv gowned, wore,on her head a steel helmet on . which she kept breaking all the champagne glasses within reach.' Still another handsome dame chased a waiter madly down the room to put salt on his coat-tails. An Australian crowned with a soup-tureen was carried on a palanquin. All hands ind the cook were wearing candleshades as chapeaux. My owti headgear was a Hamburg hat about four times too small, with a soup spoon aigrette, and a fork dangling behind one ear. "During the course of events we gave a Maori haka, which was well received. At this stage of the frame spme young thing shoved a bunch of water-lilios down the neck of the chef d'orchestre, and proceeded to conduct the orchestra. And now comes an extraordinary coincidence. We were just opening a bottle of fizz when a big woman at the next table said, 'Hi, New Zealand,, a drop of your fizz, we're New Zealanders, too,' and another lady, vin black, very chic, turned round with a languishing look, and said, 'I, too, am from New 1 Zealand.' I replied. 'Yes, you are Mrs and she nearly died of astonishment, and saitj, 'Well, I was, but I am now Mrs

"We saw the ladies homo to their flat, and then motored back to Leicester square, where the same old crowd were still going strong at 4 a'.m. On one lamp-post was an English officer, singing 'Australia Will Be There' (monocle in his 'eye, too)_, and on the next an Australian captain with a Military Cross and Bar was rendering in heartfelt tones, 'She only has one tonsil, but she's all the world to me.' On the next a sailor was standing on his head and falling off at regular intervals into the crowd. A bevy of sprightly dames of 72 or thereabouts were playing 'Ring a Rosy,' and I have distinct recollections at 5 o'clock in the morning of playing, 'Here We Go Gathering Nuts in May,', with a Flving Corps officer, two Australians, a Ithodesian, some New Zealand privates, a few W.A.A.C.'s, and Heaven knows who else. We were to catch a 6 a.m. train at Waterloo, so I frivolled all night, but some of our party not j being present, we went to the Queen's I Hotel for breakfast. As we entered tho front door the night porter came downstairs walking sideways like a crab, and informed the world in general thfit ' 'E didn't keer if it schnowcd.' As everything had been eaten overnight wo had dry bread and six eggs and a cup of coffee without sugar for Bs. "So you see, when England shakes off her lethargy she doesn't 'arf go gay. I forgot to mention that the King and Queen came in for the most tremendous and enthusiastic welcome they've ever had. Thousands went to tho Palace, and they drove through London slowly and absolutely unattended, and the Londoners yelJed themselves blue in the face with enthusiasm. Well, we certainly live in stirring tiroes, with kingdoms falling like ninepins. It is pleasing to think our own Royal family are getting such wonderful ovations—nothing short of triumphs every time they emerge from Buckingham Palace."

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