KING AND QUEEN MET

Chronicle (Levin), 27 June 1946, Page 7

KING AND QUEEN MET

PRESS DELEGATION SEEING THE IIIGHLIGHTS Writing frorii London on June 12 where he is attending the Empire Press ConferenCe as leader of. the New Zealand delegation, • Mr. R. H. Billens, managing-director of "The Chronicle," gives f urther • brief impressions of his overseas experiences. Today 's higliligiit was the. visit to -Buckinghain Palace wliere tiicre was eonversation both with the King and Queen. * "We left the Grosvenor at 5.30 p.m. cnd were ushered into an ante-room in the" Palace at ti o'cloek. There were over 100 of us all told and we waited amid tiers of thc Royal china iu very gay pattern until nearly 7o'.eloek bolicre we liled into another small consulting room. Our cards of invitati'on Avere handed on to Colonel Astor who v/as standing beside. the lying, and announeed the naine, country and where necessary the leader of 'tho delegation to be presented to Their Majesties and Prineess Margaret Rose— Princess Elizaboth wTas not present. It was all very simple and informal. Princess Margaret is sliort in stature with a roally lovely faee and the Queen was wearing a close-litting gown of pale luvendar-blue and was as sweet as over. - : "We filcd into a spaeious room, the walls covered with pictures of the long l:ne of the Guolph family," Mr. Billens ecntinues. "The guests were soon at home with drinks and eats. and then tlie Royal trio came in and s mixed quite informally with us all. Cplonel Astor called up the delegation leaders first and I soon found • myselx with the Queen and Princess Margaret. We talked New Zealand aiid then some one took my plaee. I had a n.,uch longer t'alk with tlie Iving who cliatted merrily about the Panama Canal and his travol .experieuces, Wc stayed until S o'cloek and started our diuner at the Grosvenor about 8.45 p.m. "Last night we attended a dinncr ai the Royal Gollege of Surgeons, another , rcally marvellous experichce., I. sat on the right of Sir Alfred Webb-Johnstone, the president, and there wero about a dozen world famoua- surgeons present. Amazing Tlylng. "Another great day lias come and gone — this time a visit to the great air training centres in the lovely eountv of Wiltshire. We left by car for Hendon at .8.30 a.m. but wero held' up at the airport through a mix-up between the R.A.F. and the civil authorities. Then we piled . into three Dakotas, sitting rafh'er uncomfortably along the sidcs. Tt was the. first real summer 's day we , have had and for' that alone the trip 1 Was most enjoyable,- flving as we did over some of the most beautiful spots in rural England. 'Passing over Salisbury we dropped first oti the Halabington training centre, -which is a sort of -University. of thc Air Force where thev turn trained pilots into'instruetors. We were shown all types of aircraft and two Meteors screamed aud Toared about us, demonstrating all the latest llying technique. "After" ari Tiour or so of stqdying ins.truments, 'et^/,^we. were 'entcrtained at a very nice.,.lurich and then bundled into our. planes again to , be taken to Old Sarum, the Air Transport and Army Co-operation centre near Salisbury. Here thev staged the most amazing demonstration of flving we liare ever seen. We were scated in chairs in the warm sunshine with the incomparable English ' countryside ; stretching hwav in rolling low liills all afound us. There is neafly alwavs a sunny haze like a very thin fog which tempers and softens the sunlight — so differeut from our elear-cut outlines and distinct distances. First, we had a parachute display of dropping supplies to the Army, and the sight of the 'chutes, red, salmon, blue, orange, yellcw, etc., falling gracefully in clusters with the background of rural England. was very beautiful indeed. Then came thc larger 'chute operations, and it was a great thrill to see a jeep, tank and a 25-pounder gun floating gracefully and easily to earth eacli upheld by half n dozen 'chutes. It appeaTed to be redieulously simple. Next we had a glider exhibition, a Lancaster towing • and re'leasing a glider as large as itself and letting it fmd its way to earth, which it did without any cffort, its pilot bringing it to a standstill withi* a fcw feet of us and with one of its wings actuallv over our heads. Fantastic Helicopter. "Bfit the real thrill was the helicopter which is fantastic. That' is nllAhat can be said for it. The pilot can do anything with it except stand it on its hcad and I'm not so sure it caimot do that. It came in over thc low liills and uiade its' bow to us wliile hovcring motionlcss in the air. Then it came easily to rest, plumb straight down to earth. Again, going up it did- evcrvthing but talk to us, flyiug sideways, l:aCkward3, half-seas over, up-euded at an angle of 45 degrees and linallv did v.hat was just like a swing on invisible ropes, long side-swaying covcring about a 100 varils cach way. Then we had a glider snatching display in which the Lancaster swept down and snatched up the tow-rope and sped away with thc glider tfailing behiud. It Avas uncannily aceurate. "Tomorrow we fly to- Bristol this time in a 24-seater passenger York which are among the best civil planes in England. We will be there to .in spect the aeroplane manufacturing works. Saturdav we d'o tlie Thames ("ocks, on the stcam vacht St. Katherine, and will speucl tlie whole day at various shopping centres, historic spots, etc. On June 30 we are to atteud a special service at Westminster Abbev." Mr. Billens mentioned that he had not missed one session of the ' Pres^ conferenee but Avas fmding it all very stren(uous titting in the - invitations showered upon them — the latest being from the French Government to be their guests for several days at the conciusion of their eontinental tour.