ROUSING WELCOME

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 291, 7 September 1942, Page 5

ROUSING WELCOME

A.I.F. Brigade In Sydney (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received September 6, 9 p.m.) SYDNEY, September C.

A woman clapped so hard as the' marching A.I.F. men wont by in Sydney yesterday that she split her hands and had to be given ambulance treatment. Another woman cheered so lustily she lost her voice and required first-aid. These were just two minor casualties among half a million people who welcomed home 3000 men of a famous brigade in a special march through the streets. The men were veterans of the- Greece, Crete and Middle East campaigns. This was the greatest wartime demonstration to bo staged in Australia. Whole city blocks were blotted out by a constant storm of paper, confetti, and streamers thrown from every building. The paper was so thick on the streets it muffled the sound of marching. More than 700 police cooperated with the army provost in controlling the record crowd. The salute was taken ,by the Gov-ernor-General, Lord Gowrie. The Minister for the Army, Mr. Forde, remarked: "The demonstration’was inspiring and sliouldvStimnlate the whole nation to a determination to subordinate all our efforts and energies to achieving one aim—a 100 per cent, war effort.”