The Colonial Troops at Home.

Hastings Standard, Issue 401, 17 August 1897, Page 4

The Colonial Troops at Home.

* Writing under date July 9th the London correspondent of the Lytteltoii Times says : AT WINDSOR. Friday last was a red letter day for the colonial troops at Home, for not only did each man, white, black, and brown, get what many of them were denied on Oomemoration Day, namely, a fair and square view of the " great little lady," in whose honor they journeyed to England, but everyone was for a brief hour or so a guest of the Queen-Empress. The troops left Chelsea Barracks early in the forenoon, and, headed by the Grenadier Band, marched to Paddington Station, where a couple of special trains were waiting to convey them to Windsor On the way to the Great Western terminus the troops were heartily cheered by the crowds gathered here and there along the line of route, and at Windsor they were accorded a royal reception. At the Castle the Chelsea contingent, which numbered something like nine hundred, was strengthened by the New South Wale 3 Mounted Rifles, who had come up from Aldershot. The luncheon provided by her Majesty for the men was served in twenty large marquees erected under the Castle walls. The repast consisted of a generous cold collation, embracing roast and boiled meats, salads, cheese and strawberries, and a liberal supply of beer and mineral waters. The officers were entertained in one of the state apartments in the Palace. After lunch the troops were formed up in line on the parade ground to await her Majesty' arrival. Shortly after 5 o'clock the Queen's carriage, minus escort, and having only a few outriders in attendance, came down the avenue from the Castle's eastern teriraces. The line was called to attention, and as HerMejesty drove on to the parade ground she was received with a royal salute of presented arms, while the band played the National Anthem. With the Queen were Princess Beatrice and Princess Henry of Prussia. In another carriage were Prince and Princess Albert of Anhalt. After Her Majesty had spoken a few words to Lord Roberts the carriages moved off for an inspection of the ranks. In front of every detachment they had to stop, in order that the Queen might ask questions of the officers and men. Having gone down the entire front from right to left, the Queen drove back to a position marked as the saluting point, and the march past began. Nothing could have been better than the marching of the Canadian and Australian contingents, the Mounted Rifles, Cavalry and Lancers moving with the swing and precision of regulars used to foot work, and the steady bearing of the colonials was beyond criticisn. The march past over, the line was re-formed, and the advance in review order made. Halting a few paces from her Majesty's carriage the troops once again presented arms in royal salute, and the band struck up the National Anthem. After this several Canadian officers unattached were presented, and then her Majesty desired that an officer and man from each detachment under arms should be called out and presented. This done, Lord Roberts addressed the troops as follows : " Her Majesty wishes me to tell all the officers, non-commissioned officers and men the very great pleasure it has given her Majesty to see so many of her subjects from distant colonies here to-day. She hopes that you will all return to your homes safely, and she wishes you all every possible happiness and prosperity." Another royal salute followed, and the bands continued playing " God save the Queen " until her Majesty's carriage had cleared the review ground. Then the troops broke into column to march off through crowded streets and be lustily cheered until they had reached the station, where they entrained for London. The New South Wales Mounted Rifles accompanied the rest of the troops to Chelsea and were lodged there for the night. AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. Perhaps the most pleasing function which it has been my lot to witness during this extended period of Diamond jubilation was that which occurred at Buckingham Palace on Saturday morning, namely, the presentation of commemorative medals by the Prince of Wales to the whole of the officers and men of the Colonial and Indian forces sent Home to participate in the Record Reign rejoicings. The presentations were made on the spacious lawn leading up to the terrace on the west front of the Palace. Here, shortly before eleven o'clock, the troops were formed up into three sides of a square, the fourth side, that nearest the Palace, being left open. _ At eleven o'clock the Colonial Premiers, with their wives and daughters, arrived on the scene, and by this time a large company of noble lords and ladies of high degree had assembled on the terrace. The Royal party put in an appearance about 11.30 The Prince was accompanied by his wife, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Duke of Connaught, and half a dozen other royalties. As he proceeded to the ]:>osition reserved for him the troops gave a royal salute, and the band of the Grenadier Guards, posted in the rear, struck up the National Anthem. The ladies of the Royal party were accommodated with seats beneath the great elm in front of the terrace, and the Prince proceeded to pass down the lines on a tour of inspection. He was accompanied by the Princes aforementioned; and by Lord Wolseley, " Bobs," Lord Methuen, Mr Joseph Chamberlain, and the headquarters staff. His Royal Highness stopped ever andanon to ask questions from his officers of the various contingonts, but soon completed the first part at the task. The second part occupied something more than 8-n boas and

a half. Before commencing the arduous task of distributing the medals, however, the Prince spoke a few words to Mr Chamberlain, who at once gathered together the Colonial Premiers and their feminine belongings and brought them into tbe shade or the big elm and introduced them one by one to the Princess. The Prince meanwhile had taken up his stand by the side of a table of ample proportions piled with chests containing the medals, and soon the officers and men of the respective contingents were filing past and receiving from his hands the little leather case containing the Diamond Jubilee souvenir. The officers received silver medals, and the privates and " non-coms" bronze, but in the matter of " image and superscription" the medals were alike, each having a bust of the Queen on the face, and the reverse the inscription, " In commemoration of the sixtieth year of the reign of Queen Victoria, June 22, 1897," enclosed in a wreath of laurels, the ribbons being of light and dark blue stripes. Lord Roberts was the first to receive the decoration. Whilst the distribution was in progress the Princess and her party were chatting gaily to the colonial visitors, half a dozen royalties on the terrace were " snapshotting," and numerous professional photographers were taking enormous sun - pictures of the scene. The sight was indeed a strikingly pretty ana effective one, the resplendent uniforms of the headquarters staff, the varied and, for the most past, picturesque habiliments of the colonial contingents, and the bright costumes of the ladies forming a picture full of life and color, backed by the deep summer green of the Palace Grounds, and thrown up by the brighter green of the lawn. At the conclusion of the Prince's task, the square was re-formed and his Royal Highness then called for "three cheers for her Majesty the QueenEmpress." Right heartily did the troops respond to this invitation, and then came the march past, with which the proceedings terminated shortly after two o'clock.