Rehearsal For Coronation

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 78, 19 April 1937, Page 7

Rehearsal For Coronation

Telegtaph— Press Assbv

procession in' london Huge Crowds Watch in Silence AN EERIE AFFAIR

(By

— Copyricht.)

(Reeeived 19, '*11,5 a.m.) _ LONDON, April 18. Large* crowds witnessed th® first. rehearsal of the Coro^xatiop, proces,- - sion. Early trains and huses I brought thousands to .the route and, when the old gold coach roRed ?' into Deans Yard- shortly "Before s 0.30 a.m., people stood ten and , twelve feet deep, on the pavements on "both sides of th® road. Trafalgar Square was a mass •£ ; people and other parts of the routo :were packed for the rehearsal. Th® procession itself ws a phantom-like ai« •fair. Its eerie air of unxeaUty wa® ®ecentuated by th© silence of the crowd«| who could hardly be expected to cheer luggage brakes. , • The. first parfc of the procession moved off at 6.45 a.m. It eonsisted of eleven semi-State landaus,. representing th© carriagee of the Prime Ministers of Britain and the Dominions; then cam© an escort of household cayalry and three brakes, representing the. procession of prinees and princesses. Next came Queen Mary's entourage, repxeserted by four brakes pxeeeded by th® mounted band of th© Household Caval,ry and foUowed by a Royal escort. of Life Guards. All theatroopst wero in khaki, The gQld coach was drawn by eight Windsor Greys with four postilliona and long-coated footmen walking on either side. Behind the. coach was the sovereign's. escort of Household Cavalry. The procession took 25 minutes to :pass a given point, but the timing is of no significance as the procession was only a tekeleton of what it will be on the Coronation Day. , The latest appointments in connectioxx with the coronation ceremony include Mr. W. J. Jordan and th® Rt. Hon. S. M. Bruee respeetively to carry the standards of New Zealand and Australia.. Other High Commissioners will carry the Indian and their own Dominion standards. The Marquess of Cholmondeley will carry the Eoyal Standard, The King's ten pages, who will carry his train, include Earl Kitchener, a grand nephew of th® fanxous field-marshal, who recentiy succeeded to the titi®, Lord Haig* Earl Jellicoe, and Viscount Lascelles, the son of th® Princess Eoyal. The six ladies to bear th® Queen's train include Lady Iris Mouatbatten, a cousin of the King, and Lady Elizabeth Percy, a daughter of the Duchess of Ncrthumberland. Mr. C. E. Attlee ha® solved the problem of many Labour members of th® House of Commons and others who feared that the order to wenr evening dress with knee breeches would prevent their attendance at the coronation. Following the coneession that morning dress or dark lounge suitjs could be worn, Mr. Attlee adised. their adoption. Women may 'wear morning dress and a scarf instead of a hat.