HASTINGS TRAVELLER'S IMPRESSIONS OF THE CORONATION PROCESSION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 125, 12 June 1937, Page 17

HASTINGS TRAVELLER'S IMPRESSIONS OF THE CORONATION PROCESSION

While news of the Coronation. of King George VI. and Queen Elizabeth ia so fresh in our minds, it is interesting to read a few extracts froni a letter which hae come by air-mail from one of the lucky Hastings folk who were abla to'watness the Goronation prooession, and to enjoy the littlc peraonal touches which she iS able to give. "Well, the great day of daya has come and gone," she writes, "and here am I the day following the CorOnation wondering whether it is possiblc to glve you any idea of the magnifi-conce of dt all and my great thrill at being jn London for such an auspicious occasioni The weather hae been niost flcklo lately, and everyone wondered how it WPuld behave yesterday and whether vve should have the 'King's weather' which so often favoured George V. on important occasions. "Needless to say, nobody slept much on the •night of the eleventh, and as we had been advised to be in our seats very early, 3.80 a.m. on the great day saw me up and doing, and at 4 o'elock I had met my friends, one of whom was algo from Hastings. With a good biig haiupor of food, raincoate, nmbrcllas and cushions we set forth in the dull light of a very grey morning, which had nofc then decidpd whether to Wccp or smile. We wero fortunate in boing handy to the nnderground railways, and as many of tho streeta wero closed to motor traffic many of the peers, anu peeresses, .wero glad to avail themselves of the ' undergrounds, ' and it was a vory nnusual sight to see one of the latter, rdehly clad in a deep cream satin robe with plumea in her hair, stepping forth from one of the ctowded trains on her retyrn from the Abbey. "We wero - most fortunate in our seats, which were in oue of the best poisitions in the Mai!, loveliest of drives leading from, Buckingham Palace, so we had a marvallous vdew of the whole procession, which took ' 45 minutes lo pass, Our seat was in the back row, so that we had eometHing to lean against during the long wait of several hours. In the misty light of the early morning the Mall presented a wonderf ul sight, with its tall standards each surmounted with a crown and a lion, and .with ,gold-fringed banners in red, white 'and ,'blue bearing the King's arms. Countless thousands had collectcd on the footpaths, many having been thero all night, and right down the Mall as far as tho eye could reach wero the eoldiers of the King, in a thin red line, their scarlet uniforms and black busbys giving a tonch of colour to the whole scene, FIEST TASTE OF PAGEANTBY. "Along the Mall were regiments of soldiers godng through various military manoeuvres and keeping the patient erowds entertained. Bands, too, helped to keep the waiting crowds entertained, and our first taste of pageantry came with tho Lord Mayor of London 's prooession and the coach of the Speaker of the House of Commons, which preceded their Majesties' processlon to the Abbey. Vety fine were the lovely old coaches of scarlet, yellow and blue adorned with gold, and with the oldtime foqtmen perched b'ehand in their gay nniforms, plumed hats, knickers and buckled shoes. * ' Then came a motor procession of «ome of the members of the Boyal •Family and the representatives of foreign Powers, and oue caughfc a passing

glimpse of rich robes, dazzling jewels and immaculate*y-dress,ed men. Tho «arriage procession of the Prime Minnsters followed, each Minister having an eacort drawn from his own military cpntingent here. Our Now Zealana men and tho Australians made a very good ghow, but I did not get a glimpse of our Prime Minister. Mr. and Mrs, Baldwiu were in thu first carriage, and the former receiyed a tremendQus ovation directly he left the Palace, for everyone appreedatea his fino statesmanship. "But the greateet thriii of all was wlxen a great stir and a deep murmnr from the people near the Palace gates signalled tho approach of the Koyai carriage. For a seeond the crowds were Uushcd, eagerly watching for a first glimpse of tho golden carriage of their Majosties. Tflcn came a mighty roar, spontancous - and 'tumultuous cheering from the hearts of the people, who are filled with affection and loyalty to the Crown. The band played, and preceded by four privileged' Indian officera, magnificent figures in blue and gold with brightly coloured turbans and silk uniforms, whceled forth the State coach. "The morning had retained its goinbre grey pall during the first half of tho day, but as their Majesties left the Palace thq sun buyst forth as tbough to bloss them on their mission. Then gradually xolled along the State coach, a biazo of gold elaboratoly deoorated and with its exquisitely-painted door panels, The roof is supported by artifieial palm trees, and the whole is exceedingly ornate. The coach was drawn by oxght fainoue Windsor greys, beautiful prancing creatures, their manes covered with crimson and their gold and crimson harness and trappings gleaming in the sunshine. Te yeomen of the Guard, the oldest military corps in the world, .being founded by Henry VII. in 1485, had the priviilege of personally guarding the King on his Avay to the Ooronation. The ofitcers -wear scarlet coats, coeked hats and blue trousers, and the bodyguard uumber.cd 25 MAGNIFICENCE OF PAGEANT, "The King and Queen were on high seats and could be plainly eeen smiliug and acknowledging the cheering of their loyal subjocts. They were followed by the Duke of Gioucester in the scarlet uniform and plumed hat of a Major-General, and the Duke of Kent in naval uniform, both on horseback. Then came a wonderful host of famous figures from every part. of the wide Empire. It would be impossiblo to describe the magnificence of that wonderful cavalcade wending its way slowly down the lo'vely Mall. The uniforms of the various troops and numerous bands were a wonderful sight. "Never ehall I forget the magnificence of the whole pageant, that wonderful display of loyalty to the Crown and the never-ending procession of huudreds of thousands of splendidly-ddsci-plined troops marching along. Coloured subjects, equally as important as their white brothers, erect aand dignified on their splendid mounts, sh^ired alike the honour of serving such a monarch, and one had only to study their noble bearing to see that they were proud to be present. They were aeeorded a great ovation by the onlookers who, no doubt, realised what an ilmportant part the coloured subjects play in our Empire. We gave the New SSealand boys a special ckeer, and felt proud that we f ormed part of such a splendid 'Empire. "The magnificence of yesterday 's pageant and tho atmotsphere of loyalty and affection which permeated it, caused a deep impr'ession on tho millions who surveyed it, and strengthened the great bond .between the King and his * subjects. Whdlo other nations prefer dictatore and autocratic rule, the English have always loved freedom, aud the marvellous enthusiasm shown by the assembled crowds proves that' they are under the right flag. "After we had «een the last of the brilliant cavalcade pass round the distant corner of the Mall aud had feastcd our eyes on Kings and Queens, princes and priucesees, dukes aud duchesses, peers and peeresses, sultans, rajahe, and rulers from far and near, we heard the whole of the service at the Abbey, the beautiful singing and inusie, through loud speakors. "As the procession did not return our way we walked along toward the Palace to see if we could find a position to view it again and. fclt like Oliver Twist, .'more, please, and still more.' Clambering on to a plauk already weighted with half a dozen people, I obtained a fine view, but had to stand in a rather uneomfortable position for about two hours. Several women near me, 'with my assistancC, scaled a wall and got on to a stand from which they could see oven better, and had I been a little younger I should have donc tho sanxe. They were neariy ordcred oif by an oificial who saw one clambering ovev. Another oflicial near w7here I was etanding was just going to insiist on their retuming, so I eaid, "Oh, save the situation, do; they whnt a last peep," and very gallantly he turned !to the officer and said, calnily, "Oh, that's nll right; she fell over. I'an watching here," We all agrotsd ho was a real sport and told hira so. EAIN FALLS. "Unfortunately rain fell as the procession neared the Palace, and at intervals a regular deluge poured down upon us, but it was well wovth getbing very wet. For some time tho heavy rain prevented their Majesties from appearing on the baicony, but iu responscT ro insi'stent cries of 'We want the King' they catno out rosplendent in their robes and Crowns and with thom tho little princcsses. Tlie chocning was so tumultuous that it snomed to shake the wliolo stand. And then in response j to a special call Queen Mary came i'ori ward. Gh another balcony were thc Dukes of (tloucestej' and Kent and tho Dueli"v.-es. "The wltolo of tlie organisatioTt- ou Gorouation day was perCccl, and except i

for a little delay in getting frOm the Abbey after the ceremony, tliere was not a, hitch, chiefiy due to that wonderful body of men so mueh admired by visitors to London. tho Polieo Force. "It was certainly wortli coming 12,000 miles to seo tho Coronation, and tho meniory of it all will never fade from tho mihds of tliose who saw it. Tho British Empire has always stood en an elevated platform in the eyes of the ontsido' world, but I am sure the display of loyalty and affecbion ou May 12 hae raisod m still higher."