A SALUTE TO THE KING

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1929, Page 8

A SALUTE TO THE KING

SIR, PHILIP GIBB’S TRIBUTE

TO AMERICA

In the following article Sir Philip. Gibbs reveals to America—through the medium of the New York Times—the sacrifices made and the risks taken during the war by King George V now happily on the road to recovery after his grave illness.

“Your King and country need you.” No one, perhaps, will ever know, or faintly guess, the strain to the mind and heart of the man who through the years of desperate conflict followed the fate of all those millions of young soldiers who had answered that call.

The fighting men—the fellows in the trenches —did not think often, perhaps of the King;' Even England seemed a world away as they stared across “no man’s land,” waiting for the next attack, or cursing the barrage fire.

Behind the lines now and then in battalion mfesses an officer rose and 4 said ‘'Gentlemen the King!” and glasses were raised. In the trenches and the shell cratets there was no rememberance or consciousness of things like that. Death was very close. But the King was thinking of them. That was his promise at the beginn-r ing. When the first Expeditionary Force—the old B.E.F.—went out to France the'King sent a message to his troops expressing his confidence in them', and praying God to guard them. “Your welfare \[’ill never be absent from my thoughts,” he wrote. He wanted to share dangers but a King is not master of his own life and he had to be content with those brief visits) The first visit was on November 30, 1914, and lasted a week when he inspected masses of troops paraded behind the lines.

Almost a year passed beforp the King paid his second visit to the front. That was from October 22 to November 7, 1915, in dismal weather, and still at a time before the British armies in France had reached their full strength and power. On October 28 an unfortunate accident happened of which I chanced to be an eye-witness only a few yards away. It was when the King was thrown from his horse by no fault of his own.

The King kept nis seat perfectly but the poor animal slipped in the greasy mud and fell over on the King’s body Generals jumped from their horses and the King was picked up and carried to a motor car. Standing close to him I could see that he was seriously hurt though quite conscious. Further down the road the men cheered again jis he passed in his car not realising that any accident had happened.

On the following day an ambulance passed through the little town of Liller on the way to a hospital train. It was one of the ordinary ambulances in which there was a daily traffic of wound ed, with muddy boots upturned beneath tne blankets, and there were few who guessed that beneath the closed flaps lay, not a Tommy from the trenches but the King of England. Eight months later the King visited the front again, and this time against the advice, and certainly against the wish of the Commander-in-Chief and other generals, he insisted upon going closer to the danger zones and taking considerable risks.

His most interesting and indeed thrilling visit was in July of 1917, when the Queen accompanied him to France, but not of course to the places within the zone of fire.

He took risks that time which were certainly beyond prudence, but had an excellent effect upon the spirit of the troops, who admired his pluck.