TROOPING THE COLOURS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 August 1931, Page 6

TROOPING THE COLOURS

KING AT HISTORIC PAGEANT. ALIGN IFI GENT SP EOT AGUE. The King, a resplendent figure in searlet and gold uniform, with the broad blue ribbon ot the Garter across his breast, sat motionless on a bay chargei in the Horse Guards parade taking tin salute at the trooping of the colour celebration of his sixty-sixth birthday. It was the first time' for three years—- . since the dark days of his illness in 1928—that the King had appeared at the parade. He was back again in the midst of his Guards, and there was a , warmth in the cheers which greeted his I arrival that must have told him how j glad his people were to see him on horseback tit a public function once more. Long before his .Majesty appeared the distant noise of cheering heralded his approach down the -Mali. Then the Royal procession, headed by the Field-Officer-in-Ri'igade-Waiting Golone) J. £■ Gibbs, rode on to the parade ground, where the Guards—men of the Goldstream, Grenadiers, Irish, Welsh, and i iSeots Guards — were drawn up in two I faultless lines. | Tho trooping of the colour still re--1 mains one of the most popular events in London. It still drawjt its huge crowd. | A good number of those who watched !it obviously had come up from the j country. I DELIGHT TO THE EYE. The colour alone is a constant delight to the eye. Even those who have, | s.en this ceremony so often never fail to get excited by these great movements of massed colour—the constant forming and reforming of the scarlet lines and squares. It is all such a delight to the eye, which gets so little relief in these rlrab modern days of factory chimneys and blackened buildings. In the middle of the square was the colour of the 2nd Coldstreams—the colour chosen to he troop:d this year— I guarded by two picked men of the regiment. Four troopers of the Life Guards, | the sun gleaming on their burnished breastplates, their red plumes nodding in the breeze, rode in front of the King, who wore the uniform of Golotiel-in-Chief of the Coldstreams. J Behind came the Prime of Wales, in the uniform of Colonel of the Welsh j Guards—he had travelled overnight from j Scotland especially to be present—the l Duke- of York, in the full dress uniform of the Royal Air Force, the Duke of Gloucester, in Hussars uniform, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the Earl of Athloiio, and the Earl of Harewood. THU QUEEN’S SMILE. Cheer upon cheer came from th** gr'at crowd, drowning the clatter of rifles as the King rode slowly round the ranks, inspecting his Guards, to take up his position at the saluting base. As the King passed under the Home Office window, where the Queen and the Duchess of York, with little Princess Elizabeth and other members of his family, sat in tile balcony, lie paused and raised bis white-gloved band in salute. The Queen smiled down at him. Behind the King'and bis sons came th" picturesque ranks of the foreign military attaches—a blaze of blue, white, scarlet. siMw and gold, their plumed hats and their low-cut caps making a contrast to the high bearskins of Hie Guards and their officers. R'hind them, too, were the King’s Indian orderly officers. Only three of them wore oil parade, in their dark blue uniforms heavily trimmed with gold braid and ■mid cord. Due wore a white topee helmet. The King sat in his saddle, a motionless soldierly statue, his right band resting on his thigh, ami Its reins held loosely in his left hand, while tie' Guards formed into line. Over 1809 officers and men were on parade, but they moved like one man. I heir Lues were straight and rigid, their rifl's moved jn unison, and the sun gleamed oil the bayonets as the troops moved off to march past the King. OLD-TIME PAGEANTRY. tt was a military picture that would have delighted any of the famous oldtime commanders. It was a picture ot scarlet and spotless white- accoutrements, black benrskins, and gleaming weapons, with the green trees of St. James's Park and the blue and white summer sky forming a background to the whole. Then the- massed bands of the Guards marched past headed by the band of the Life Guards, their silver trumpets sounding and their heavy gold-trimmed tunics and fiat velvet caps adding a touch of old-time pageantry. In front of them was the drummer of the Life Guards mounted upon a piebald horse. Then the escort .for Hie Colour, 100 picked men of the Coldstreams, - moved out across the square and halted. '■ b"ir serge'int-maior with drawn sword—it is the only occasion on which a sergeantmajor in the British Army carries tt bare sword—marched over to where tin* Colour was guarded. He took the colour in bis right hand and handed it with d nitv to the Colour Ensign, who, with ; the escort behind him. marched to Urn! end of the long line of Guardsmen and I commenced the troop. There was a moment’s silence and then the beating of the drums heralded the world-famous tune “The British Grenadiers.” "h'di is always played vvhile the Colour is trooped. THE ICING IN COMMAND. Proudly the Colour Ensign bore the banner aloft along the line, and then .

the--Colour was carried past the King, who raised his right hand again in salute. the other Guards swung into line again and marched past at tile slow mart'll. Hie King sat motionless, save when he raised h.s hand in response to each salute. i hen tlie Lilt; Guards with tin ir baiiu moved oil' tlie pai7.de ground a..d • tli Field-Officer-: 11-Brigade- Waiting saluteo the King with his drawn sword, and reporting, "King’s Guard all pres.nt aim all correct," handed over the command to his Majesty'. The King, taking In.; place at the head ot the King's Guard of Coldstreams, rode slowly oil' tli" parade grounds, followed by his men; Che r upon cheer reverberated aga as the King rode slowly down the Mali lo take up his place 1 outside the man. gates of Buckingham Palace, where h took tiie salute from the whole of tli parade. For an hour and a half tie King had been in *dd| • let at 4 '• end he looked as tit and well as when he rode on to the Horse Guards Parade. Hundreds of distinguished peopl. watch (d the ceremony.