EARL HAIG STATUE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 August 1931, Page 3

EARL HAIG STATUE

FRANCE’S HOMAGE HIGH COMMISSIONER REPRESENTS NEW ZEALAND. LONDON; July 2. On Sunday, Lord ie, res uted the Prince of Wales at Mmteuil-sur-Mer, when tho eqi.cst.ian statue which France has erected iiP memory of Earl Haig was unveiled. Tlie monument which is the work of the sculpt tr i.andowski, was erected by the des re of the people of Montrelili, by public subscription in France, as a tribute to the ltkmory of \the British Cp-mnuind-er-in-Chieif, who lived among tlieiri lor the greater part of the uar. The British delegation ir.ri ude.l ,Lor lyddell, the British Ambassador to France -Lord Jellicoe, representing the Prince of Wales; Lady Haig, FieldMarshal Lord Allenby, Sir William Robertson, and Sir Claud Jacob; Admiral of the Fleet Lord Wester Wemyss, and Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Trenchard. The Dominion i were represented by the High Coinmis sioners. .Sir Thomas and Lady Wilford left London on Friday with the oilier delegates. At Boulogne they ,were lecbived at tlie Hotel' de Ville 'iiy the Mayor of Boulogne; At Le To.qquet'they stayed at the Royal“Pibardy Hofei ias guest of tlie -Mayor of" Le Touquet.' , '’ - ETAPLES' CEMETERY') V '

On Saturday morning they Wrint : to 'pie CeiiVetery at’ Etaprqs,' 'wlibitf'Liidy Haig aiicl "oflierS laid' wfbaths : "on; the Stone’ of iltfiriehifirapce/ ATi ad’ri’hss■' was giyen ;r ijy' Sir' Fitbiun - Wise yftkkcliair- ' ni.Vq.of-■‘theTinperiri’i AYaf Gja'ves'Gomlriis.AioH? - wli'd, after ’ ' lkferi'ing t'o f the 'coming ; 'cfeVrimririy :: iit^''Moritreiiil : * a tri Lord Haig’s wrl< y f„or' ex-Servic'e/’in”", said:—' ‘ : ' /' '• ' ' ; ,

“We know, perhaps Franco dt'Cs no' always remember tliat. our coimtrymen were not a people filled witli Uie martial spirit and trained to arms. By fa" the' greater number-—more than nine tenths—of our dead were civilian who before the whole fabri- of civilisation shivered and cracked in 1914, had never thought of military service, and to whom arms were strange.. How well they acquitted themselves Fr-i’iv knows. .And one,special claim that Lord Haig has on our affections is that a'jtcr; +he war was over lie “knew neither Jew nor Gentile.” All who had served' under him, whether trained and rcgul nr soidiers of whom lie lrnre'f was one of tlie finest or civi'ian.s. had been, as rne in tho werk of saving civilisation, and to him they were lib nlike, cqmraclcs in arms. M. Cat,lnis, Uri'dc r-Sci r ’tarv f, r the Interior, replied on hehalt of the Fr-neli Govorriment.

The municipalities of Mortreui] and Lo Touquet iiestowed the most lavish hospitality u]ion the v sitor.s to the neighbourhood in connexion with these celebrations. ;

On Saturday night the official visitors were entertained at .the Hotel Heranitage, . Lord Jcßicoe was tlie Chief Guest, and read a- message ■ front the Prince' of Wales. The, banquet was a’*most elaborate-one .arid .consisted Wf nine courses as'well as the rare wines of Franco. *'•' ■ - ; ' ••. •’ ; ; 'UNVFILING OKREMONY. On before the. cel; mtn.v the official ..delegations .and, tiie guest of tlie municipalities of. Montreuij and le Touquet first visited the Cuateiut de Beaurepairc, about two miles away from Montreuil, where Lord llaigFebruary/ 1916, -1 util April--1919, Tne; weather was of the rare perfection to bo found only in n orthern France and Southern England. Hi woods and fields were bathed in.soft. sunlight 7 and the air was stirred by a entle breeze. . ‘

During the unveiling of (the mriiiu ment the Grande Place de Mpntrcpresented a. colouriful picture, rosy!'

ently typfiying Anglo-French lonmtdi ship.

' ' - Tli6 -official: Cpi-dcessidh -"If a veiled the sheqt distance f-fibm the Hotel de Vi lie to the square .between densely packed masses of the regional poplntion fA* • • itslibad of Sraliis.rthe Miri'Hv ’kfrfehijf'Troop's -of Exanre-.:.' I ‘,/f £ itfdiHe.rbf^\ife n fam'ouss cpKalaiygEre luj' red leather '; tliey'Wcar g:umf'«;i; yellowish colour, with rolled tudVulw, headgear to'iTurtch, and over their u.ni_. prill is ’a. long, flowing creainl cl '‘J, 'Prbudly ‘they'rode* witHi'diaiavri swords.,, They were" "followed by of the brethes-in-anns of two natiqjy the Ancients Combattants and tbp British'Legionaries, whose 'standards made up the most noteworthy sect on of tlie talea.u.

British admiration of flie Spaliis wa equalled by the admiration 6f tlv» French onlookers for the bandsmen o the Foots Guards arrayed in full pano ply of scarlet and gold, with bears' i-s Lady Haig and her two. daughter,-:, who led the British visitors. W'm., carrying lovely bouquets which In been presented to them in the Town Ha 1 !. Tlie "British Ambassador in Paris. Lortl 'Tyrell,;was 'present, and the impressive' array that fofiowed in eluded many high Ffericli arid-Bri'iki 1 : officers. Tlie J 'French' ge'rierals werm magnificent in their sky-bliife- uniform"with red and gold hats.' PROCESSION OF CTH'CDR H S There were Senators rind Deputies o f the Pas de Calais and ninny Frenc'-' and British heads qf ninnicipalitieThe flowing scarlet robes of tlie Lord Mayors of York and ' Newcastle and tlie mayors of various Fiiglßb town° ce.ntrasted in their magnificence wit 1 tlie simnle but most effectn-e tvieo'mr sash which every French mairo wears around his waist. Groups of schoolboys and gir’s. hear in nr wild flowers were there, and ‘- o m r fisher girls from Boulogne came t n

add a distinctive touch erf picturesque-, liess to - the scene, arrayed as they were in traditional many-coloured fete frocks, wearii g their broad hats called chapeaux tie soleil. Tlie speeches of M. Maginot, Senator Efliy, M. Edmond Dupont, and Fiei ’-Marshal Viscount Allenby were foboweu by the placing of ‘many wreaths on the steps- of the memorial I>y ’representiitives of the British and French Services. Then .most touching ’of all, there came a procession j»f French schoolchildren, wpo laid their smi|)le wild tiowers beside the ; other magnificent tributes on the pedestal The. ceremony concluded with a march past of all'the troops. . . ; l ,L.OIID ALLENBY’S SPEECH. Lord Allenby in bis speech begem _ by expressing the th inks of the 1 rmy -and of Lord Haig’s family to the own df Montreuil. The' citizens of MOll- - bad, he said a ways shown the most cordial friendship to Lord Haig during Jiis ampng r tlipQVa Thci jconfidence in him had afforded In’s valuable moral support during the darkest days of 1,918. No more suit"abie place iff France than .. the town where Lord Haig bore for so- long the weight of his responsifi'ity,, and whe- c ho 'saw the first signs of .victory, could ,he found in which, to perpetuate., his memory, .Hundreds of thousands. o" British soldiers had passed through Montreuib/on :■ their wav to the frrnt. Hundreds of thousands of English Travellers, would pass, through the town in ; , times of peace and,. seeing, the .statue,, would recall the soldiers of the . British -.E-in pi re who fell fighting.; side -by side the soldiers oTFranCe. , ‘' ! ‘ M. Maginot then delivered a panegyric of Lord Haig, recalling the many glorious incidents, of his military career from the day he received his commission until- the Armistice in 1918. He laid particular, stress upon Lord Haig’s unswerving loyalitv, he 'Marshal Foch during the period of unified command. This loyal ity, he said, had made victory possible Lord Haig was _Ba great' gentleman and a greait soldier. He was unfailingly loyaly singlo-lrearted, - and harH-work-i -y ; ‘ . " :