A ROYAL VISIT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1751, 10 November 1917, Page 1

A ROYAL VISIT.

Y.M.C.A. DUGOUT HONOURED. In a Y.M.C.A. hut anything may happen,or nothing, especially when the hut happens to be a dug-out. In that unconventional theatre the probabilities may be defined with impunity. But even in a dug-out, where the unexpected is the expected, a visit from the King makes a red-letter day. The dug-out which has been so signally honoured is the “Christ’s College, Cambridge, Dug-out,” at Wood. A few weeks before the King’s visit this dug-out was behind the German lines, occupied, perhaps, by a German Officer. General Plumer’s victory, however, “changed all that.” On the second day after the British push, the deserted German dug-out was occupied by the Y.M.C.A., and presently became the scene of all the varied activities for which those letters stand, being kept open till -1 a.m. every morning to serve cocoa to working parties going up to the front line. “Good wine needs no bush,” but for all that, the sign of the Red Triangle was fixed up, and now mine host is entitled to add to the signboard of his hostel the words, “Patronised by H.M, the King.” Before the royal visit, however, other distinguished guests had been received —the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur of Connaught, General Plainer, and others. The gramophone was playing , at the time, so the scene must have been lively and conversation difficult. The visitors, however, asked many questions, and expressed themselves as pleased with what they saw. General Plumer volunteered the remark that it was “a wonderful institution,” and one could not desire a better judge or a better verdict. The King, when he called, was accompanied by the Prince of Wales. Newspaper reports have already made us aware of the thorough way in which the King carries out his investigations. Association workers were asked how they managed to obtain such a good stock of supplies in that advanced .position, how long they had been installed in their dug-out, how often they had been shelled, what they did for working parties at night, and so on. And when, on leaving, the King expressed his thanks for the work being done, and said that he felt sure it was much appreciated by the men; the workers in that lonely outpost must have felt that these were much more than formal words of encouragement, for they expressed a sympathy that was based upon understanding. “To-day,” says a writer in the Red Triangle, “the main thing is that the King has visited one of our dug-outs, and the news of tire event will carry pleasure and encouragement to every hut around the Empire.”