STATE OF ANTI-CLIMAX

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26634, 3 December 1947, Page 4

STATE OF ANTI-CLIMAX

London Quiet Following the Great Event

For the Daily Times by Harvey Blanks LONDON, Nov. 22. Now that the Royal wedding has passed from the realms of news into those of history, life in London seems suddenly—if only temporarily—rather empty. The capital is still filled with thousands of visitors from overseas, but they wander about the streets,, gazing at buildings and memorials, rather with the air of not knowing what to do with themselves.

These visitors had to take their chance,’ alongside with Englishmen, of seeing the wedding procession, and I could not help marvelling that they should come thousands of miles, spending a considerable amount of money and putting up with much discomfort, just for a brief glance over the heads of the crowds, at the procession on its way to and from Westminster Abbey. It was good to see so many Americans taking so keen an interest, for British people were growing very tired of reading in their, newspapers the criticisms of their country and way of

Every man who held a press invitation card—and they numbered only about a third of those who applied—had his credentials personally “ vetted ” biScotland Yard. We were then each issued with special press passes for the day, bearing our photographs and signatures. They worked like magic. If you got jammed in a crowd you just showed your card to the nearest policeman, and he immediately cleared a path for you. Some correspondents had two mounted officers and four constables on foot to shepherd them to whichever outside vantage point they selected.

life that the. American press used to publish ad nauseum. Americans, however, were among the most enthusiastic of the onlookers, and when I made a tour of the procession route on the night before the wedding I saw dozens of them bedded down on the pavements with blankets and mattresses, cheerfully sharing sandwiches and vacuum flasks of tea with Londoners. I imagine that in their 12-hour wait they learned more of the British character than they would in a lifetime of reading. I had a seat in the Abbey for the wedding, and so dense were the crowds that I had to leave home at 6 o’clock in the morning to be sure of being in my place by. 11 o’clock. The staff work for the wedding was well-nigh perfect, and all phases of the event were timed with the precision of a military operation. At no time were the authorities more than a minute out in their, schedule. Consequently there was nt» repetition of the confusion which marked departures from the Abbey after the Coronation.Particularly fine . were the (arrangements made to enable ctfrresporidents and photographers to get back to their Fleet street offices after the ceremony.

After the ceremony all guests had to remain seated while royalty left| Then the press were allowed to leave, a special. route leading beneath the House of Commons to- Victoria:’, Embankment being opened for them. Once the press were clear the officials guests were allowed to leave. The result was that all correspondents who wished were back in their offices within 10 minutes of leaving the Abbey. American correspondents, particularly, were loud in their praise of arrangements.. Enough has already been written of the wedding to fill several’good-sized nqyels. But I cannot resist mentioning 7 the magnificent trumpet fanfares which —perhaps, above all else—made guests aware that they were present at one of the great moments of English history. The fanfare which announced the arrival of the Princess was a . special innovation. As one ,of the foreign visitors remarked: The British keep trumpets for royal weddings and. Shakcspearie’s plays , —if ever the trumpeters were unfortunate enough to sound a “cracked note” it would ring down the corridors of history. But the fanfare was perfect. It was like “a shower of shooting stars on a winter sky expressed in sound.”