B.E.F. MEN PARADE IN SYDNEY

Southland Times, Issue 24241, 26 September 1940, Page 8

B.E.F. MEN PARADE IN SYDNEY

AUSTRALIANS IMPRESSED BY MARCHING SYDNEY, September 10. Marching like clockwork, about 300 meri’of the British Expeditionary Force paraded before the Governor-General, Lord Gowrie, at the Showground, while thousands of A.I.F. men sitting in the stands cheered them. ' The A.I.F. men, in their unusual role of spectators at a military parade, were so impressed by the scrupulous precision of the drill of their British com-rades-in-arms that they shouted out to them to repeat the movements. The B.E.F. troops were members of the 26th Company of “Q” Troops from the Norfolk, Suffolk and Gloucester Regiments. They guarded the shipload of internees which reached Sydney last Friday. Some of them had fought in France and Belgium, and had been in the epic evacuation from Dunkirk. As he inspected the men, Lord Gowrie, who was escorted by their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel W. P. Scott, frequently stopped to talk to soldiers who had fought in this war. After the inspection, the “Tommies” raised their hats and cheered Lord Gowrie. Later, they marched past and he took the salute.

The A.I.F. troops who watched are in camp at the Showground, and had been marched into the stands to see the parade. It was an object lesson to them.