DUKE OF GLOUCESTER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 128, 12 March 1935, Page 8

DUKE OF GLOUCESTER.

CROSSING THE LINE. 1 MERRY CEREMONIES. King Neptune held court on H.M.S. Australia at mid-day on February 27, to celebrate the crossing of the line, andl a merry affair it was, says the correspondent of the Australian Press Association. Fittingly, just as the ceremonial procession left the. quarter-deck, a huge school of porpoises broke the seas on the starboard bow, and disported spectacularly, as if imbued with the spirit of the ship- The ratings who comprised Neptune’s entourage disclosed surprising resourcefulness in fashioning the funniest garbs. Indeed, those who were familiar with such ceremonies agreed that it was the best piece of mimicking they had seen. As a preliminary, the Duke of Gloucester was invested with the Order of the Grand Pacific, Captain ’ MacLeod with the order of the Jumping Kangaroo, and Major-General HowardYyse with the Order of the Old War Horse, after which the Duke joined the equatorial veterans in the bathing pool and immersed tiie novitiates. Some of the charges were very witty. For example, Captain MacLeod was charged with going to the aid of the Seth Parker, thereby causing considerable seasickness to the ship’s company. Commander Famcomb was charged with having so often caused the deck to be holystoned as to wear it through to the steel, thereby blistering the seamen’s feet. The whole afternoon was occupied in rollicking fun and in immersing 370 who crossed the line for the first time. Each received a symbolic coloured cetrificate, autographed by the Duke.