THE KING’S VISIT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 212, 19 June 1944, Page 3

THE KING’S VISIT

HOURS IN FORWARD AREAS.

INVESTITURE IN OPEN. CHEERS FROM THE FRENCH. (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, June 17. | The King visited the battle areas of ; Normandy. He lunched with General 1 Montgomery and later held an opeu- ; air investiture less than six miles from i the front line where fierce fighting was ; in progress. ; His Majesty made the journey in the i cruiser Aretlmsa, which led the line of i bombarding ships on D Day. He was : met on the beach by General Monti gomer.v.

| It is four centuries since a reigning {sovereign of England set foot on Nor- | man soil to visit his armies in battle, ■ and, though there was no ceremonial i and landing craft went on unloading ! men and materials on the -crowded

beaches, everyone in the group round the King was conscious of the occasion’s high significance.

The King landed on a beach just west of Courseulles, where the Canadians stormed the shore. While the Royal party was transferring from a motor-launch to a duck to go ashore i six-inch shells screamed overhead | from the cruiser Hawkins, engaging inj land targets. { The King drove straight inland with j General Montgomery towards the | battle zone. During the drive the King ! was obviously keenly interested in the ! sight of broken villages which had j been in German hands only a few i ! days previously. Files of infantrymen i laden with equipment trudged along j | the road to battle, many not knowing { that the King was passing. ' His Majesty lunched at General | i Montgomery’s headquarters, which; have been established in a chateau, i and during the meal shells screamed j overhead. The chateau’s walls quiv-j ered with the thuds of heavy explo-J sions. After the investiture, General Montgomery took the King into one of his three famous caravans and spent half an hour explaining on the maps the course of the battles. The King listened intently and asked many questions.

Groups of French women and children gathered at corners and waved and cheered. Tricolours appeared in doors and windows and Union Jacks were displayed. An elderly Frenchwoman stood in a doorway with tears running down her checks waving a handkerchief. She cried: “Vive le Roi, vive I’Angleterre.” The Kiug acknowledged her greeting with a salute. Although the King spent several i hours in the forward areas no enemy s aeroplane or ship came in sight and there were no untoward incidents, an indication of our complete air and sea dominance in the battle zone.