PARIS IN FEVER OF PATRIOTISM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 9

PARIS IN FEVER OF PATRIOTISM.

MILITARY DISPLAY. Crowds "Go Mad ,, At Sight Of British Guards. IMPRESSIVE PARADE. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 12.30 p.m.) PARIS, July 14. A million spectators on the Champs Elysees alone, thousands of whom slept on the pavements all night, witnessed the Fourteenth of July military parade, which captured the popular imagination more than any similar display since the war victory march. President Lobrun took the salute during the three-hour march of the 10mile long column of 30,000 troops, 15,000 cavalry, 1000 tanks,, armoured cars and mechanised artillery. The sight of British Guardsmen was too much for thousands, who broke the cordons and held up the march for 20 minutes, shouting, "Long live England," "God bless our friends." The Guardsmen were forced to hold their rifles above their heads to avoid injuring the frantically emotional men and women. i The city was lavishly decorated with the British and French colours. The crowds were wildly enthusiastic over the arrival overnight of a large detachment of the British Brigade of Guards and Royal Navy units. They had the honoured place at the head of the column, at which the crowd was mad with delight. M. Lebrun was surrounded on the dais by M. Daladier, Prime Minister; the Sultan of Morocco; Cabinet Ministers; members of the French General Staff; Mr. L. Hore-Belisha, British Minister of war; Mr. Winston Churchill; Viscount Gort, V.C., British Chief of Imperial Staff; Air Marshal Sir C. Newell; Admiral Sir E. R. G. Evans; and attaches of nearly every nation in the world, including ' those of the Axis Powers. Before the march 52 of Britain's fastest fighters and bombers flew over, failing to drown the roar of the cheering, while 350 French warplanes followed. Paris was gripped in a fever of patriotism, hailing the presence of the British as symbolic of French-British unity and renewed strength. President Lebrun cabled King George praising the "magnificent appearance" of the British participants in the parade. BRITISH AIR FORCE. Total Sum Of £260,000,000 In One Year. GREATEST EFFORT SINCE WAR. British Official Wireless. (Keceivetl 1- uooii.) RUGBY, July 14. • The Secretary of State for Air, Sir Ringsluy Wood, t-pcaking at the new liolls Koyce factory at Ciewc, said that except in the late stages of the Great War, Britain had never in her history made such great efforts in connection with air defence. The increase in personnel requirements, together with various measures that had been taken to augment the effectiveness of the Air Force, had made it necessary to submit a Supplementary Estimate for a further increase of 32,000 officers and men in the strength of the Air Force service, and for a vote of a further substantial sum of £40,000,000. This brought the gross total votes for air services to the new high level of £260,000,000 for one year.