BIGGEST YET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 93, 21 April 1941, Page 5

BIGGEST YET.

PARADE IN WELLINGTON. OVER 11,000 TAKE PART. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. The preparedness of Wellington to meet any emergency that might arise was amply demonstrated yesterday, when the biggest parade in the history of the city took place along the main waterfront thoroughfare. The display was originally arranged by the Central Military District authorities, but later was made a Government ceremony, and members of the armed forces and all branches of civil defence organisations, ! numbering 11,500 took part. i. The parade was watched by a large | number of people. Excellent work had jbeen done by the traffic authorities, de- | tours having been arranged so as to : leave all approaches to the waterfront clear. The salute was taken from a small reserve opposite the old fire station by the Chief of the General Staff, Major-General Sir John Duigan, National and civic dignitaries were also represented. The military units gave the salute by platoons and the civil groups by equivalent unite. One of the most interesting features of Ae display was the first public appearance of a Xew Zealand-built tank, but among the marching units great attention was claimed by the Women's War Service Auxiliary, which • was seen for the first time in uniforms ! issued earlier in the week. I The Emergency Precautions Scheme ii Organisation was led by the Mayor, Mr. |T. C. A. Hislop, with the town clcrk, 'Mr. Norman, second-i* command.