Queen Mother Leaves Australia For Britain

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 13

Queen Mother Leaves Australia For Britain

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

(Rec. 8 p.m.) PERTH, March 7. After a triumphant three weeks tour of Australia, the Queen Mother leaves tonight on her 12,000-mile return journey by air to Britain.

Behind her she leaves millions who have been enthralled and delighted with her outstanding qualities and the winning way she has conducted her “meet the people tour.”

In spite of a gruelling programme—often she has spent 12 hours a day at receptions, garden parties and inspections—the Queen Mother never once showed she was feeling the strain.

Her aircraft, a Qantas Super Constellation, will have an .air safety watch of six Royal Australian Air Force long-range bombers. There will also be two Australian warships steaming between Australia and Cocos Island. The Prime Minister (Mr Menzies), the Federal Leader of the Opposition (Dr. Evatt) and other high officials will bid farewell to Her Majesty at Perth Airport. Her Majesty will fly 1700 miles fom Perth to Cocos Island on the first leg of her homeward journey. On the second leg, Her Majesty will fly 2700 miles over the Indian Ocean from Cocos Island to Maritius and then 1700 miles to Nairobi. Then there will be flights of 300 to Entebbe, 2500 miles to Malta and finally 120 Q miles to London.

Her Majesty is flying home by way of Africa to open the new airport at Nairobi. It will be midnight when the Queen Mother reaches Cocos Island but she has insisted on alighting there so she can meet the people. Special arrangements have been made at her request for an hour to be spent at the tiny island, which has a population of about 1500.

In Perth last night, about 500 persons “gatecrashed” the Royal garden party. The 500 stood on the back fence of Government House grounds, on the roofs of cars and on utility trucks and waggons. Most of the '‘gatecrashers” watched the gathering through field and opera glasses. Yesterday, during the Royal progress through Perth, 25 persons hoisted themselves on to the roof of a car. The roof collapsed under the pressure. At the garden party last night 20 children were perched in a tree, viewing the Queen Mother Another boy climbed up. The bough snapped and 21 boys cascaded over the wall in the grounds of Government House. INTRUDER IN ROYAL HOUSE Man Chased By Police LONDON, March 6. A man dashed- into Clarence House today—Princess Margaret was there at the time—and was chased through the corridors by police before he was caught. The man was later said to be of unsound mind. Princess Margaret, who lives at Clarence House with the Queen Mother, saw nothing of the incident which occurred shortly after 3 o’clock in the afternoon. * The man, aged about 30, approached a police constable in a road adjoining the Royal residence and shouted “Down with the Tories.” He also shouted warnings to Princess Margaret against the Roman Catholics. The man then attacked Constable Edward Fry, who clung to him, and rang an alarm bell Other police, always on duty inside Clarence House, ran to his assistance. However, the door to Clarence House swung open and the man wrenched himself from Constable Fry’s grasp and dashed inside, pushing other police out of his way. He then ran through part of the premises with the police in hot pursuit and succeeded in reaching the roof before he was restrained. a