A FINE PARADE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2541, 16 August 1915, Page 6

A FINE PARADE

THE "SIXTH" MARCH IN _ CHEERED BY THE CITY - _ '.;~y STURDY BODY OF TROOPS There have been some moving sights in Wellington during the past epochal year, but there wero probably none to excel in spirit the reception given to the Sixth Reinforcements, when they paraded through the principal streets of tho City on Saturday afternoon. Headed by the Trenthain Camp Band, and led by Major Albert Samuel, Officer Commanding the Sixth Reinforcement, the long column, enteral tho City by way of Bunny shortly after" 2.30 p.m., and on emerging on to tho broadest part of Lambton Quay, had to pass through a denso pack of people. Salvoes of applause raid volleys of cheers, mingled with the rat-a-plan of tho drums, and the clang of martial music, marked tho appearance of the head of the long column, and as it swung into line along the broad City highway, tho afternoon light was caught on tho serried bayonet blades,, making a pathway of glistening steel points through the variegated motley of the pressing crowds. Before they had marched half a milo the men appeared to sense tho enthusiasm of the public, and from that out they wero vhe gayest lot of boys that ever donned uniform or shouldered a rilie. Passing along the Quay knots of young ladies presented the men with buttonholes, and long beforo they had reached the centre of the town bunches of the modest violet could bo seen jogging along at the mouth of rifle barrels, blooming from cartridgo pouches, or bulging from the pockets of loss resourceful troopers. Some good-natured young ladies liad equipped themselves with packages of sweets, and. busied themselves in the' giving of them to the boys, accompanied with a halfashamed "God bless you!" Scenes En Route. There were cheers all the way—not en masse, perhaps, as the crowd was so strung out, but cheers that went barking along the line of march like a feu do joie. "Where aro your lungs!" shouted one hail old gentleman, "Now, thon, Hip, hip " and tho crowd met him with a stentorian "Hurrah!" Bunting waved above the buildings, every window framed a cluster of heads, anil from each balcony and verandah-roof thousands looked down upon the throngs in the street, and fluttered handkerchiefs _ and Hags towards the gallant lads in khaki, striding along below to the music of "Yes ; Let Ale Like a Soldier Fall,'' "Tipperary," "Sons of tho Sea," and "The Soldier." Willis Street was just a pack of solid humanity, and some bravo cheering rent tho air as tho troops negotiated the Bank and the Albert Hotel corners. The route followed was via Upper Willis Street, Ingestre Street, Cuba- Street, and so on past the claborately-decorated Town Hall and Tiro Brigade Station to. the waterfront'. From beginning to end tho parade was a complete success and further evidence of tho • fine military "material" this country is capable of producing. One very amusing sceno witnessed on tho march in Customhouse Quay was a presentation that was being made to a trooper by two or three civilians as tho boys moved along. The column could not bo halted, so the civilians got in amongst tho troopers, one made a little jigetty speech to a rather embarrassed trooper, and handed over several little brown paper parcels "with tho best wishes from tho boys, and tho hope that he would return after socking it into tho Turks!" The Best-Equipped Forco. "This is tho best-equipped forco wo havo ever paraded," said a responsible officer on Saturday afternoon. It appears that somo of- tho detailed equipment could not bo provided here in tho caso of some of the previous Reinforcements. but had to be served out in Egypt. Tho last R-einforcements (the Fifth) paraded without _ arms, as tney were not all provided with the "web" equipment for side-arms. The "Sixth," however, are fully provided with everything, "to tho last button," as an officer put it. They have their arms, complete web equipment, water-bottles, aud trenching tools, and could bo landed ready to take the field as tliey stand. Field Glasses for Officers. ' The Government does not provide all the officers with field glasses. The Patriotic Society and tho National Reserve. as the result of a canvas, raised enough funds to purchase twenty-six pairs of prism binoculars and twentysix compasses, which were distributed among those officers who were not supplied at the camp on Friday, and on tho wharf yesterday by Mr. Joseph Lewis (secretary of tho Patriotic Society) and Scoutmaster Hector M'Leod.