LONDONERS' DAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 70, 19 September 1936, Page 24

LONDONERS ' DAY

VANCOUVER JUBILEE LORD MAYOR WELCOMED REPLICA OF THE SHOW (From "The Post's" Representative.) VANCOUVER, August 26. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir Percy Vincent, was given a reception excelled only by that given to the King, prior to his accession. ' when he visited . Vancouver celebrating ■ its Jubilee. On his way, his special train was held up. lor thirteen'hours by a landslide in the awe-inspiring Fraser Canyon, caused by torrential rains, after five weeks of torrid heat. There, .he had'occasion to ponder, in this' territory of smashed-up mountains and rushing torrents, over Nature, in her wildest mood, in the incurable madness of the Illicilliwaet Glacier, which on many occasions . halts less-distin-guished people on-the way to' Canada's gateway to the Pacific. . - Old Londoners—every county in' England and Scotland 'has its association of-former residents, meeting regu-J larly here—gathered in great strength to see'the. man-who alone is permitted to approach/the Sovereign, at any hour, day or night. They had gone to the! Canadian Pacific Railway depot twice to see him; .their volume and enthusiasm doubled when they met- him. Pausing at the entrance to .his car, "Loch Lomond," he was greatly impressed by so many people late at night, to welcome him. He expressed , this thought in \. graceful language. " 'Ow's- 'the Ole Mansion 'Ouse, Guv'nor?" asked a man at the rear. "It's still there," he replied, with a smile. OFFICIAL GREETING. The Mayor of Vancouver greeted Sir Percy, whose associates had previously told us, during the progress of their train 'journey, that the Chief Magistrate of Vancouver is known familiarly in the Mansion House as "Gerry McGeer." "Let us go in, and have one," Sir Percy said. This amused the crowd immensely, as McGeer is a teetotaller. When the little ceremony was over, the Lord Mayor, repeating an incident at Winnipeg, dismissed the cavalcade of motor-cars, and walked,through the city streets to h;s hotel, the crowd following him, cheering as it went. They met him again next morning when, in his gilded coach, sent from London for the occasion, a colonial replica of the Lord Mayor's Show was staged. Before the parade moved off, Sir Percy noticed "Old Bill," the famous wartime bus, and boarded it, speaking to the Old Contemptibles who had seats inside. As he descended, a woman approached. "I am Mrs. Brown, your Wprship," she said. "I was born 82 years ago on the site of Liverpool Street Station." ',' That's right in my parish," Sir Percy replied. The parade was late in starting, as the visitor paused to speak to a detachment of bluejackets from the Canadian destroyer Skeena. Then he spoke to the mounted police, and patted the necks of their horses.

As the parade moved off, the Londoners fell in line. In fancy, they were marching from Stroud Green, Hampstead Heath, and Highgate, swinging down the Seven Sisters Road, up Gray's Inn, down Holborn, Newgate Street, past the Old Bailey, into Cheapside, wheeling left into King William Street, across Gresham Street, into the quiet, cobble-stoned yard of' the noble Guildhall. Heads erect, four abreast, citizens of the Old Smoke, talking in Cockney, and proud of it, but,with a note of regret at the absence of 'Airry and 'Arriet, the barrow, and the beloved "moke." KEY OF THE CITY.

The scene changed quickly. They were facing another noble edifice, the Hotel Vancouver,, where the Lord Mayor received the key of the city; a Yale key, made of British Columbia gold, the new City Hall and the skyline of the city's waterfront in relief on handle and shaft. In return he presented a painting of a churchyard in his own native Norfolk, where rest the remains of Captain Vancouver. Later in the day, he unveiled a statue to the famous navigator and associate of Captain Cook, and, on behalf of Lloyd's, presented a portrait of King Edward to the Merchants' Exchange, with its tribute to the large number of British lines that trade in and out of this port. The Lord Mayor ■ dined at The Chalet, 4000 ft above the.city, only four miles distant as.the light flies, where a great Empire winter playground of the future is being developed. Then he crossed by boat to' the provincial capital, Victoria, to present his respects to the Governor-General, Lord Tweedsmuir.

Of many amusing sidelights of his tour, Sir Percy enjoyed most learning from the creator of Titania's Palace of his being introduced on the radio in the United States as "Sir Neville Wilkinson, of Station KCVO, London."