RADIO TRIUMPH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 8

RADIO TRIUMPH

WORLD BROADCAST

EMPIRE AT THE ABBEY.

THE KING'S SPEECH

"I felt this morning that the whole Empire was, in very trutH, gathered within the walls of Westminster Abbey." In these words, at the beginning of his message to Tiis people at the end of one of the most momentous days in the history «of the British Empire, King George paid tribute to the wonders of science. Loyal subjects of his Majesty in every corner of the far-flung Empire and, indeed, in every part of the world, were able to sit quietly in their homes and follow, perhaps more closely than many of those I seated in the Abbey itself, every stage of the long Coronation service. More than that, they were able to fbllow their Majesties in their triumphant procession -through London,' and to have described to them, with a wealth of detail, the age-old pageantry of Coronation Day.

For six hours commentators at every ' possible point of vantage, both in the] Abbey and along the streets, kept mil-: lions of listeners in every part.of the world closely in touch with the momentous happenings. Months of organisation had their reward; the broadcast; was.a triumph.

The broadcast commenced at 8.45 p.m. New Zealand time, and from the time their Majesties left Buckingham Palace, fifteen minutes , later, announcers kept up; a running, commentary on the triumphal progress to Westminster Abbey. The glittering scene outside the Abbey was' described in detail, and then the scene shifted to the Abbey itself. Here a commen-| tator described the magnificent spec-, tacle, naming many of the notables who thronged the hallowed hall.- For New Zealanders there was a thrill when he announced the arrival of the Prime Minister of England (the Rt. Hon. Stanley Baldwin), "followed by the Prime Minister of Australia (the Rt. Hon. J. A. Lyons) and the Prime Minister of New Zealand (the Rt. Hon,

M. J. Savage). .. ," It brought home the significance of the changed status of the Dominions. The dignity of the Queen Mother, the charming simplicity of the two Princesses, the colourful robing of the Bishops, the peers and peeresses, were all described, and then came,the great moment when the King's procession and the Queen's procession wended their way to the Coronation theatre. The service which followed was faithfully described, and the King's voice was plainly ' heard when he took the oath administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury. BACK TO THE PALACE. It was .1.10 a.m. New Zealand time when their Majesties emerged from the Abbey to the joyous pealing of the bells and the vociferous cheering .of the multitude- Obviously it was a great moment for the newly-crowned Monarch and his gracious lady. Listeners were transported from point to point along the long procession route to Buckingham Palace, and they heard with remarkable clarity the_playing of the bands and the unrestrained enthusiasm of the tumultuous crowds. . But the greatest thrill was yet to come—a description of the wonderful State procession down Constitution Hill. It was something that will not readily be forgotten by those who remained out of their beds long enov.gh to hear it. Truly it was a pageant of Empire. Military detachments from every part: of the Empire marched down Constitution Hill to the accompaniment of martial airs played by Great Britain's most famous military bands,- and as each unit went by it was named and described with remarkable detail by the commentator. New Zealand was there, and the announcer was lavish in bis praise of "these stalwart representatives of that other England at the end df the world." Nor was the'crowd slow in showing its appreciation of the brave showing made by the men from these shores. There was a wave of cheering.as they swung through the arch and down the hill. Equally cordial was the reception given to other Dominion units. Then came the procession of coaches-of representatives of the King's ■Dominions oversea, and again there was a thrill for New Zealand listeners when Mr. Savage's coach, escorted by a mounted detachment of troop's, went by. And so it went on, until the arrival of the State coach bearing King George and Queen Elizabeth. The enthusiasm of the crowd knew no bounds, and even the commentator's voice' was lost. It was a fitting climax to a wonderful display of pageantry. . [: EMPIRE'S HOMAGE. Then, three,hours later, there was another thrilling sixty minutes for listeners—the Empire's homage. Lofdon called the Empire, and .with one heart and voice the Empire responded. First came a typical Londoner, followed rapidly by an unemployed Well i miner, a Belfast schoolboy; a: Scottish woman who had watched Queen. Elizabeth grow to womanhood, a Regina farmer, a French. Canadian of Quebec, a representative of the Maori race, a New Zealand sailor,' Van Australian jackeroo a: Transvaal miner, and a South African farmer, all paying tribute to their newJy-crowned King and Queen. Representatives of India, the Dominions, the Crown colonies, and the dependencies'all took part in the broadcast. Mr. Savage spoke for New Zealand, and his impressive message Of allegiance from Maori and pakeha alike was an outstanding contribution. Mr. Stanley Baldwin, speaking from the historic Cabinet room at No. 10 Downing Street, brought the Empire's homage to an end. Then came the great moment, when the King, addressing his millions of subjects, pledged himself anew to their service. His Majesty spoke slowly and clearly, and his words 'will live long in the memory of those who heard them. ■■■■'.■ .

And so came to an end the greatest broadcast in the history'of the world.