TRENTHAM RACES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 4, 5 July 1943, Page 6

TRENTHAM RACES

GEN. FREYBERG ATTENDS

Thousands of race-goers *at Trentham on Saturday received an unexpected thrill when they realised that Lieut.'General Sir Bernard Freyberg. V.C., was among them. The news that he was present^ soon spread, and although the crowds were so dense that a great number of people did not even catch a glimpse of him, it was a pleasure to everyone to know that he was there enjoying an informal day's outing and it became as much of a pastime trying to find the general as?it. was to pick the winners. Disabled servicemen,; who were the guests of the Wellington Racing Club, and who, at the invitation of the president, Mr. Eric Riddifordi and Mrs. Riddiford, were seated in the president's box in

the main stand, were visited by the general. He remained and chatted for some time with them, and with the girls of the Red Cross Transport Corps who accompanied them. A PERFECT DAY. It was literally a perfect day. The air was crystal clear, the sun shone from a cloudless sky, and there wasn't a breath of win(L It has often been much colder in summer than it was out there on Saturday, and, in spite of the heavy frosts of the past week, it was even dry underfoot. The club had taken the precaution, however, of covering the lawns with a thick layer of straw to prevent them from being damaged. The course was very beau|tiful, as it always is, no matter what the season, and the, sight of the snowclad Bimutakas was alone worth travelling a long'way to see. A military band played excellent music throughout the day, and service men and women formed a fair proportion of the crowd.