ARMISTICE DAY CELEBRATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 November 1932, Page 7

ARMISTICE DAY CELEBRATION

SCENE AT WHITEHALL KING AND QUEEN PRESENT [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] RUGBY, November 11. The fourteenth anniversary of the Armistice was celebrated to-day. A brief religious service, which as usual was preceded by the two minutes’ silence, took place at the Cenotaph. Whitehall, and also at cathedrals, churches, public squares and at war shrines throughout Britain and the Empire,

The King, who was unable to attend last year’s central ceremony at the Cenotaph, was present at to-day’s service accompanied by the Dukes of York and Gloucester. Prince George and Prince Arthur of Connaught were also of the Royal party. The Queen with the Duchess of York and other ladies of the Royal family watched the ceremony from a Government office window overlooking the Cenotaph. .

The whole British Empire was represented at the Cenotaph ceremony, including the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet, Mr. Lansbury, the High Commissioners for the. Dominions, and members of the Round Table Conference already in London. Detachnients of all branches of the defence services, as well as exservice men and women, and merchant shipping fleets, were present. Whitehall was thronged with people who overflowed into Trafalgar Square and the Horse Guards Parade. The Armistice Day service held outside the Royal Exchange was also crowded. Mr. Bruce laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of Australia. Colonel Fitzherbert, owing to Sir T. M. Wilford’s absence at Geneva, placed New Zealand’s wreath. The Prince of Wales placed a wreath on the Scottish Stone of Remembrance at Edinburgh. SYDNEY’S REMEMBRANCE. SYDNEY-. November 11. A large assemblage at the Cenotaph in Martin Place observed the two minutes’ silence. The Governor placed a wreath oh the Cenotaph, as did the Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons; the State Premier, Mr Stevens; the Lord Mayor, and the New Zealand Government representative, Mr Schmitt. GOVR.-GENERAL’S ABSENCE. A CANBERRA, November 11. Returned soldiers are annoyed' at the absence for the third year of the Governor-General (Sir Isaac Isaacs) from the Armistice Day commemoration in the capital. AT WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, November 11. The two minutes’ Armistice Day silence , was observed at Wellington at 11 a.m., to-day, a combined service being held in the Town Hall, Mayor Hislop presiding. After the silence, a programme comprising the national anthems of the Allies and favourite songs thereof was played on the War Memorial Carillon.

VETERAN’S SUDDEN DEATH. LONDON, November 11. At the Armistice commemoration at Newry, James Megaw, sixty-six, who served in the South African and Great Wars, dropped dead as the Reveille sounded. y SERIES OF "DISTURBANCES. DUBLIN REPUBLICANS. LONDON, November 11. Strange scenes in the streets of Dublin late at night followed an antiArmistice Day meeting at College Green. A crowd of young men,'- who were stated to be Republicans, paraded the streets, snatching poppies from passers-by. They also stopped tramcars and omnibuses, and boarded them for the same purpose. A crowd in Westmoreland Street, seeing there were reinforcements of the police who were abontj.to draw their batons, fled. ' ■ ; Another crowd collected in Pearce Street, outside' of a shop where poppies were on sale. They flung stones and smashed the windows. The Civic Guards charged the crowd, and two men were injured. Ambulances were busy till midnight treating the minor casualties. There were many shouts of “Up with the Republic! Down with the Empire!” A Union Jack was burned on the platform at a meeting organised by the League Against Imperialism. Leaders of the Republican Army attended, and advised people to tear down the English flag, or, if necessary, shoot it down. CROWDS COUNTER-ATTACK. (Recd. November 12, 11 a.m.) LONDON, November 11. A scuffle followed the burning of the Union Jack, after 200 youths,, wearing a tri-colour, marched through the principal streets of Dublin. Several attempts were made to snatch poppies. One youth, grabbing a poppy from a woman, was badly mauled by an angry crowd. The polic'e, ex-servicemen and others chased the gang of poppysnatchers, who took refuge on the premises of the Distributive Workers’ Union, wherein they were besieged. The crowd rushed the building, and the furniture was damaged, till the police cleared the premises. Further fighting occurred in the street, and tramcar windows were smashed. The processions in Dublin .passed without incident. Fifty thousand wearing poppies crowded Phoenix Park, but the Dail did not observe the silence. Only a few members wore poppies. No public buildings flew the Union Jack. COMMUNIST DISTURBERS. LONDON, November 11. Communists broke the silence at Sunderland, crying “Down with the Nationalist Government! Up with the Workers’ Republic.” Hooligans similarly interrupted at Paisley, shouting,. “We want grub!” Communists carrying a red banner attempted thrice to place a threecornered black wreath, inscribed, “From the peace victims to the war victims,” on the Cenotaph at Southampton. A police cordon prevented the attempts.