BRITAIN’S TERRITORIALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1938, Page 7

BRITAIN’S TERRITORIALS

KING GEORGE'S TRIBUTE. [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS] RUGBY, May 19. Their Majesties spent the third day of the tour of Lancashire in the Merseyside area. The King presented new colours to the Fifth Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment, and to the Liverpool Scottish, at Everton. In his speech, His Majesty recalled the occasion 29 years ago, when King Edward the Seventh reviewed in Knowsley Park, the newly formed West Lancashire division of the Territorial Force. “My grandfather did this to demonstrate publicly his belief in the citizen army, which had then only recently come into being. Today, the territorial army—its value was proved in war —have to shoulder even wider responsibilities. That its importance to the nation is fully appreciated by our fellow countrymen is shown by the fine recruiting figures of recent months. They have been particularly good in this district, and I am glad to see the West Lancashire Division heads all others in England, and has a strength of nearly 97 per cent, of its establishment.”

The ceremony attracted great crowds, and Their Majesties were received with the greatest enthusiasm. INCREASE IN ALL ARMS. RUGBY, May IS. Recruiting for the Regular Army showed a distinct advance throughout the country last week. The, intake for all arms was 930, an increase of 665 over rhe corresponding period last year. In a statement on recruiting, the Secretary for War (Mr L. HoreBclisha) said the normal intake into the Regular Army at this time of the year had been about 400 for many years. In the territorials the results in the last two months' had surpassed all records.

NAVAL DEFENCE. RUGBY, May 19. The supplementary naval estimates, making provision for new shipbuilding programmes for 1938, will be presented to the Commons before the Whitsun recess.