V.E. DAY FINALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 May 1945, Page 2

V.E. DAY FINALS

MR. CHURCHILL AND LONDON

, TRIBUTE TO WAR SERVICES

LONDON, “May 10. Mr. Churchill, after a tumultuous reception at Whitehall on Wednesday ' night spoke to Londoners from a Whitehall balcony. “He spoke unofficially, unrehearsed, free from all ceremony, and straight from his 'heart,” said “The Evening Standard. The Prime Ministei 1 amid roars ana cheering said: “My dear friends, 1 , hope you have had two happy days. ' By discipline, morale, industry, good laws, lair institutions —by those means we won through to happy days for millions of people. You have been attacked by a montrous enemy, but 1 you never flinched or wavered. Your 1 soldiers were everywhere in the held and your airmen in the skies, and never let us forget our grand Navy. I They dared and did all those feats ot adventure and audacity which have ever enabled brave men to wrest vici tory from obstinate, bestial circumstances. You people at home have taken all you had to take —which was 1 enough, when all is said and done. . You never let down the men at tne ' front. No one ever asked for peace because London was suffering. London was like a great rhinoceros, a great hippopotamus, saying 'Let them do their worst —London can take it. London could take anything. My heart goes out to the Cockneys and to the visitors we may happen to have here to-day—and many great nations are represented here; to all those who have borne arms with us in tne struggle—they echo what I say when I say ‘Good Old London!’ In every capital of the victorious world there are rejoicings, but in none is there any lack of respect for the part which London played. I return my hearty thanks to you for never having failed in the long monotonous days and in tX long nights, black. as hell. God bless you all.. May you long remain citizens of this great, splendid ci y> May you long remain as the neaii of the British Empire. Mr. Churchill, as he ended, almost broke down, but all night long he was gay. FRIENDSHIP WITH RUSSIA LONDON, May 10. Mrs. Churchill broadcast over the Moscow radio. She said: 1 O n. this gMrious day of victory, my husband has asked me to read this message from him to Marshal Stalin: I send you heartfelt greetings on the splendid victory won in driving the invader from your soil and in defeating Nazi tyranny. It is my firm belie! mat on the friendship and understanding between the British and Russian peonies, depends the future of mankind. Here, in our island, we are often thinking of you, and wo are sending from the bottom of our hearts wishes of '.'-ell-being and happiness. Alter all the sacrifices and martyrdom ol the dark valley through which we marched together we may also now in loyal friendship ana sympathy 'march on under the shining sun ol a victorious peace.’ ” .

CANADIAN RIOTS

OTTAWA, May 9

Strcnf/thericd Service police patrols and also 1000 troops stood on guard at Halifax to-night against a repetition ol (lie rioting which caused damage unofficially estimated at 0 000,000 dollars. A curfew was reimposed at 3 p.m. The Mayor (Mr. Buller) Warned the Canadian Navy for the disorders, and added he had informed the Ottawa Government that Halifax citizens expected compensation. Mr. Butler claimed the Services were unable to control their own personnel, contrary to assurances given before V.E. Day. He blamed the Navy for sending 8000 men on leave. The body of an unidentified naval officer was found in the University campus. The body of a sailor reported to have died from alcoholic poisoning on the night of May 7 is in the morgue. Several thousand naval and military personnel are now confined to barracks.

AUSTRALIAN OUTBUPtSTS

SYDNEY, May 10.

Hotels, picture theatres and other places of entertainment were closed in the Australian cities yesterday. Therefore people had little to do but walk in streets and sit in parks. V.E. Day thanksgiving services 'were well attended. At night, however, large crowds which wandered through streets in both Sydney and Melbourne spontaneously made their own entertainment by" organising processions and sing songs. Again, as on the previous night, more than 20,000 sang and danced in Martin Place and King’s Cross in Sydney until the police told them to go home. At midnight most, people had left Sydney streets. At least ten thousand of the revellers staged an impromptu march from King’s Cross to the city, a mile away, interrupting traffic by stopping trams and cars. They pulled the trolFy poles from the tram power lines, leapt on the backs of cars and lorries, overturned traffic signals, and they removed rubbish receptacles and carried them along beating them as drums. The police attempted, unsuccessfully, to stop this procession. In Melbourne a crowd estimated at eleven thousand inarched from the heart of the city to the State Parliament House. On the way, shouting youths broke six fire alarms and caused minor frame jams. They also .hivaded the Melbourne “Herald newspaper office, waving flags and singing. The police, having at first tried to restrain the crowd, gave up the unequal struggle, and stood by laughing.

IN NEW ZEALAND

CHCH.. RECORD CROWD

CHRISTCHURCH, May 10. Men and women, boys and girls, so'diers, sailors and airmen, elderly •■mople; infants in arms, on shoulders nd'in prams; formally dressed citizens and citizens in the most bizarre attire: sober citizens and citizens in “an .advanced state of celebration” inarched through the streets of Christchurch in thousands this afternjon in a “Victory March,” which proved an extraordinary expression of jubilation at the Allied triumph in Europe. Marching eight abreast a great column of flag-waving, bannercarrying, singing and shouting p -ople took more than an hour to file into Colombo Street on the last lap of the inarch, and by that time Cnth- . dral Square was so congested that large detachments of marchers had to be diverted into Cashel and Hereford Streets. The total number can only be guessed at, but it is probable tha’i, the marchers wore at least 25,000 strong, and there must have been many more spectators lining the route. Many of the latter were drawn into the procession as it passed by. The iiuoe iisscinbloge which crowded Cathedral Square and streets ncarbj' was addressed by the I'layo”. (Mr. .Andrews l : Archbishop West-Watson; (ho Minister of Supply. (Mr. Sullivan >; and other prominent public figures, and joined in community singing. The Army fired 1 a salute of 21 guns at Haglej’’ Park, this being watched by a large crowd. In general the whole day was marked by the highest enthusiasm and the crowd assembled in or near Cathedral Square was probably the greatest in the history of Christchurch. The celebra-v tions continued to-night with a large crowd still in the Square.

AUCKLAND. ‘ j AUCKLAND, May 10. In contrast with the previous day s wild revelry, the holiday to-day was' passed in Auckland almost as quietly as a Sunday. Brought into action at short notice the previous evening, street cleaners toiled throughout the night shovelling up broken glass and collecting empty bottles, and their task, did not near completion until a dismal grey dawn began to break over the city. Because of the heavy rain most Aucklanders stayed at home to-day, and there was little sign of special rejoicing. There were very few persons in the streets this evening.

WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, May 10

Spread over three days, one unofficial, peace celebrations ended modestly in Wellington to-night. In terms of the current popular expression, the great majority of celebrants had “had it” by to-day. With the bulk of the city business premises still closed, crowds roamed about, but there -was a marked fall-ing-otf in the spontaneity of the enthusiasm. Slight showers of rain fell during the afternoon. The tramway service operated again, and fairly large crowds went to cinemas, both in the afternoon and the evening. ,The v streets were quiet during the evening. Wellington citizens were, generally speaking, to be complimented on the way they met the oecasion, said the Mayor (Mr. Appleton)'. It was a good victory show, joy being tempered with commendable restraint. HOKITIKA HOKITIKA, .May 11.

Yesterday afternoon a large crowd thronged the streets to witness the procession organised by the Victory Committee. The procession itself, which was a good one, was three and a-half blocks in length, and was headed by the Municipal Band. After a round-about route it finished after two circuits of Cass Square. Sports were held and ice creams, soft drinks and apples were provided free for the children, and music provided oy the Municipal and Kokatahi Bands and loud-speaker. There was a large crowd at the Victory Ball in the Soldiers’ Hall in the evening. During the night many flags were stolen from various shops and buildings. In some cases whole strings of large as well as small flags were removed. ARRANGEMENTS CRITICISED [TO THE EDITOR.] Sir—lt is difficult to believe that such lack of enthusiasm could be shown in connection with such an historic occasion. Our civic authorities appear to have been ‘dead from the foot up’ and the public are disgusted tu the lack of enthusiasm displayed and the arrangements made for public rejoicing. A lew. patrioticinspired citizens did their best to make the celebrations befitting the occasion, and they are to be complimented for their efforts,. but lor those who are expected to give a lead on these occasions to more or less fall down on the job is beyond all reason. For instance, where was the leader for community singing? The civic thanksgiving service proved a service that will live long in the memory of those who attended, but it is deplorable that our civic authorities made no arrangements whatsoever for seating accommodation on the stage for those presiding as they were compelled to make thenown ’arrangements—a , bare stage minus, the usual decoration. Another tvpical foozle was the speech afpliI'yinp' arrangements at the Town Hall. There was a better chance of hearing the speakers at Brunnerton and Blaketown than by those under the dais—result, the people in the immediate vicinity of the speaker heard nothing, and there was omy one thing left to do—go home.— Yours, etc., UN iQN JACK.