Festival of Empire Remembrance

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIX, Issue 282, 13 November 1929, Page 8

Festival of Empire Remembrance

‘They Shall Grow Not Old’

Great Gathering at Albert Hall

Ovation for Prince and V.C. Holders

(United Press Association—By Cable—Copyright.)

London, November 12.

A drenching gale did not deter thousands, who waited about the Albert HaU to participate in the British Legion’s festival of Empire remembrance. Within ten minutes of the opening of the doors the building was packed out.

The greatest ovation was accorded the Prince of Wales, holders of the Victoria Cross and a grand patriotic fantasia, in which were representatives of the Empire. The Prince, with Earl Jellicoe and Lady Jellicoe, occupied a box which resembled a beautiful bower of Flanders poppies. They wore lounge suits and smoked cigars. The Prince of Wales’s entry was the signal for an ear-splitting demonstration, the audience rising and waving programmes. Sections commenced “For He's a Jolly Good Fellow” till the organ took it up and the building reverberated.

When the holders of the Victoria Cross appeared on the stage and marched to the aisle, the audience’s vociferousness was unbounded. There were poignant scenes as heroes met comrades. There were many handshakes and one ex-serviceman from the body of the stalls rushed up to a Victoria Cross winner and embraced him in French fashion. The Prince read the following message from the King;—

“Please convey to ex-servicc-men and women my sincere thanks for the loyal terms of the message addressed me on the eleventh anniversary of the Armistice. I am touched by the kind way they referred to my recovery. I hope on some future occasion it may bo possible for me again to be present at this great festival, of which I retain the most stirring recollections.”

The Prince said: “I know, old com rades, how sincerely we hope His Majesty will be able to attend a similar gathering in a year’s time. While Armistice Day was once a day of relief and rejoicing, it has now become a day of remembrance, full in expressible thoughts, which will be with us each successive anniversary till our days end.”

The Prince concluded with an appeal for the British Legion’s sick, destitute and unemployed members. The Prince waved cheerily to the Victoria Cross winners, who reciprocated. Then the audience again joined in terrific applause. As the evening progressed the festival adopted a concert aspect, which rather wearied a section of the audience and slight interruptions marred the solos. This contrasted with community singing of war-time favourites The audience demanded encores, which the massed bands rendered splendidly.

STRIKINGLY DEMOCRATIC.

The las# section of the festival dynamically contrasted with the first part. The entire proceedings adopted a cathedral-like dignity and solemnity The silence was almost felt when Colonel Robert Loraine re cited “They shall grow not old,” after which millions of poppies were showered on the audience, each poppy memorising the Empire's deau. The festival was strikingly demo cratic. When the Prince of Wales and Earl Jellicoe walked from the piatform to the aisle ex-servicemen shook hands with both and slapped tnem on the back, whilst the assemblage roared its appreciations. Undoubtedly the Victoria Cross holders, though heroes, are thoroughly democratic and devoted the interval to appeasing the hunger of autograph hunters, who included many Scouts and Guides, who participated in the pageant for the first time.

The consensus of opinion of Legion officials is that the festival is becoming more informal year by year. Tonight the audience wore no uniforms and no evening dress. One official epitomised the sentiment of the gathering as the “greatest reunion of old comrades, relatives and friends,” with just one touch of solemnity, characterised by the last line of the poem “We will remember them.”

DINNER AT AUTHORS’ CLUB GENERAL BRIDGES DETAILS TYPICAL ANZAC DAY. “THEY ENJOYED THE WAR.’’ (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) London, Nov. 12. Th.e Armistice dinner nt the Authors’ Club proved an Australian night. General .Bridges, the guest of honour, spoke on Armistice Day and the dominions. He detailed a typical Anzac bay, which he described as Australia’s real war celebration.

General Bridges expressed the opinion that the prime error the Germans made before the war was misjudging the psychology of the Empire. There would have been no war if the Germans had had a pre-vision of what the Australians and New Zealanders did at Anzac Cove or that wonderful eighth of August, which was a real black day for Germany, when the Australians made a hole twelve miles deep in the German line, a feat unknown in the war to that time. If he had to sav why the dominions rallied 'to the Mother Country, he was inclined to think the real explanation was that there was nn immense number of men overseas full of the lust for adventure. The World War was an adventure for the men of the dominions similar to the colonisation efforts of their forebears. General Bridges continued: “I have met many Australians who told me they enjoyed the war. One man whose wounds rnn into double figures said they were the jolliest four years of his life. These men are very different from the gloomy fellows found in the majority of the fatter dav war novels.” Professor W. A. Osborne, of Melbourne University. who has just arrived in London after a tour c.f the United States and Mexico, said: Never since the war period has there been such a friendly feeling in the United States in favour of the British Empire. As for England itself, when people say it is invaded by the white ant. don't believe it!” Professor George Henderson, Adelaida University, paid a tribute to the affection of the people of South Australia for General Bridges. Commander A. E. Hall, of the Renown. described Anzac Day in Melbourne in 1927. and said that the 28.000 soldiers taking part in the celebrations was a memory a lover of the Empire would never forget. CELEBRATIONS IN INDIA. iDnitert Prase Association— By CableCopyright I (Received 13. 8.55 a.m.) Delhi, Nov. 12. Armistice celebrations were held throughout India. At Calcutta there was a garrison parade and the Governor-General laid a wreath on the Cenotaph. Nearly 400 ex-service-men attended a reunion dinner at the Grand Hotel in the evening.