Paris Mad with Delight When British Troops Head Military Parade

Northern Advocate, 17 July 1939, Page 6

Paris Mad with Delight When British Troops Head Military Parade

(Received 1.30 p.m.) PARIS, July 14. I MILLION SPECTATORS ON THE CHAMPS ELYSEES ALONE, " THOUSANDS OF WHOM SLEPT ON THE PAVEMENT ALL NIGHT, WITNESSED THE FOURTEENTH OP JULY MILITARY PARADE, WHICH CAPTURED THE POPULAR IMAGINATION MORE THAN ANY SIMILAR DISPLAY SINCE THE WAR VICTORY MARCH. President Lebrun took the salute during the three-hour march of the ten miles’ long column of 30,000 troops, 15,000 cavalry, and 1000 tanks, armoured cars and mechanised artillery. “God Bless Our Friends.” The sight of British Guardsmen was too much for thousands, who broke the cordons and held up the march for 20 minutes, shouting: “Long Live England,” “God Bless Our Friends.” The Guardsmen were forced to hold their rifles above their heads to avoid injuring the frantically-emotional men and women. The city was lavishly decorated with the British and French colours. The crowds were wildly enthusiastic over the arrival overnight of a large detachment of the British Brigade of Guards and Royal Navy units. Britons’ Honoured Place. They had the honoured place at the head of the column, at which the crowd was mad with delight. M. Lebrun was surrounded on the dais by M. Daladier, Prime Minister; the Sultan of Morocco, Cabinet Ministers, members of the French General Staff, Mr L. Hore-Belisha, British Minister of War; Mr Winston Churchill, Viscount Gort, V.C., British Chief of Imperial Staffs; Air-Marshal Sir C. Newell, Admiral Sir E. R. G. Evans, and attaches of nearly every nation in the world, including those of the Axis Powers. Before the march, 52 of Britain’s fastest fighters and bombers flew over, failing to drown the roar of cheering, while 350 French warplanes followed. Symbol of Unity and Strength. Paris was gripped in a fever of patriotism, hailing the presence of the British as symbolic of unity and renewed strength.