FUNERAL OF KING GEORGE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 29 January 1936, Page 5

FUNERAL OF KING GEORGE

(United Press Association — by Electric Telegraph— Copyright) (Received 29th January, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, 28th January. The funeral of King George V. in London to-day provided the culminating point to the great manifestations of sorrow which have been seen since his death. Along the four-mile route the cortege moved through dense, silent throngs of the late King’s subjects sincerely paying their last tribute to the Sovereign they had loved so well. Many of these people had waited on the pavements all night in order to gain good positions for seeing the procession. In this mighty, solemn spectacle there took part five visiting Kings, many other foreign Royalties and representatives of a great number of nations. Thus with a striking pageantry expressing the heartfelt grief of the multitude, the body of King George passed on its journey toward its last resting-place in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, where the funeral service was held. . By the magic of wireless almost the whole civilised world was enabled to join in spirit in the proceedings. The English commentator’s description was broadcast to 16 countries, and six other countries, including Italy and Japan, sent their own commentators to broadcast in their own languages. In every part of the British Empire, in all corners of the world, and at all hours of day and night, people were told of the scenes in London and, in effect, became a vast unseen audience.

HYDE PARK OPEN ALL NIGHT Owing to crowds, among which were children, assembling at 9 p.m. at Hyde Park to witness the procession, the authorities permitted the park to remain open all night, and also allowed police and ambulance tents to be used as shelters. Others, bringing food and blankets and being otherwise prepared for an all-night vigil to ensure places in the front rank, massed on St. James Street, Piccadilly and the Horse Guards Parade where some were sleeping in chairs. Edgeware Road was the scene of greatest activity, thousands seeking vantage points. A number of 'women huddled in doorways and workmen were erecting platforms, removing windows and installing seats. People were standing shoulder to shoulder two or three deep at Whitehall and Parliament Street at 2.30 a.m., while 2000 lined St. James Street and Piccadilly. The numbers were increasing rapidly. Taxis and private cars were setting down richly-furred women who took up places alongside cloth-capped men and humble mothers. Hundreds 'were sleeping on the pavements, and one girl in St. James Street was sleeping on a ground sheet covered with blankets and an eiderdown. By 4 a.m. every vantage point on the route from Parliament Square to Hyde Park Corner had been taken, and the streets at many points were lined four deep. People sat on newspapers, rugs and raincoats, huddled together trying to snatch sleep. Many children were among them. There were at least 3000 in Parliament Street alone. Early arrivals sat on balustrades in front of Government Buildings. Every doorway was used as a shelter in Piccadilly, the thickly-lined crowd growing more dense every minute. Most elaborate preparations were made to deal with the vast crowds which massed themselves along the route. All parts of the route were closed to vehicular traffic, from ,8 ( a.m. .and the police arranged for carefully-planned traffic diversions covering areas reaching out to the suburbs. ONE MILLION MASSED ALONG ROUTE It was finally estimated that 1,000,000 of the late King’s subjects massed the four-mile route along which the cortege moved. Police last night announced that spectators arriving in motor cars must be in position at 8 a.m. Windsor, for centuries the last resting-place of Kings, had been awake all night to receive King George. Hammers echoed in the ancient, narrow streets as the last touches were put to the funeral decorations. Clouds shrouded the walls of the great castle dominating the town, which 'was crowded by people from all parts of the Kingdom. Many were drenched by a sharp downpour in the early morning. Early morning scenes in St. James Street and Piccadilly were amazing. • At 5.30 hundreds of men, women and children were still asleep on pavements, in shop doorways and behind hoardings. Drizzling rain commenced at 6.30, and the waiting multitude was seen beneath a forest of umbrellas. Though the rain increased people did not attempt to leave their places, and those lacking umbrellas huddled under newspapers.

When dawn broke Hyde Park, viewed from the main carriageway, appeared a solid mass of people. Soon it was impossible to walk along pathways on either side. Emergency ambulance stations had been established, and futniture vans, filled with stretchers, stood ready to deal with fainting cases. .. . '! WAITING THROUGH DREARY HOURS Waiting through these dreary hours on a January morning the thoughts of all instinctively reverted to the blazing sunshine on 6th May, when the city and nation acclaimed King George as he drove on Jubilee Day. Every space being precious, the police early roused sleepers and made them stand. Some had taken the precaution of bringing rugs and *refreshments to make the vigil more comfortable. Others slept on the bare pavements. The weather later improved, but the mournful crowd seemed already indifferent to it. By 8 a.m. spectators had brought traffic to a standstill in the neighbourhood of the funeral route, and lines of stationary traffic were seen in all directions. A detachment of Guards was obliged to break formation in order to force a way through Apsley Gate, Hyde Park, to take up duty. As latecomers poured into St. James’s Square, troops and police had to link hands to preserve the Swaying lines. Royal servants watched from the roof of St. James’s Palace. The many provincial visitors included a man, wife and their three-year-old son from Ipswich, who forsook sleep for t'wo days in order ro see the funeral, but insisted it was not a sacrifice. Many Welsh visitors came the whole way on bicycles. Ambulances were early busy. One of the casualties was an elderly woman who had 'waited throughout Sunday night to see the lying-in-state and then taken up a position in St. James Street at 6 p.m. on Monday. Those waiting for Royalties saw the windows of Buckingham Palace light up long before dawn. Dockers at the Surrey Commercial Dock, which had intended to remain open for reasons of public necessity, refused to work, thereby sacrificing a day’s pay. Before 9 a.m. the head of the procession, including detachments of all regiments of which King George had been Colonel-in-Chief, and representatives of Dominion forces had taken their positions and formed a line extending from St. James Street to Parliament Square. WEIGHT OF NUMBERS BREAKS CORDON Sheer weight of numbers broke the cordon of police and soldieis and people poured into the roadway near Jermyn Street. Mounted police vainly attempted to force them to the pavement, and ambulance men rushed to remove fainting women. Extra Guardsmen were summoned to deal with the situation, and when the police, despite pushing their horses into the cfowd, failed to move them, a loudspeaker van was rushed to the spot and an appeal made to the crowd to move. The situation had eased somewhat half an hour before the cortege left Westminster.

GREAT MANIFESTATIONS OF SORROW VAST CROWDS IN THE STREETS OF LONDON MIGHTY AND SOLEMN SPECTACLE AND STRIKING PAGEANTRY