MILITARY PAGEANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19502, 4 December 1926, Page 14

MILITARY PAGEANT.

. ATTRACTION AT AUCKLAND. , SETTINGS USED AT WEMBLEY. ■ • VARIED BRILLIANT DISPLAYS. 1 A military pageant and searchlight f tattoo on a scale never hitherto 2 attempted in the Dominion and 1 rivalling pageants of a similar nature seen s in England in recent years, will be prosented in Auckland next month. The pageant comes to Auckland from tho Wembley Exhibition, where it. stood • alono in its magnificence among tho many t spectacular scenes of the stadium. Be- - tween 1500 and 2000 performers will 1 take part in reproducing the chief tab - lenux of tho Empire pageant at Wem--1 bley, and, in addition, there will be • musical drives by artillerymen and 3 mounted rifle units, physical drill and 1 guard items, torchlight evolutions and a i magnificent display of fireworks. f The pageant is to bo presented at the , Domain each evening from January 22 > to 29, and, with the full dress uniforms I of the Guards, tho Royal Artilleiy, the Hussars and the Royal Air Force, it a. promises to be a gay spectacle. Searchlights, spotlights, floodlights and foots lights will be used to illuminate the grounds. The uniforms and tho settings from Wembley are on tho steamer Mahana, now at Auckland. Tho most striking scene of the pageant will be the " Soldiers of the King." It is evening. Tho different bands come -playing into the barrack-vard, where they are dismissed to their quarters. " Lights out " is sounded by tho buglers as the light fades in the glow of the setting sun on tho barrack walls. Thfero iis nothing but tho faint light of the lantern shining on tho sentries on guard. 3 Some Impressive Effects. i In tho distance comes through the night the din of battle, tho rumbling of s cannon, tho pattering of machine-guns, ' tho spitting of rifles and bursting of bombs, while coloured Verey lights illumino tho sky. The light shines blue and opalescent on a cloud of smoko, through II which is seen a glimpse of splintered waggons, derelict guns, sandbags, wire ' entanglements, the debris of war, A faint " Reveille " is heard, and from the 1 past of eight years ago comes through 1 the smoko a company of battle-stained 5 soldiers, a lonely band. Some of them ' have their feet wrapped in old sandbags. Some are limping on sticks, others are roughly bandaged. They wander in a vaguti crowd to the distant strains of ' "Tipperary," Only a tired group of stragglers round a waggon., coming out [ of tho line, back to a rest area. And in the distance they see the sentries in the i barrack-yard, and gradually appears the figure of St. George, in glistening armour, t his banner aloft. As they see him, with faint, tired voices the stragglers cheer to encourage each other on to rest at his feet, • - They beckon toward the smoke of battle, and from out of it, to the wellremembered melodies of the war, flows 1 in a procession brave with colours the - Union Jack, the White Ensign, the Royal Air Force Ensign, regimental colours and the colours of the Dominions and colonies. Those, with an array of sailors, soldiers, 0 airmen, cavalry and guns, stream, into f the arena. And, as the colours of the . Great War reach the barracks, on tlie top are seen gathered the campaigners of the " past. The colours of tho Normans, the f Crusaders, the men of Agincourt, the - Armada, of Cavaliers and Roundheads, of , Marlborough, Olive and Woods, of the Peninsular and Crimean Wars, of Gordon, with those of Nelson end his sailors, glow • in tho light as they are lowered in salute , to the colours of tho Groat War grouped f below. 3 Splendour ol Final Scene. ® To the trampling of the feet of sol- ' diers from tho past up to those serving their King and country to-dav, the ' strains of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" | throb through the air. The colours of the war group themselves round the pedestal of §t. George, and down comes a body of : those whose active service for their counJ try is finished and thoso whoso service is " just beginning—the Chelsea pensioners and cadets. An old pensioner comes forward ! leading a cadet by the hand; toward St. George he takes him and hands to him the shield of St. George with its Red Cross emblazoned. "Carry On" is what he seems to say, and as the melody of "Abide With Me, Fast Falls the Eventide" is heard, a dim, distant picture is seen, of .white crosses standing among Flanders' poppies. A roll of drums and, to tho Royal Saints, the splendour of "God Save the King"/fills the air. Among tho other notable spectacles in the pageant four hundred cadets a.re to • present _ torchlight evolutions, the sole . illumination being the coloured torches each ' one will carry. Four six-horse teams of artillery will take part in a musical drive ; and mounted men will plait a maypole. There will be tent-pegging at blazing pegs and marching and physical drill displays by cadets and the girls of the ,\nokland Inter-house Association. There will also be a pageant of Britannia and the oueens of history, the competition for which is now being conducted by the territorial and cadet units. The music is to he provided by a large band 100 strong. j The pageant will also be staged at Wellington and Christchnrch. In Auckj land it is being organised by a special committee under the Military Sports As. ( sociation.