THE MILITARY PAGEANT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19549, 31 January 1927, Page 12

THE MILITARY PAGEANT

i, AST PERFORMANCE GIVEN, AN IMMENSE SUCCESS. TOTAL ATTENDANCE 120,000, been witnessed by the estimate a number of 120,000 to 130,000 -opK the Auckland Military Pageant tame to a triumphant close on Saturday evening, when a huge crowd of quite 30.000 saw the sixth and final performance. Among those present was Major-Gen-eral R. Young, geiieT-il officer commanding the New Zealand Military Forces, who heartily congratulated the pageantmaster, Lieutenant T. P. Laffey, N.Z.S.C., and all concerned. \ > Although some time must pass before all accounts are settled, it is certain that the funds of the Auckland Military Sports Association will receive a handsome profit from the pageant. Indeed, the result is much better than the military and civilian promoters of the venture ever allowed themselves to hope. "We ought to pass a special vote of thanks to the clerk of the weather," said one of them on Saturday night. It was most fortunate that except for a sprinkle of rain at the afternoon and evening performances on Saturday the weather conditions were ideal from beginning to end. Repetitions in the South.

Similar pageants, carried out with tlie same costumes and' properties from Wembley, are to be held at Wellington and Christchurch in the coming weelts. Representatives of both Southern committees attended the Auckland performances to ! gather ideas. The Wellington pageant will be held in Newtown Pars at the time of the Duke of York's visit, and the Christchurch pageant later, at the Addington showgrounds. The special feature of Saturday evening's performance was the ceremony of crowning the winner of the militaryqueen carnival This lady was Miss Jean Macindoe, the artillery queen, who impersonated Queen Anne -in the pageant. The coronation was placed first on the programme, and was carried out with perfect finish. The other four queens— Boadicea, Berengaria, Margaret- of Anjaiij and Victoria—marched from wie castle gate with their, maids of honour and preceded by the soldiers in old-time dress. They formed groups on either side of a central dais. Anne, accompanied by Britannia, made her entrance upon a car drawn by eight artillery horses with mounted drivers, her bodyguard of men in crimson, with periwigs and beaver hats, marching behind. The queen was vested with a velvet robe and crowned* by Britannia, to the accompaniment of appropriate music by'the massed bands. Organiser's Fine Work, The rest of the performance wen? through without a hitch, and embodied many small improvements made since the opening night. At the close the massed bands, under Lieutenant G. F. Ghater, played the well-known' evening hymn, "The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended," which a large part of the audience joined in singing. . 9 All the 1500 people who took part |n the pageact will certainly agree with the committee and officials in their high praise of the pageant?master. Lieutenant Laffey, who not "only directed every detail of the complicated organisation, but himself devised many of the events and personally trained the performers. The excellent mar.ching and drill of the territorials, cadets, bandsmen and girls was mainly due to his instruction. Marching on soft turf iii the glare of dazzling Searchlights is no easy matter, but the standard attained could scarcely have been bettered by regular troop!;. Yesterday afternoon the massed bands gave a coficert in the Domain, wearing their pageant uniforms and playing the music arranged for that occasion. A collection was made in aid of the funds of the respective bands.