NAVAL CEREMONY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23048, 27 May 1938, Page 13

NAVAL CEREMONY

IMPBESSIVE SCENE OPEN-AIR INVESTITURE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OFFICIATES OFFICERS RECEIVE 0.8. E. For the first time since the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy has been at its present strength, an openair investiture of two of its officers was held by the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, at the Devonport Naval Base yesterday. Commander C. B. Tinley, naval officer in charge of the base, and Mr. G. McCloghrie, base manager, were invested the Order of the British Empire, conferred upon them by King George VI. at the New Year. Commander Tinley received the military division of the order and Mr. McCloghrie the civil. Ceremonial rarely seen at the base accompanied the investiture. Some time before Lord Galway arrived officers of the division and ratings from the ships in port took their positions on the courtyard in front of the main base office. The officers, wearing frock coats with epaulettes, decorations and swords, flanked the red dais which Lord Galway later occupied. The ratings were drawn up along one end of the courtyard and visitors and workmen from the base were allowed to watch the ceremony from the other end.

Salute Fired Presently, into the vacant side, there marched with faultless precision 52 Royal Marines from H.M.S Achilles and H.M.S. Leander, in full dress, with glinting bayonets, tall helmets and red and nayy uniforms, to act as a Royal Guard. They were commanded by Captain F. C. Phillips atid were played to the courtyard by the Royal Marines Band. In the meantime Commander Tinley and Mr. McCloghrie had taken up their positions at the end of the courtyard nearest the civil spectators and it needed only the arrival of Lord Galway and senior officers in attendance to complete a most colourful scene. The Governor-General was taken across the harbour in the pinnace of the Commodore Commanding the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, Rear-Admiral the Hon. E. R. Drummond, and as he mounted the base steps he was greeted with a Vice-Regal salute of 19 guns from H.M.S. Achilles. When he entered the courtyard the guard of marines presented arms in the Royal Salute. Officers Invested

Lord Gal way, who was accompanied by Rear-Admiral Drummond, Captain I. G. Glennie and Captain J. W. RivettCarnac and attended by Lieutenant S. R. Le H. Lombard-Hobson, A.D.C., then inspected the guard before announcing the purpose of his visit and calling upon Lieutenant Lombard-Hob-son to read the Royal warrants and summon Commander Tinley and Mr. MeCloghrie to the dais, where they were invested with the insignia of their orders. The guard then came again to the Royal Salute while the band played the Xational Anthem, after which Lord Gal way left the courtyard. His Excellency later lunched informally with Rear-Admiral Drummond on board the Achilles.