COLONIAL BLUEJACKETS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14625, 10 September 1909, Page 8

COLONIAL BLUEJACKETS

INSPECTION BY THE KING,

(Peoh Oub Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, July 30. An interesting ceremony teok place on Monday afternoon at Buckingham Palace, when the King inspected 32 petty-officers and men who oamu to England in 1907 from Australia and New Zealand for a period of special training in the Royal navy.

The men, who had bean granted id days' leave, from July 16-26, before returning to Australia in the Terrible today, were recalled on Saturday last to Portsmouth as the King had expressed a wish to stc them before they tailed. They left Portsmouth on Monday morning, after being inspected by the Commodore of the' .Royal Barracks, and, on arriving in jjondon, they marched by Buckingham Palace road and Birdcage walk to the Admiralty, where they weic entertained at 'uncheon. Shortly after 2 p.m. they inarched along the Mall to Buckingham Palace, and entered tlw grounds by tlit garden gates. The King, who wore civilian dress, was accompanied by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, Princess Victoria, Princess Mary of Wales, and Prince Henry of Walts, and among others present were Lord Crewe ana Lord Northcote (late Gover-nor-General of Australia), ami Admiral Sir W. Fawkts (late Commander-in-Chief on the Australian station), both of wHiom were preset when the contingent sailed from Australia in May, 1907, and the Hon. W. Hall-Jones (High Commissioner for New Zealand). His Majesty, aflw inspecting the men, addressed- tltcin in a short speech. He expressed his pleasure' at beeing them, and said that lib hoped that their instruction had been of real u;.e to them, and that in taking back from the Mother Country to the colony the results of the experience and knowledge which tlwy h gained in England they would be able to impress on the minds of the people in Australia and New Zealand the vaiue ot thv training they had received. After his Majesty had wished them a safe voyage home, the contingent, which was under the command of Flag Captain iiydc Parker, LieuWnant St. John, and Sub-lieutenaut W. \\ Skyuner, marched tc Victoria Station, but th'ev had scarcely arrived on the platform' when they were recalled by the King's orders, and entertained at tea in the Palace, when Lit- . Pctty-ollicer Christie, principal engineroom artificer, proposed the health of the Kiug ami Queen, and afterwards that, of Lord Charta Beresford, und§r whose flag most of the men'have served during their spells of practical training at sea Their theoretical woilc has beejt done at the naval depots at Portsmouth awl Ve\pnport. When they reaoh Australia they will be drafted from the Terrible to various ships on tlic Australian station, having quaJified during their stay in Kngland lor the liignor petty-olHctp ranks. Two of the men were wearing the China medal, gained iu 1900, when they went to China in the Australian gunboat Protector. They all locked spieiiduUy fit and well sot-up find alert, wi, though they were few in numbers, khcir short and unostentatious march through London was in reality of coiuiderabk hisbrka 1 importance; for C.P.O.'s Christie, Bowry, Ktarns, and Forster, and the leading stokers, engineers, seamen, and torpedo ratings composing this little body of bluejackets lorm tie nucleus for the persoimtl of the Australasian Forces, which in time to come will be a formidable addition to the strength of the Empire. They were very "will spoken of by their ouirers, and with their recollections of their stay in the Home Country seemed unfeignedly glad to carry away with them the remembrajtc* that they" luid been personally received and inspected by the King. For, ag one of them said before he ran dowji the platform at. Victoria to catah the PoMamouth train, " We are loyal to a man."