MILITARY PAGEANT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19146, 14 April 1924, Page 5

MILITARY PAGEANT.

A STRIKING SUCCESS. SPECTACULAR AND EDUCATIONAL. GREAT CROWDS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. It may be said at once Unit the military pagent presented at Larisoiook on Saturday attcmooii and evening was probably tile most picturesque and educative spectacle ever seen in Dunedin. The weather was beautifully line, there was little wind, the ground was crowded to tne fences (and there wore many hundreds on the surrounding hills), everything went off with excellent precision, and the shrill cheering ol the thousands ot boys and girls acted like a tonic on their elders and made them feel again the enthusiasm of their young 'days. The pageant was, in fact, a magnificent success in organisation, in its attention to the details of the historic characters presented, aud in its general effectiveness. Everyone connected with the effort to raise funds for the War Memorial must have felt well satisfied with the results of .Saturday's pageant, and in this connection no apology is required for placing Major Dampen in the forefront as chief promoter and organiser and all-round enthusiast.

The pageant was opened sharp on time by the Mayor (Mr 11. L. Taple.y), and Bugler Sergeant-major Napier sounded (ho reveille. The school children, who had been standing in their red, white, and blue hoods and smocks at various points on the ground, then marched with the greatest despatch and correctness to the music of the Salvation Army Band to the centre, and look up their positions ns the chalk marked area to form the Living Flag of Empire. 'lhe National Anthem was played, and the crowd showed tiieir appreciation of the fine effect achieved by prolonged cheering. The children went through a number of turning movements to the command of Physical Instructor Crce, ami then everyone joined in singing " God Defend New Zealand.” Another hurst of cheering reechoed from the hillsides. Despite the pooh-poohings of some people, human nature cannot l>e. stifled —there is still such a thing as pride of race, —and everyone who loves his country glowed at the fine sentiment conveyed in the Living Flag. Si dramatic touch was given when MO pigeons were released from the centre of the Living Flag. Most of the children then marched out, and the remainder —all in red—formed St. George’s Cross. The greatest cheering of the day came from the school children following in the next item. 'This was what was described as a daylight fireworks display. A bomb was fired in the air and exploded, and out of it came a large, gauzy, fearsome looking animal. It filled with air and flouted high across (he. ground to (ho shrieks of delight and the cheering of the hoys and girls. The grand historical pagea.nt entitled ‘‘The Army and Navy Through the Ages ” came next. The nrooession entered from the pavilion, and marched round the ground in the following order; Crusaders, lllh Century.—Mail suits, shirts, loggings, hoods, socks, swords, helmet, shoes. Officer: Chain mail tunic, leg pitvos, brown lights, belt, tabard cloak, hood helmet- —12th Battery New Zealand Artillery. Longbowmen, 12th Century.—Green cloth shirts, chain mail shirts, green tights, helmets, quiver coses. Officer; Oiccn shift, brown lights, pot helmets, leather belt, jerkin. -Ist Battalion Otago Regiment (Dunedin). Archers, 13th Century.—Blue shirts, leather jerkins, tights, bine quiver cases, tin helmets, cross bows. Officer: Green cap, blue shirt, leather belt, pot helmet, tights.-Ist Battalion Otago Regiment (Dunedin). Joan of Arc.—Mrs Leslie Mills.

Cannon i ere, 14th Century.—Red cloth shirt., eight studded shirts, tights, belts, gorgets, helmets, two breastplates. Officer . Chain mail jerkin, pot helmet, leather licit., red shirt, red cloak, red tights.—l4th Battery, New Zealand Artillery. Fikeinen, 15th Century.—Green shirts with bufl’ tunics, white tights, helmets. Officer; Buff and green tunic raffle, rod tights. leather belt.—Hillside Fire Brigade. Queen Elizabeth, Miss K. Ulrich, and Sir Walter Raleigh. Haltxirdiers, 16th Century.—Green shirtr (trimmed brown!, lights, helmets Officer: Green velvet cloak, belt, pot helmet, brown tights.—'Hie Service Lodge. No, £57. Mary, Queen of Scots.—Mrs Ratcliffe. Yeomen of the Guard, 16lh Century.—Red coats, real bags, stockings, belts, hats. Officer; Blue tunic, gold, red Iwgs, stockings, belt, hat.—Otago Tramping Club. Marines, Seventeenth Century.—Yellowcoats, red cuffs, red hags, stockings, leather baldrick, cravats, slouch hats. Officer: Yellow and gold coat, red bags, blue sash, white stockings, slouch hat. Returned Soldiers’ Tflioir. Roundheads, Seventeenth Century.—Rod coats, rod breeches, grov stockings, cravats, helmets, belts. Officer: Red coat, red bags, white stockings, pine sash, hat, belt. Y.M.C.A. Cavaliers, Seventeenth Century.—Green tunics with yellow, grey stockings, red bags, hats. Officer: Green tunic trimmed gold, red bags, blue baldrick, white stockings. Y.M.C.A Guardsmen, Eighteenth Century,—Scarlet cut-off coats. vest attached, white breeches, stockings, gaiters, belts and pouches, bells with bayonets, muskets, hats. Officer: Red tunic blue facings, white waistcoat and breeches, black gaiters, white belt, red sash, jabot, dago Officers’ Club. Alfred and Men.—Various coloured shirts, socks, red Phrygian hats, swords, shields, over jackets, breastplates, belts. Officer (Alfred): Green velvet coat, blue shirt, silver helmet. boTi, white tights. Ist Battalion Ofago Regiment (Port Chalmers). Mon of the Cinque Ports.—Grey cloth suits and shields, yellow tights, helmets. Officer: Leather belt, blue lights, tunic, pot helmet. Ist Battalion Otago Regiment. King Harry and Mon.—Tunics, tights, velvet caps. Officer (King Harry): Red tunic trimmed silver, trunks, tights, pink sash, leather belt, helmet. Ist Battalion Otago Regiment (Port Chalmers). Drake and Men.—Blue and yenow jackets, Trunks, tights, gorgets, and helmet. Officer (Drake): White tunic, breeches, stockings, black velvet hat, gorget. Dunedin Bowling Centre. Frobisher and Men.—Gorgets, green cloth tunics, trimmed white, white perukes, tights, trunks, leather bells. Officer (Frobisher) ; Brown velvet tunic, puffed green trunks, cloak, brown rights, blue belt, hat. Apprentices, Hillside Workshops. Lord Collingwood and Men. —Blue costs trimmed red, white bullet shirt.-, red caps, grey stockings, jabot, belt, hat. Officer (Lord CoTTTngwood): Blue cnat, white vest, oreeciies, stockings, jabot, belt, hat. Ek service Men. Nelson and Men.- -Hiack (>ca jackets trimmed white, check shirts, black neckerchiefs, blue and white trousers, hats, belts. Officer (Lord Nelson): Blue coat, white vest,, breeches, stockings, jabot, hat, sword. sth Mounted Regiment. Nurse Cavell and Nurses.—Uniform of New Zealand Army Nursing Corps. Nurse Cavell, Mrs Smart. Senior Cadets, ’.twentieth Century.—The modern soldier. Britannia. —Miss F. Cohen. ’the procession was splendidly done, and some m the characterisations were really excellent. Queen Elizabeth and her six quaintly dressed beautiful maids in particular attracked marked attention. As the heroes and heroines of the past played rneir

little parts on the grass stage at Carrsbrook one could not help one’s thoughts from flying back over the ages. There was Diake for instance. as he still watching old Britain from “'the gates of heaven,” ready to answer the call for assistance? ifiere were the Roundheads who slew the Koyalists and praised God for the opportunity or doing so. and wrote history large in the old world and also as exiles in the new. But the men who made the mdse beat quicker were the Guardsmen of the eighteenth century. Their display was the outstanding feature of the procession. There was the studied march, the rigid right, hand, the old style of movement, but with marked the traditions of a famous Itritish regiment. iUc drill and 77ic whole deportment of the Old Guard, under Captain ‘'Bon” wore indeed most striking.

While dip procession was moving slowly round the ground to the music of several bands present, pupils of the Y.M.C.A., under Mr •!. V. Hanna, gave a gymnastic display. Tim procession and this display concluded. 96 pupils of the Girls’ High School, under Mr J. P. Xorthey, marched on to the ground and gave some attractive dumbbell work Each dumbbell was deco-

rated with blue and white ribbons, and the ensemble as the dumbbells were swung bv the girls was most effective. Elizabeth and her retinue then returned to (he arena. The stately queen took her place on the throne, and “ye knights of aide” then essayed tojousl before her to (he accompaniment of ‘‘By my halidom.” “Marry me,” “Have at thee,” and so on. in the recognised style. The armoured knights tried to ply their spears with more or less good or bad results, and the spectators rewarded them with shrieks of laughter and thunders of applause. Many a doughty blow was delivered (or missed) and many a spear splintered- —or should it be their pole snapped in two. There was just an element of danger in this part of the programme, not only to the horsemen, but also to the hundreds of children packed around the ground. It was claimed that most of the steeds were past the ago of sprightliness, but one felt at times that they might gallop into the children The cannonicrs of the fourteenth century —the original ancestors of our modern artillery—paraded and went through the movements of firing their “big” guns with meticulous attention to detail, and then a number of machine-gunners gave a realistic demonstration of the advance in the methods of destruction by gun fire. A pretty maypole dance by the Dunedin State school children (under Miss J. 11. Dixon) was the next item to attract the attention of the spectators, and last came the most effective and sriking performance of the day. Ino Guards came out and vyenl through the ceremony of guard-mounting as carried out bv the Guards at St. James’s Palace m 1790. This concluded, the Old Guard proceeded to hand down its colours to the New Guard - a squad of diggers with tin hats, rifles, and general accoutrements. The ceremony was most impressive, and was a piece of dramatic and sentimental staging which could not fail to win the admiration of those who grasped the underlying thought. A double climax came when tlie Diggers went through the ceremony of passing on the colours to a squad of cadets. The cadets wore played on by the bugle band, and this band played off the three squads. The different stylo of ’ marching of the Old Guards and that of the Diggers and cadets was most marked, the Old Guard very straight, right hand rigid, and maybe a little stiff; the others swinging along with a longer stride. OPENING CEREMONY. A raagnavox had been placed inside the ring in front of the grand stand on the western side of the ground, and it was from this point that the opening ceremony was performed. The Mayor (Mr H. L. Tapicy) said it afforded him very great pleasure to be present that afternoon to take part in the official opening of the military pageant. The pageant was. ho said, a unique event in the history of the city of Dunedin as it was in the history of the province of Otago. They were to be given the opportunity of seeing the navy and the army right through the ages up to the present day. They would also be given, an oppor-

tunity of seeing: what war was like in these modern days. Apart from the spectacular nature of the display those responsible for its production had not forgotten that there was an educative value attaching to it, and they did not require to be told—not oven the children—that this groat Empire of ours had been built up by the achievements of the navy and army. Representatives of the great heroes who had built up the British Empire would bo seen there that djy and up till Wednesday evening next. The objects of the pageant were twofoldfirst to raise funds to augment those already received for the Dunedin War Memorial, and, secondly, to remind New Zealanders that they were descendants of a valiant race with ari age-long history. He sincerely hoped that those objects would bo achieved. When Mr Dampen announced the fact that these uniforms and equipment were available. the War Memorial Committee immediately seized upon the idea, and entered into the movement, with an energy and earnestness which did the members credit. He felt sure that the objects the War Memorial Committee had in view would be achieved, and that a monument worthy of the city would bo erected. They had with them that day a gentleman nnd a soldier of whom they were all proud— Major-general C. W. Melvill, General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Forces, who had recently been promoted to this important position.—(Applause.) Prior to the war Major-general Melvill’s interest's were in Dunedin, as he had been engaged farming in Otago. They were alt very proud of (he fact that ono_ of themselves had risen lo the high position which Major-general Melvill now occupied. He had much pleasure in calling on him, Major-general Melvill, to declare the pageant open. —(Applause.) MAJOR-CENTCB A L MELVILL’S ADDRESS.

Major-general Melvill said lio had to thank the Mayor for giving him the opportunity of declaring the military pageant open. He onlv hoped that the function thev were holding would be ns great a success as had been a similar function roomily held in Wellington. Not only was the military pageant in Wellington a great success financially, but the enormous crowds which witnessed’it thoroughly enjoyed seeing the army and navy right down through the ages to the territorials and cadets of to-day. The amount of work necessary to the success of such a function was enormous and he could not avoid the opportune y of thanking and complimenting the territorials and cadets for what they had done in this respect. Notwithstanding that drill was practically completed for the year they had come forward voluntarily to take part in that great pageant. He had much pleasure in declaring the pageant open, and called upon the bugle band to sound the reveille.—(Loud and prolonged applause.) The playing of the National Anthem brought a memorable afternoon's entertainment to a conclusion.