EMPIRE PAYS HOMAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18923, 27 January 1936, Page 7

EMPIRE PAYS HOMAGE

Memory Of Loved King MYRIADS JOIN PILGRIMAGE Endless Stream For Two Days OVER QUARTER MILLION ,0F SUBJECTS

Eluc. Tel. Copyrißht—-United Press Assn.) Pec. January 27, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, January 2(5

Neither the rain nor the bitter wind yesterday stopped the procession of mourners to Westminster Hall, which was ever renewed, although-the fact that it extended a mile might have discouraged thousands who faced the slow shuffling march involving two hours spent on wet pavements.

As offices and workshops closed, the queue of mourners, six abreast, which later increased to ten abreast, was continually lengthened. All types of the Empire were represented." Sari-clad Indian women, negroes, omnibus drivers, tram drivers, and conductors still in uniform, labourers with toil-stained clothes, hundreds bemedalled, indicating that they Were ex-servicemen, white-haired widows, mothers wearing husband's or son's war medals mingled with fashion-ably-dressed women, typists, and shop' girls, the majority wearing black armlets in response .to the King's suggestion as to national mourning until after the funeral. The assembly of myriads of pilgrims, not only Londoners, but thousands arriving and descending from mud-splashed ears, indicating long drives from the country, in a continuous march of subjects, paying their last homage to their beloved King, was only once held up. It was when the King, Queen Mary and other Royalties, among whom was the Queen of Norway, who were thus for the first time seeing the King's coffin, arrived in the evening.

When Westminster Hall was closed shortly after midnight, the day's admissions totalled 150,770, making, with Friday's total, over 250,000. During the evening the mourners, traversed the hall at the rate of 12,000 an hour. As they departed from the hall many went to pray in Westminister Abbey.

Another queue immediately began to form for the reopening. Sunny conditions prevailed this morning, and by 10.15 o'clock the crowd extended from Westminster Hall over Vauxhall Bridge on to the xilbert Embankment. _ It included rich and poor, old and young, maimed old soldiers wearing medals, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, nurses, Salvation Army lasses and several blind people anxious to "sense" the. scene.