The stands and enclosures filled rapidly and, long before thee Sta rode on, every seat mas occupied, people "had clambered up the bamboo-work of the pony stalls to precarious points of vantage, and, beyond the stands, the band-stand, the mounds, even' grass-rollers, oF anything that gave the chance of a jew over the heads of the crowd was possession of eager spectators. There were some 3,000 men on parade, and at least three times as many" spectators—probably more, Ie would be impossible to attempt to name even a representative body of those in the official enclosure, for everyone of importance seemed to be there—naval, military, and consular officers of all nations, judges, Municipal Councillors, clergy; inced, everyone, A body of nurses in uniform made a picturesque group and it was noticed that many' veterans of the Great War wore their decorations and medals. In front of the official stand was a roped-off saluting base,. with the Union Jack at the masthead ready, to be broken, and, so correct was the parade, down to the last detail, that the slack of the hallinrds w coiled neatly on the ground—and whitewashed!
Punctually at 845 am, Sit Sidney Barton, setting an example which perhaps not all of His Majesty's Consuls-General may cara to follow, rode on the parade-ground on a spirited horse, with Major= Gendial A. E, Wardrop and his, Staff, Capt. A,'L, Snagge, of H. S. Cumberland," representing the Royal Navy. Warned by a single note from a mounted bugler (as vith all subsequent movements, owing to the length of the line) the parade was, brought smartly to, attention, The Congul-General rodq the length of both front and rear lines, inspecting the troops, then cantered to the saluting base and took post there. Ammediately the Union Jack was broken and from the rate track to the southeast of the Loongfei Gate, where four gung of the 4.5 Howitzer Battery, V. Cy had gone into action, boomed out the first of a 21-gun salute. On the parade-groand the order had been given for the firing of a feurde-join, by the units in the front line, and, after the seventh, fun, the Fiflesfire rattled from one end of the long line to the other in most effective and impressive style, being repented after every seventh gun, with the bands playing a verse Gf the National Anthem after each, burst of rifle fire, This completed, the parade con® The March Past
by units in column of companies for what always is the most, popula, evolution for spectutors—the marek past. With the massed bands leads ing, followed by Brigadier 0, Cy Barrett (who was in command of the parade) and his staff, this was A most impressive spectacle. By custom and by usage, the Royal Navy, of course, were' in the van, and there was a row of es the healthy and hi swung by, but the spectators by that time were well avorked up and ever, realest Ordnance Corps and Pay, Corps got as much applause as any, others. Shanghai, not wnnatucally, reserved its throat for its own particular men and was more that delighted that they fully merited
deserve to be picked out, they shoul the applause they received. If any be the Light Horse, and never let it be said again that the China pony is an uncontrollable, fractious brute, for the Household Cavalry, the Queen's Bi ys, the Scots Grey! or any others one cares to name ould not have gone by in a better Tine. As for the Sikhs, they were Just what they always. are—immensee ly proud of themselves and of the chance to pay public homage to the King-Emperor, and from the gallant, old G5-year veteran who never misses stich a parade down to the youngest of them they swaggered, like the born soldiers they are, For dramatic. effect the 2nd Battalion The Suffolk Regiment! carried the honours of the marelt hast. Dating back to 1743, the Kuffolke "Roviment have had honour of wear bonnets on the King's Birthday, int commemoration of the last occasion ish sovereign led his troops into battle—King Georgel I's exploit at Dettingen, where the Regiment was especially. associated, im. All ranks. sported red and white roses in their topees, the drums avera decked with them, and the colours were surmounted with wreath of them—and every man of the Battalion showed that he fully, realized he had something more, than any ether on parade. The march past followed the same ordi fs the parade given: above, excel that, the Light Iorse followed Royal Army Pay Con
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.