{"id":9865,"date":"2014-11-04T09:16:24","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T14:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.royalmontrealregiment.com\/?p=9865"},"modified":"2014-11-04T09:16:24","modified_gmt":"2014-11-04T14:16:24","slug":"royal-visitors-to-the-rmr-in-1914","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/royal-visitors-to-the-rmr-in-1914\/","title":{"rendered":"ROYAL VISITORS TO THE RMR IN 1914"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wednesday, November 4, 1914<\/em><\/p>\n

Camp Salisbury Plain, West Down South<\/em><\/p>\n

The Battalion War Diarist wrote for this day: \u201cDivision inspected by H.M. The King accompanied by the Queen, Earl Roberts, and Lord Kitchener.\u00a0 Weather fine and inspection passed off well.\u00a0 14th<\/sup> Bn. quickest to march off after inspection over.\u00a0 Reached camp before any of the other battalions.\u201d \u00a0[1]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"04<\/a><\/p>\n

\"04<\/a>ROYAL VISITORS TO THE DIVISION<\/strong>: \u00a0<\/strong>\u201cLondon, Nov. 4.\u00a0 King George and Queen Mary, accompanied by a small suite, to-day visited Salisbury Plain, where they inspected the Canadian troops who have been encamped there since their arrival in England.\u00a0 The King expressed pleasure at having the opportunity to welcome to the Mother Country this body of soldiers. \u201cTheir prompt rally to the Empire\u2019s call,\u201d said King George, \u201cis of inestimable value both to the fighting strength of my army and in the evidence it gives of the solidarity of the Empire.\u00a0 The general appearance and the physical standard of the different units are highly creditable, and I am glad to hear of the serious and earnest spirit which pervades all ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir Majesties motored to camp from Salisbury. Among those accompanying them were Lords Kitchener and Roberts, Hon. G.H. Perley and several of the War Office staff.\u00a0 The Royal visitors first went to Bustard Camp, where the divisional headquarters are situated.\u00a0 The King and the Queen shook hands with each member of the staff as they were presented.\u00a0 They then motored to Pond Farm accompanied by General Alderson and the Canadian staff.<\/p>\n

All along the route the troops with bayonets fixed, cheered the Royal motorists vociferously. On the King\u2019s express direction the journey was made at slow speed. The King saluted every few yards along the route.\u00a0 In the King\u2019s car was Lord Roberts, then followed Lord Kitchener, and the last car was occupied by the acting High Commissioner.\u00a0 Their Majesties spent about a couple of hours altogether in camp and afterwards proceeded by train to London.\u201d\u00a0 [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

The 14th<\/sup> Battalion history records:\u00a0 \u201cGlorious sunshine welcomed the King on this occasion, but the rain of the previous fortnight had left its mark on the troops, with the result that there was much coughing in the ranks.\u00a0 This was too much for the colour sergeant of one company, who, as the King approached, turned on his men despairingly.\u00a0 \u201cShut-up!\u201d he hissed, \u201cor the King will think you\u2019re a company of consumptives.\u201d\u00a0 Pride triumphed in response to this anguished appeal and, as the King eyed the rigid, motionless, and silent ranks, no suggestion of consumptive inferiority was conveyed to him.\u201d\u00a0 [5]<\/a><\/p>\n

[1] War Diary, 14th<\/sup> Canadian Battalion, The Royal Montreal Regiment, Nov 4, 1914.\u00a0 Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa,\u00a0http:\/\/data2.collectionscanada.ca\/e\/e044\/e001089676.jpg<\/a><\/pre>\n
[2]<\/a> \u00a0\u201cKing Reviews The Canadian Troops on Camp Ground,\u201d Montreal Daily Mail<\/em>, Thursday, November 5, 1914, pg. 2, col. 1.<\/pre>\n
[3] \u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/vimyridgehistory.com\/kit-1\/cda-rallies\/salisbury-plain\/images\/#gallery\/2198\/523\/0\n<\/a><\/pre>\n
[4]<\/a> \u00a0\u201cKing Reviews The Canadian Troops on Camp Ground,\u201d Montreal Daily Mail<\/em>, Thursday, November 5, 1914, pg. 2, col. 1.<\/pre>\n
[5]<\/a> \u00a0R.C. Featherstonhaugh, The Royal Montreal Regiment 14th<\/sup> Battalion C.E.F. 1914-1925, Montreal, The Gazette, Printing Co., Ltd., 1927, pg. 18.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wednesday, November 4, 1914 Camp Salisbury Plain, West Down South The Battalion War Diarist wrote for this day: \u201cDivision inspected by H.M. The King accompanied by the Queen, Earl Roberts,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-this-day-in-rmr-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmrmuseum.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}