Military Pageant at Auckland Domain

[Dave Homewood]

This sounds like it would have been quite a fascinating event to attend:

New Zealand Herald > 4 December 1926

MILITARY PAGEANT.

ATTRACTION AT AUCKLAND.

SETTINGS USED AT WEMBLEY.

VARIED BRILLIANT DISPLAYS.

A military pageant and searchlight tattoo on a scale never hitherto attempted in the Dominion and rivalling pageants of a similar nature seen in England in recent years, will be presented in Auckland next month.

The pageant comes to Auckland from the Wembley Exhibition, where it stood alone in its magnificence among the many spectacular scenes of the stadium. Between 1500 and 2000 performers will take part in reproducing the chief tableaux of the Empire pageant at Wembley, and, in addition, there will be musical drives by artillerymen and mounted rifle units, physical drill and guard items, torchlight evolutions and a magnificent display of fireworks.

The pageant is to be presented at the Domain each evening from January 22 to 29, and, with the full dress uniforms I of the Guards, the Royal Artillery, the Hussars and the Royal Air Force, it promises to be a gay spectacle.

Searchlights, spotlights, floodlights and foots lights will be used to illuminate the grounds. The uniforms and the settings from Wembley are on the steamer Mahana, now at Auckland. The most striking scene of the pageant will be the Soldiers of the King." It is evening. The different bands come playing into the barrack-yard, where they are dismissed to their quarters. Lights out is sounded by the buglers as the light fades in the glow of the setting sun on the barrack walls. There is nothing but the faint light of the lantern shining on the sentries on guard.

Some Impressive Effects.
In the distance comes through the night the din of battle, the rumbling of cannon, the pattering of machine-guns, the spitting of rifles and bursting of bombs, while coloured Verey lights illumine the sky. The light shines blue and opalescent on a cloud of smoke, through which is seen a glimpse of splintered waggons, derelict guns, sandbags, wire entanglements, the debris of war.

A faint Reveille is heard, and from the past of eight years ago comes through the smoke a company of battle-stained soldiers, a lonely band. Some of them have their feet wrapped in old sandbags. Some are limping on sticks, others are roughly bandaged. They wander in a vague crowd to the distant strains of "Tipperary." Only a tired group of stragglers round a waggon., coming out of the line, back to a rest area.

And in the distance they see the sentries in the barrack-yard, and gradually appears the figure of St. George, in glistening armour, his banner aloft. As they see him, with faint, tired voices the stragglers cheer to encourage each other on to rest at his feet, They beckon toward the smoke of battle, and from out of it, to the well remembered melodies of the war, flows in a procession brave with colours the Union Jack, the White Ensign, the Royal Air Force Ensign, regimental colours and the colours of the Dominions and colonies.

Those, with an array of sailors, soldiers, airmen, cavalry and guns, stream, into the arena. And, as the colours of the Great War reach the barracks, on the top are seen gathered the campaigners of the past. The colours of the Normans, the Crusaders, the men of Agincourt, the Armada, of Cavaliers and Roundheads, of Marlborough, Olive and Woods, of the Peninsular and Crimean Wars, of Gordon, with those of Nelson end his sailors, glow in the light as they are lowered in salute to the colours of the Great War grouped below.

Splendour of Final Scene.
To the trampling of the feet of soldiers from the past up to those serving their King and country today, the strains of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" throb through the air. The colours of the war group themselves round the pedestal of §t. George, and down comes a body of those whose active service for their country is finished and those whoso service is just beginning - the Chelsea pensioners and cadets. An old pensioner comes forward leading a cadet by the hand; toward St. George he takes him and hands to him the shield of St. George with its Red Cross emblazoned. "Carry On" is what he seems to say, and as the melody of "Abide With Me, Fast Falls the Eventide" is heard, a dim, distant picture is seen, of white crosses standing among Flanders' poppies.

A roll of drums and, to the Royal Saints, the splendour of "God Save the King" fills the air. Among the other notable spectacles in the pageant four hundred cadets are to present torchlight evolutions, the sole illumination being the coloured torches each one will carry.

Four six-horse teams of artillery will take part in a musical drive and mounted men will plait a maypole. There will be tent-pegging at blazing pegs and marching and physical drill displays by cadets and the girls of the Auckland Inter-house Association. There will also be a pageant of Britannia and the queens of history, the competition for which is now being conducted by the territorial and cadet units.

The music is to he provided by a large band 100 strong. The pageant will also be staged at Wellington and Christchurch. In Auckland it is being organised by a special committee under the Military Sports Association.

[Dave Homewood]

New Zealand Herald, 22 January 1927

MILITARY PAGEANT.

FULL DRESS REHEARSAL.

ARMY THROUGH THE AGES.

SPECTACLE AT NARROW NECK.

A clear indication of the treat in store for Aucklanders next week when the grand military pageant and searchlight tattoo will take place on the Auckland Domain was given at the full-dress rehearsal at the Narrow Neck camp yesterday morning.

All the might and power of the British Army through the ages was vividly portrayed in the display. Before the general assembly at the parade ground some amusing scenes were witnessed among the tent lines of some of the territorials engaged in donning the historical uniforms and properties borrowed from England. The anachronism of ancient dress and modern speech and actions among the men was at times intensely humorous. Soon, however, after much adjustment of wigs, fingering of cravats and bracing of doublet and hose the party was ready for its strenuous morning's work on the parade ground.

From the Saxon Onwards. Shortly after nine o'clock all units were gathered in their respective positions. Each group of soldiers of the various periods marched to a centre point representing the grandstand at the Domain and then branched out taking up their positions to right and left.

First came the serried ranks of the Saxon legions who were followed by mounted crusaders in chain mail bearing flowing pennons. This section of the mounted men made a particularly fine sight. Most -of the horses were the property of the men and had been well trained. Following them were Normans with high helmets and protective nose-pieces, halberdiers and pikemen in brightly-coloured raiment, musketeers with arquebuses, Ironsides in leather jerkins, troops of the Marlborough period in long periwigs and plumed beavers and hussars who guarded England's destiny at the time of the Young Pretender. •Lastly came the guards — past, present and future.

The old guards of the Waterloo epoch marched splendidly in the stiff fashion of a century ago. The modern guard, represented by territorials, are specialists in marching and are so efficient that they have been selected to form a guard of honour for the Duke of York. Technical College cadets comprise the guard of the future. The whole performance was most spectacular, and has been prepared on a scale of magnificence and magnitude hitherto unknown in Auckland.

A Test of Endurance.
Time and time again the different sections were required to repeat their performance and none of them was allowed to lose sight of the fact that they represented a certain type and had to maintain the characteristics peculiar to that type. Considering the heat of the day and the exigencies of the training the men and boys stood the test very well. Although a fair estimate of how the pageant proper will be carried out was given the conditions at the Domain during the evenings of next week will be more conducive to the attainment of perfection. In the cool night air with grass instead of rough ground to march on and with the accompaniment of music from massed bands success should be assured.

The sterling qualities of those taking part were referred to by Major W. C. Finnis, staff-officer-in-charge of No. 1 Regimental District in the course of an inspection during the rehearsal. t You have all responded well," said Major Finnis, addressing the men. The success of the whole pageant depends on you, and I am sure it will be excellent in every way if the standard of this morning's work is maintained. It is going to be a trial of endurance, but I know it will be carried through in true army fashion. With the co-operation of the permanent staff and the trainees everything should go like a well-oiled machine."

The director and organiser of the pageant is Lieutenant T. P. Laffey, N.Z.S.C. Four 2500 candle-power searchlights have been installed at the Domain and a special power-station for generating electricity has been erected. At Epsom four six-horse team* have been training assiduously for the musical drive which will be one of the distinctive features of the display. Other work in connection with building fortifications and scenery is being advanced at the Drill Hall.

PROCESSION IN CITY.

KEEN INTEREST OF PUBLIC.

Great public interest was manifested in the city last evening when a procession of several units who will take part in the military pageant marched from the foot of Queen Street to Newmarket. Safety zones and the pavements of the streets en route were crowded with people and at a number of points in Queen Street traffic had to be suspended for a few minutes. The procession was headed by the Guards' Band in full dress uniform and was followed by two. six-horse teams with limbers and guns. Each artillery-man, attired in the picturesque fashion of the famous "Royal Artillerie," whose name made history at Waterloo and Quatre Bras, sat erect and motionless on his horse or waggon.

They made a fine sight as they thundered through the main street of a modern city—a sight, which stirred the blood of all who recalled the splendid qualities of those past heroes who fought and won for the glory of the Empire.

None the less impressive were the representatives of England's past soldiery who. mounted on two motor-trucks, stood firmly at attention. Each man carried the Royal Standard of the period from the time of Richard-coeur-de-lion to the days of Wellington. Behind all rode an officer of the present-day New Zealand Mounted Rifles.

A feature of the march which drew much cheering from the public were the Mount Albert Grammar Schoolboys, who terminated the procession. With raised chins, swinging arms and martial step they made n fine picture of efficiency.

THE OPENING EVENT.

GYMKHANA AT EPSOM.

The first important event in connection with the military pageant will be the gymkhana at the Epsom Showgrounds this afternoon. The display is being given by members of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, who are combining their annual sports, usually held at the close of camp, with the gymkhana.

Foremost among the events will be the spectacular musical drive, which will also form one of the chief attractions at the Domain rest week. In this several horse teams will perform some of the most difficult manoeuvres known in the army. Demonstrations by the field artillery, who have been training hard in camp this week, should also prove a popular feature.

Other interesting events include races, field defences display, artillery night alarm, figure marching, tent pegging by sections, contests for the Lloyd-Lindsay Cup, vaulting horse display, musical chairs, Victoria Cross rescue race, tilting at the ring- and wrestling on horseback. The demolition competition, in which all the realism of modern warfare will be depicted, should also be well worth watching. In addition local cadet companies will give exhibitions of physical drill and marching.

[Dave Homewood]

New Zealand Herald, 26 January 1927

MILITARY PAGEANT.

A WONDERFUL TRADITION OF BRITISH ARMY.

DOMAIN AS HUGE STAGE.

It is no exaggeration to call the Auckland military pageant a triumph of enterprise and organisation. Nothing like it has been seen here before, but everyone who witnessed the first performance last night will hope that many mere spectacles of the same kind may be arranged in years to come.

The pageant has entailed an immense amount of work. There are no fewer than 1500 performers, and a great mass of properties and apparatus has to be handled. To increase the difficulties, the whole spectacle is presented under the handicap of darkness. Yet, with all the special trials of a first night, everything went off almost without mishaps or delay. The staff-work must have been truly excellent, worthy, indeed, of a real war.

The purpose of the pageant is to raise funds for the Auckland Military Sports Association and for the military bands. The association exists to promote athletic sports, outdoor games and social life among territorials and cadets. It holds annual sports meetings, encourages, cricket and football teams, and provides a clubroom and a lending library. Its aim is to make the trainees not only good soldiers, but also good citizens in every sense.

No Militaristic Desire.
"It is in no spirit of vainglorious boasting, and still less with a desire to encourage militarism by a display of martial strength," says the official programme, that this pageant is presented to you. The association desires to raise funds, not to turn the manhood of the country into a more efficient fighting machine, but to make it better aware of, and more fitted to undertake, its civil responsibilities. This assurance is more than borne out by the pageant itself. While exalting the great deeds of the British Army, it presents some of the darker side—wounds, suffering and death. The whole is inspired by a true, liberal and even religious patriotism.

It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful setting than that in which last night's spectacle was staged. The green amphitheatre of the Domain cricket ground could not be surpassed for such a show. There was an ideal natural background in the tree-studded hill opposite the grandstand. At the foot of this rise had been built a representation of a castle. The greensward in front was the stage.

Lighting was provided upon a scale unknown before. On the roof of the grandstand were eight powerful floodlight projectors, all capable of being moved, and many yards away on either side were great military searchlights — four in all—operated by men from the Garrison Artillery.

Turned on simultaneously, these lights made the whole ground as bright as day. Controlled by an elaborate system of field telephones, they were used to obtain a wonderful range of different effects.

Cadets as Fort Guards
In due course a call was sounded, and the Union Jack was unfurled upon the battlements. The massed bands, 120 strong, under Lieutenant. G. F. Cater, played Suppe's well-known "Light Cavalry" overture. Then from the castle gate emerged the Technical College trumpet band;, dressed in the uniform of Foot Guards, to a match. The lads had been well drilled, and the smartness of their movements would have done credit to regulars.

The lights, were put out, and the massed bands were next discovered drawn up by some magic in perfect formation a way out on. the green. They performed first a slow march and then a quickstep — a really excellent piece of work considering the difficulty of good drill by such a large body of musicians.

Then came the mounted men's turn. A long row of torches was stuck in the ground, and a dozen riders with lances, galloping along the row, tried to impale the blazing objects. How the horses cooperated without playing up was a mystery to the onlooker, but many flaming trophies were borne off on the lance points.

The fireworks display, which followed, was easily the finest seen in Auckland for many years. An extraordinary variety of rockets and bombs was sent into the air, many so brilliant as to dazzle the eye completely.

Mounting the Guard.
The first really military spectacle was a representation of guard-mounting. Guards from the First Battalion, Auckland Regiment and the Mount Albert Grammar School senior cadets marched out from the castle and formed up facing each other. Then a drum was heard beating, and out there came a guard of eighteenth century infantry, marching with the stiff old-time goose-step. The new guards saluted it. A sergeant of senior cadets went forward from before the grandstand, and the officer of the old guard handed over to him for a minute or so the standard he carried, typifying the passing on of tradition from the old army to that of to-day.

One of the finest events of the evening was the musical drive by the Royal Now Zealand Artillery, with four 18-pounders and six-horse teams from the Northern Field Artillery Depot. This has already been described. Carried out at night, under the glare of searchlights, it was an even more wonderful display of consummate skill and training.

The gentler sex had its place in the pageant, first in an exhibition of physical exercises by the inter-house girls, nearly a hundred strong, who made a kaleidiscopic mass of colour in their many-hued dresses, and later in the spectacle of Britannia and six British Queens —Boadicea, Betengaria, Margaret of Anjon, Anne, and Victoria with their maids of honour and military guards. The final tableau was really magnificent.

Other items were an exhibition quickstep by the Artillery Band, the plaiting of a maypole by mounted riflemen in old dress, and a clever torchlight march.

"Soldiers of the King."
The finale, an adaptation of the Wembley display, "Soldiers of the King," was as worthy a climax as it was possible to imagine. "Retreat" was sounded, the flag upon the castle was hauled down and bands and troops counter-marched upon the green. Then the lights died out, and the sound of firing was heard on the left. A single dim searchlight showed a battle scene, with rifle and machine-gun fire and flares going up. From the smoke came a band of weary men in khaki, most of them staggering with wounds and the shock of battle.

Another light revealed St George in armour upon the castle wall. The soldiers made their way toward him, and sank upon the ground at his feet, some in attitudes of death. Then out of the castle marched trim companies of infantry and cadets, mounted riflemen, artillery, and other troops. These formed up on either side to greet the old army as it came upon the 'stage —Saxons, Normans, Crusaders, bowmen, musketeers and many more, down to the infantrymen of Victorian days. The standards were assembled and all dipped in homage to St. George and the stricken men of the Great War.

The massed bands played "Onward Christian Soldiers." The tune changed to "Abide With .Me." and a searchlight illumined a group of white crosses beneath the trees on the hill behind. The National Anthem brought the pageant to a close.

The very greatest credit, is due to the chief marshal, Lieut T. P. Laffey, N.Z S.C., and his staff, especially Captain G. L. Clifton, M.C., N.Z.S.C. who was in charge of the lighting.

[Dave Homewood]

This sounds pretty amazing. I guess there's probably no photos nor film of this sadly as it was night time and not the best for photography back then.