The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-08-16
KING GEORGE SPENDS
WEEK WITH TROOPS
As Precautionary Measures His Visit
Was Kept a Secret and the Mon
arch Went About Almost
Unreeognized.

With the British army in France, via
London, Aug l6.-king George has beer
at the front for week. lie left yester
day for England and his departure was
the first information that the majority
OF the troops had of his presence As a
matter of precaution the visit was kept
secret and there was no display or
! big reviews as on the occasion of his
visit last fall
The king simply went about seeing
! all sections of the army at work and
the fields il had won. The flutter of a
bit of bunting bearing the royal coat Of
arms as motor car sped along the road
in clouds of dust and motor truck driv-
ers and passing battalions started and
looked around exclaiming. "the king
The Price of Wales was with the king
all the time. The monarch was dressed
in khaki with the crossed batons of
field marshal on his shoulders and the
prince wore the uniform of a lieutenant
in the grenadier guards.
At one point on the line the king met
Gen. Sir Henry Rawlinson. commander
of the fourth army which delivered the
main attack, and Major General Con-
greve, whose corps stormed Montauban
and Mametz. Alighting from his auto
mobile near Fricourt the king went into
the first line of trenches from which the
British made their charge. "Now / will
breast the parapet as my men did" he
said, mounting il. He walked across the
81 NJ nd ba aTact q
of the British she'll fire on the mass of
fortihcations and trenches which the
British had wrested from the Germans. !
Standing on the edge of big she'll
crater the king looked with sailors
telescope he was carrying across the
of desoation toward Pozieres, |
the Bazentine, Longueyal and Delville |
wood He watched the curls of black /
smoke which signiied that the German t
guns were busy, while nearby him a
battery OF British guns was sending
screaming answers.
You seem to have missed that" he
said to General Rawlinson, indicating
silver of wall still standing in Mametz.
But there is nothing that is not down
n La Boissel as you will see, Your Ma
tslN, Sdiu btHcIdi hdNllilsbb w
improve as we advance"
A dramatic moment occurred as the
ting was walking across field swept
" British charge. He came to |
rave at the bottom of a shell crater
With cross bearing the inscription !
Unknown British soldier" Both the
ing and the Prince of Wales halted
nd saluted the cross.
In common with all visitors the king
ook away some souvenirs in the shape
/ empty shell cases and bits of German
quipment As he was leaving the field ;
he soldiers OF the reserve, the trans
ort men, gunners on relief and Others
a the neighborhood followed him until
here was large crowd around the
arty before they entered their automo.
lie. Somebody called for three cheers
Or the king which were given with
ill.,
Sir Douglas Haig, as the kings host, :
Did him what was worth seeing during J
is visit and then the king laid out his /
wn program each day. This led him to
ave look at town which had been t
1elled recently by guns of big calibre. .
e and the prince went about leisurely
the enormous craters in the v
luare and the ruins OF the old town
ALL
When the king visited the men of the
cottish division, which had seen such
'sperate fighting at Delville or Devils
ood" the survivors of the South Afri G
ms gave him the Zulu war cry. He
anaged to see something of all kinds
the soldiers fighting under the Brit n,
h flag, from the Scotch, English and :
ish to the troops from overseas. A ~
achine company of the Lancashires in J, y
st quarters on French farm was u
ost surprised of all by his visit. Lead r
G the way he walked into barn with ~
crooked beams and plaster walls and g :,
ter of straw on which the men were q
ing after their turn on the firing line.
le most amazed of the company was =
e soldier with a healthy snore who ~
as the last of those asleep to awaken. y; Va
mixing and rubbing his eyes he looked ~
to see the face of the king. At first
refused to believe that some trick was ei
t being played on him, then convinced, &c
scrambled to his feet while the king az
oke out laughing 70 70