Evening star., 1939-12-06
King George 1ramps
Through French Mud
In Visiting Troops
Ruler Questions Pilots
About Flights Over
Reich and Routes Used

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About Flights Over
Reich and Routes Used
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.
WITH THE BRITISH FORCES
IN FRANCE, Dec. 6 (N.A.NA.-By
radiO After his first night In
France at the Chateau Of Viscount
Gort, the British commander in
chief, King George vi, set out at
$50 yesterday morning for a long
day with his army and air force in
the field.
The weather was unutterably bad,
as we know 1t out here, with a
heavy rain that hardly slackened
all day long and cold wind blow
ing hard and chilling us all to the
bone despite raincoats and pull
overs.
The King, again In a field mar
Shal's uniform and with a gas
mask across his shoulders, walked
about lot during the day, cross
ing muddy fields on narrow duck
boards and testing the quality and
quantity of the mud hereabouts by
sliding through it to blockhouses
along our line of defense and into
gun pits where our batteries stand
in a slough OF despond.
Cheers for King.
The troops awaiting him along
the road and in battalion forma-
ton at various points are now
hardened to the weather and were
warmed by the sight of the King,
who had come to see how they
lived. As he passed each company
the officers commanding shouted,
Three cheers for his majesty, the
King" and those cheers were given
with tremendous enthusiasm. There
were a number of cars in the royal
procession, preceded by motor cy-
clists, but the King slowed down
when passing many units and got
out frequently to walk down the
line.
The civilian population In the
little villages behind the line quick
ly learned that the King was COM
ing, and small groups gathered to
shout "Vive lie roi" There were
many groups of French school chill
dren, with nuns and village cures
among them. They waved union
jacks and the tricolor and had a
special smile and salute from the
King himself.
One of his first visits in the morn
ing, accompanied by Lord Gort and
many other high officers, was to one
of the airdromes Of the Royal Air
Force. Some of us waiting for the
King to arrive took shelter in little
canteen which is always crowded
with pilots before and after their
flights. One of them with whom I
chatted holds the Victoria Cross
from the last war, in which he lost
a leg. The leg was buried by his
comrades under the impression that
was all that was left Of him, and
the story goes that, when he came
out to the new war, he laid q
wreath on its grave as a private
joke. He was among those who
stood at salute when the King ar
rived.
Pilots Questioned.
In a large hangar, the staff of an
air squadron stood with groups of
pilots and representatives OF the
R. A. F. The King questioned some
of them about a flight over Ger
many and was interested in the
route they had taken and other de-
tails. Then he walked down double
line of our reconnaissance and
bombing machines and knew a great
deal about their type and power.
The commander-in-chief was in
terested in a small moth machine
standing at the end of a line of
giants, and delighted the pilot by
saying, II learned to fly in one OF
those" letting out a fact unknown
to the army.
During the morning, the King
travelled many miles down long, wet
roads lined with poplars and halted
often to inspect troops in villages
and in the countryside. A number
of troops were drawn up on each
side road, and the King walked
down their lines, and was pleased
as all could see, by the warmth Of
their cheers after his inspection.
All through the day ne was in
great good humor, chatting and
laughing with the commander in
chief and the officers about him
At one point group Of anti-alr-
craftsmen, digging in a field, drop
ped their spades and came cheering
to the road as the royal car passed.
The King next saw one of our
batteries Of 25-pounders and went
in single file with the other officers
down the duckboards across the
slough of mud.
King Ignored Weather.
Thousands of men who saluted
him as he went on his way into
the villages leading to our line OF
defense represented many English
Scottish and Irish battalions and
! units of our own mechanical army