Evening star., 1939-05-27
5000 Service Men
To Provide Escort
For Royal Pair
Good Show to Be Given
King and Queen in
Parade Here June 8

More than 5000 soldiers, sailors
and marines will take over" the
strip of downtown Washington be-
tween Union Station and the White
House to provide spectacular mill
tary display and escort for Great
Britain's King and Queen June 8,
orders issued by headquarters of the
Washington Provisional Brigade dis
closed today.
The military forces will serve a
double purpose-to furnish the
proper honors and good show" for
the first reigning British sovereigns
ever to visit this country and to
keep the record breaking crowd of
half million persons expected to
Jam the royal visitors route that
day from getting too close to them.
Participating in the military phase
Of the reception will be the Army,
Navy and Marine Bands, 1900 Ma
rines, 500 Bluejackets and these
Army forces: 18th and 34th Infantry
Regiments, 5th Engineers. 1st bat
talon of the 18th Field Artillery, 2nd
squadron and four scout cars of the
Bird Cavalry, machine gun troop of
the 10th Cavalry, headquarters COM
pany, detachment of 81 light tanks
of the 66th Infantry and a detach-
ment of Air Corps planes.
To Stand With Fixed BayOnets.
Most of the troops will stand with
fixed bayonets to form guard lines
along each side Of the royal visitors
route from the time they step from
their train at Union Station at II
am. until they reach the White
House at noon. while others will
move in parade as an escort for
Their Majesties.
The most spectacular phase of the
reception will be at Union Station,
where the King and Queen will walk
through double line of 200 marines
and so blue jackets from their train
to the presidential reception room
to be greeted by President and Mrs
Roosevelt
Then when the party emerges from
the reception room the Marine
Band will sound the ruff1es and
f1ourishes and play the national
anthems of Great Britain and the
United States as hundreds of troops
on Union Station Plaza stand at
attention. AS soon as the music
ceases battery of artillery stationed
in the plaza will fire salute of 81
guns. This will be the signal for
the cavarly escort to start moving
at a trot toward the Capitol, begin
ming the parade to the White House
Navy Band in Center
The Navy Band will be posted in
the center of the east plaza of the
Capitol, with a detachment of blue
Jackets forming loop around the
plaza. The band will play Anchors
Aweigh' as the parade passes around
the loop.
The Army Band will be in front
Of the Sherman Monument in Sher-
man Square, with regimental bands
posted at intervals all along the line
of march, with instructions to play
appropriate British and American
music from the time they are posted
until the parade passes.
The parade will include the 81
Army tanks as a part of a mech
anized escort, cavalry troops and
the Bird Cavalry Band, the artillery
battalion, scout cars and police
escort.
The detachment of 1900 marines,
less those posted at Union Station,
will form lines along both sides of
Delaware avenue from Union Sta
ton Plaza to Constitution avenue
and along Constitution to New
Jersey avenue and from First to
Fourth streets NV.
The 5th Engineers will take posi-
tions along both sides of Pennsyl-
vania avenue from Fourth street to
Ninth street, from where the 34th
Infantry will line the curbs to Fif-
teenth street. The 18th Infantry
and Headquarters Company then
will line the route along Treasury
place to the south entrance of the
White House. with a rife battalion
of three companies posted in the
eOuCn grOunQS OF lne Wnlle HOUSE.
To Present Arms.
Troops lining the route of march
will present arms" individually in
succession as the police escort head
ing the parade passes, and will main
tain this position until the entire
parade passes.
All the military detachments will
be in position by 1890 am, half an
hour before the royal train arrives
and half an hour after District off,
cials have cleared the parade route
of all traffic.
Before it joins the parade, the
artillery battalion will be posted
generally in the outer drive of Union
Station Plaza, facing Columbus
Monument, with its left at Della
ware avenue The saluting battery
will be placed along the outer curb
of the plaza, between Delaware and
Louisiana avenues.
Throughout the reception and
parade, the detachment of Army
airplanes will be laundering over
head.
The entire program closely fol-
lows plans developed and tested in
the reception to Nicaraguan Presi-