Evening star., 1939-05-06
King George VI
And Queen Sail
For America
Roaring Farewell
!Given by Ships
And Crowds
By the Associated Press.

PORTSMOUTH, England, May 6.
king George vi and Queen Eliza
beth sailed today amid the thun-
dering farewell of saluting war
ships and shore batteries on their
precedent-breaking journey of more
than six weeks to Canada and the
United States.
Their vessel, the German built
Empress of Australia, sailed
promptly at pm. % am. E. S. t.
AS the mooring ropes were cast
off and tugs pulled the liners nose
slowly out from the dock, the King
and Queen stood watching the flag
decked warships in the harbor and
the cheering thousands of specta-
tors massed on the shore.
Frequently they waved as the ship
drew away and as the liner passed
through the narrow harbor mouth,
the roar of cheering and thunder
of salutes rolled out.
Trip One of Triumph.
The London to Portsmouth jour-
ney of King George, who will be
the first reigning British sovereign
to visit North America, and his
Queen was one of triumph.
Cheering crowds were massed
along the tightly-guarded route of
their special train and thousands on
thousands of Spectators greeted
their arrival at Portsmouth where
the sovereign received the golden
keys of the garrison.
Shouts of God bless you," Give
our love to America" and "A
happy voyage" broke through the
din Of cheering.
One group held up. a streamer
marked Tell Portsmouth, U. s. A.,
that old Portsmouth sends them
hearty greetings"
Among those who bade farewell
to the royal couple in London were
Prime Minister Chamberlain and
United States Ambassador Joseph
P. Kennedy.
Princesses in Party.
The daughters of the King and
Queen. Princess Elizabeth and Prin-
cess Margaret Rose, accompanied
the royal party to Portsmouth.
The young princesses used their
handkerchiefs to wave good-by to
their parents for nearly Is minutes
as the Empress of Australia left.
A shore band played God Save
the King" and a ship band played
% Canada"
Members of the royal family, in
cluding Queen Mother Mary, who
will celebrate her 72d birthday an
niversary while her son is away,
formed a semi-circle around the
princesses.
The Empress of Australia Is
scheduled to arrive May Is in Que
bee and the following day the royal
couple will leave on a transcontin-
entail tour. They will begin their
return trip through Canada from
Victoria on May 81 and win enter
the United States at Niagara Falls.
After visits in Washington, New
York and Hyde Park June 8-1l they
will return to Canada, sailing from
Halifax on June IS on the Empress
of Britain.
Repulse Escorts Liner.
The 320O0-ton battle cruiser Re-
pulse, originally selected to take
their Majesties across the Atlantic,
lowered over other vessels In Ports
mouth harhor
Escorted by the 9,10O-ton cruisers
Southampton and Glasgow, and
with the Repulse as an added escort
for part of the way. the Empress of
Australia headed West through the
English Channel.
Before she could turn into the
broad channel leading around the
Isle of Wight into the English
Channel, the liner had to thread
her way through more than a mile
OF narrow waterways. Added thou
sands of spectators there massed
the shores and cheered.
Outside the port, the vessel was
escorted in the channel to Portland,
powerful south coast naval base
where the major portion of the
British home fleet has been con-
(See KING, Page A-6)