gb0551ms-33-60

Transcription

[Page] 60
[continued from page 59]

12th. Nov. 1918
Yesterday was truly a Red Letter Day in the Calendar
of the British Empire for on it the Armistice was
signed which brought hostilities to a close, and signified
the total defeat of Germany, and the passing of the
German Empire, as we have known it, with its creed
of militarism, and its sabre brandishing Emperor.
That individual abdicated on Saturday and fled
to Holland. On Saturday evening plenopotentiaries
from the German government arrived at the French
Head Quarters, & on Sunday morning or late on Sat. [Saturday] night received the
terms of the armistice from Marshall Foch. The
broken moral of the German armies, the abdica:
:tion of the Kaiser, and the reports of revolutionary
outbreaks in Germany, thoroughly prepared most
people for the acceptance of the Armistice terms
and when at 11. o'clock yesterday morning we heard
that the acceptance was an accomplished fact, and
that the war was at an end it was no sudden
surprise. An occasion for wild rejoicing, however
it certainly was, and Edinburgh really let itself
go in a way I have never seen it do before. There
were the pent up feelings of joy untrammeled by
any grim forebodings, to be let loose. Hardly had
the news been received in the city when the fog
-horns on the ships in the Forth began to boom,
Church bells rang out, aeroplanes in numbers

appeared overhead rushing hither & thither in joyous flight,
firing vèry lights, and behaving in as frolicsome a way
as an aeroplane can. Shouting & laughter came
from all directions, workers were let loose, & crowded
in to Princes Street, flags appeared in all directions, not
only on buildings but in the hands of most of the women
& children along the streets. Every one was full of jollity & fun
and there was no rowdiness. In the afternoon
I walked home by Princes St. about 4.30. The pave:
/ment was crowded densely and so was the roadway,
almost up to the tramlines. It was a glorious
day so for once our weather lent aid to the hilarity.
At night we went to the opera, 'Magic Flute'.
We sang "God Save the King", after which the curtain
rose showing the stage crowded with the performers,
who, amidst great enthusiasm, sang Elgar's "Land of
Hope & Glory". When we got out of the theatre we found
that all the trams had been taken off on account
of the crowded streets. In Princes St. the crowd
indulged in ring dancing and I hear that a
throng surrounded the police man on the points at
the end of Hanover St. and danced round him till
he grew giddy. A sailor wearing a Union Jack climbed
onto Wellington's Statue in front of the Register House,
& settled himself on the shoulders of the statue,
while an American tar took a place with the Stars
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