Disorder at London Volunteers’ Reception
THE City of London Imperial Volunteers returned from South Africa on October 29, and in the reception given them by the inhabitants of London, as they marched through the streets, over two hundred persons were injured, and ten are reported to have lost their lives. The press report of the reception states that it “was a scene of unchecked saturnalia that met the eye. Fighting and swearing throngs struggled among themselves for the right of way. Policemen were borne helpless upon the tide of patriotic enthusiasm, whose invariable characteristic was drunkenness, partial or complete. London was turned over to the worst elements of its population. Many of the returning volunteers sought to disguise themselves in order to avoid the recognition of the crowd. As it was, several were nearly pulled to pieces by the rough embracings and hand-shakings of drunken men. After clearing one street, forty persons requiring the aid of the ambulance surgeons were left lying on the ground, several suffering from serious injuries.”