Thames, like any New Zealand town, always looked forward to a special visit by a dignitary - a chance to showcase the town they were so proud of. The town would be busy preparing banners and flags to adorn local buildings. The hospital in 1921 suitably dressed the entrance to welcome the Governor General to the Thames Hospital on Baillie Street.
Photo below: THE VISIT OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL TO THAMES: HIS EXCELLENCY PHOTOGRAPHED WITH THE HOSPITAL STAFF.
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| Source: Auckland Weekly News 5 May 1921 p034 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19210505-34-2
The Governor General was Admiral Jellicoe, a man admired in the town and whom a street was named after (Jellicoe Crescent). He arrived in Thames on the 22nd April 1921 and was given a grand welcome, and would have been impressed with the grant display of electric lights that lit the town! One thing on his busy agenda was the unveiling of the Thames South School Soldiers Memorial.
Suggested source - For more information on the Memorial and Thames WWI Soldiers
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