Exhibitions of products from the countries of the Empire were displayed in three-quarter size models of their Parliamentary buildings erected in the grounds:
The buildings were constructed of timber and plaster as they were meant to be temporary. They were linked by an electric tramway called the 'All-Red Route' on which open-sided cars took the visitor on a circular tour of the Dominions with typical scenery of each country around the buildings listed above. Bridges over small lakes represented sea voyages between the countries. The route is shown in red on the map and some of the cars may be seen in the picture above. There were also many other exhibits within the Palace itself.
Pageant of London
A pageant, organised by 'Master of the Pageants' Frank Lascelles, dramatising the history of London, England and the Empire was held. The first performance of the pageant was on 8 June 1911; in four parts, performed on separate days, it celebrated the ‘magnificence, glory and honour of the Empire and the Mother Country’. Music was provided for The Pageant of London by 20 composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge, Cecil Forsyth, Henry Balfour Gardiner, Edward German and Haydn Wood. This was performed by a military band of 50 players and a chorus of 500 voices, directed by W.H. Bell. The Pageant was so successful that performances were extended from July, when they were due to end, to 2 September.
Inter-Empire Championships
As part of the festival, an Inter-Empire sports championship was held in which teams from Australasia, Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in five athletics events, two swimming events, heavyweight boxing and middleweight wrestling. This is regarded as a forerunner of the British Empire Games, held from 1930. Famous competitors included Stanley Vivian Bacon, Harold Hardwick, Malcolm Champion, George Hodgson and John Lindsay Tait. The limited event schedule and four-nation format came in for criticism by the correspondent in the Auckland Star, who described it as not worthy of the title of Empire.
Athletics
Results source. The team championship in athletics was decided on a points basis, with the countries' finishing position in each race totalling up a combined score. Canada won with the lowest score with eight points, having topped the podium in three of the five events, and was awarded the Inter-Empire trophy by Lord Lonsdale. The United Kingdom ended with nine points and Australasia were third with 13 points. The Australasia team combined New Zealand and Victoria athletes. Three scratch competitions were held alongside the championships proper: a 3/4-mile race, a 300-yard race and a two-mile team race. Ron Opie ran in both sprints as his teammate, William A. Woodger, took ill before the event and could not compete.
