THE CHINA MÀIL, JUNE 1, 1938
FOURTEEN PLANES
JAPANESE
SHOT DOWN
Hectic Battle Over Hankow: Official Version
NUFFIELD-
TO BUILD AIRCRAFT FACTORY
London, To-day.
That Lord Nuffield is about to erect a great factory for the manufacture of planes for the R.A.F., is now confirmed.
The city of Birmingham has permitted the purchase of a site for a new factory, which will be erected on land belonging to the city, and negotiations as to the price will begin in the next few days.
The factory will employ 1,000 workers. Trans-Ocean.
OFFICIALS BUTT INTO BOYS' ADVENTURE
Three schoolboys of Munsang College, Kowloon City, two aged
14 and one 12, have been balked
.
by official interference in their plans to walk to Canton to join the Chinese Army.
Over Hundred RESTRICTIONS
Machines
In Dog Fight
Hankow, To-day. It is reliably reported that fourteen out of 34 Jap- anese planes were shot down by Chinese air- craft in yesterday's desperate air battle, the first to be staged over Hankow since the terrific combat last month.
Chinese Aviation Headquarters announce that fifteen Japanese planes were shot down, 12 at Hankow and three at Sukow, about ten miles east of Kiukiang.
Aviation Headquarters give the number of planes taking part in the engagement as 54 Japanese
and 50 Chinese.
As the Japanese planes drew near to the north-western sub- urbs of the city, Chinese aircraft which were patrolling high above the city, swooped down on the Japanese formation.
A furious aerial engagement followed at a high altitude, three groups of Chinese and Japanese planes taking part in the life and death struggle.
·
Early in the battle two co- lumns of dense black smoke could
·
They were found on the railway be seen rising from the ground at Taipo on Sunday: on the first some distance from Hankow. stages of a proposed long trek along They are believed to have come the railway line to Canton, housed from wrecks, of planes which at Taipo Police Station and brought crashed during the engagement. back to Hong Kong yesterday.
PARACHUTE LANDING
The boys were:
One pilot came down by para- achute. Two Chinese planes land- ed at Hankow aerodrome during the fight, either because the pilots were wounded or because their machines were disabled by ma- chine-gun bullets.
Chau Siu-shing, 14, son of Canton business man;
Cheung Bing-sheung, 12, son
a Salt Gabelle official;
Ho Lan-cheung, 14, son of employee of the
of
an
Tung On Insurance Company, Hong Kong.
Gradually the Japanese air- craft drew further and further They were close friends at Mun-away, while Chinese planes were sang College, decided together that seen returning to their base, patriotism demanded that they join squadron after squadron.
the Army and set out on Sunday morning to walk to Canton. Ques- tions regarding what they were do-[ ing on the line led to their deten- tion at Taipo. Late on Sunday night, they were reported missing by relatives at Kowloon City and they were restored last night by the police.
PEACE DIPLOMACY SHEER WASTE OF TIME
Tokyo, To-day. Japanese papers to-day denounce any attempt to settle the conflict with China by diplomatic methods as a "sheer waste of time,” and insist on the necessity of subor dinating everything to the require ments of war.
The Asahi Shimbun, which is the most influential paper in Japan, says that the Japanese Foreign Office policy is to Improve, Japan- eso relations with other countries, but for the present national inter- est must be placed in the fore- ground.Trans-Océan,
ter.
HANKOW EXCITEMENT Hankow, To-day.
Reu-
A desperate engagement took place over the north-west sub- urbs when Chinese aircraft in- tercepted the Japanese, raiders.
ni
Meanwhile the entire· Chin- ese and foreign populace was apprehensively excited due to the recent civilian loss of life in Canton and to Tokyo re- ports of the possibility of in- discriminate bombing of Han- kow.
Chinese official figures give the number of Japanese planes in yesterday's raid as 36 pur- suit machines and 18 bombers, although independent observers believe the figure to be some- what less.
BOMBERS TURN BACK Chinese reports state that the Japanese bombers imme- diately turned back on the ap- pearance of Chinese planes, while the Japanese pursuit machines engaged the Chinese, - Meanwhile, Chinese planes from another aerodrome, intér- cepted the returning Japanese bombers near Kiukiang, and
claim to have brought down three, which together with the twelve pursuit planes claimed at Hankow, makes the total Chinese claim, fifteen Japan- ese planes. Reuter.
POLICE OFFICER ROBBED
IMPOSED ON
REFUGEE INFLUX
The "China Mail" learns. from official quarters that in: consequence of the heavy in- flux of refugees from Canton, the Government has decided to impose definite restrictions.
Police are
now boarding boats and trains and certain requirements are demanded as a condition of entry.
Refugees must show (a) that they have a fixed abode in Hong Kong: or (b) that they have employ- ment to go to in Hong Kong: or
(c) that they are in possession
of at least $20.
Refugees unable to meet any of these requirements are being sent back to Canton. Five hun- dred were sent away. under these new regulations by the steamers this morning.
drawer and it is alleged that a ser Mr. G. Perkins, prominent police vant who knew where the keys of sportsman, was robbed of the sum the drawer were kept, unlocked the of $270.00 at his residence at drawer, removed the
www.moneys Breezy Point,
placed the keys, and, after leaving The money was kept in a locked everything as it was, absconded.
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