THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 9, 1940
News Snack Bar
MOVABLE BARRAGE TO CHECK NAZI AERIAL MINELAYING
FIVE MONTHS' EXPERIENCE of war has convinced the military authorities that the balloon barrage has a more important role in the defence of Britain than was foreseen. It is a weapon which has the quality of mobility as well as that of effectiveness.
This was well demonstrated when enemy 'planes first attempted to destroy the Firth of Forth Bridge. No bar- rage guarded this important transport link.
MEDAL FOR DRIVER WHO RESCUED PILOT
As a train was speeding along somewhere in France, the driver saw a French plane shot down by a German fighter.
He stopped the train, dashed out under a hall of fire from the machine-gun of the German plane, and dragged the wounded pilot to safety from the blazing machine.
For this the driver, M. Durckel, has been awarded the French military medal and war cross.
U.S. Girl Sends Our
Princess A Dollar
“Elizabeth" (of Pennsylvania, US) has sent a dollar (48, 2d.) to Princess Elizabeth for the Christmas Treat Fund for the poor children from Lon- don's evacuated families.
The little American girl wrote to Princess Elizabeth "c/o King George VI, London, England.” She said:
Orders were given for one to be in- stalled in 24 hours and the job was done on time, with the aid of special trains and hard-working crews, by removing the barrage that existed at Glasgow.
The psychological effect on enemy pilots who know they may run into. a barrage of whose existence they are aware is a useful deterrent. The effect is far greater if they can never - be certain that their objective is not guarded by balloons.
The latest use of the barrage is as a means of combating the sow- Ing of mines by aircraft in Bri- tish estuaries.
OVER 30,000 MEN
When war broke out the barrage system was only a year old. Yet, when the order was given, every 'balloon was on its way to its pre-determined site within 24 hours.
Over 30,000 men are now engaged on balloon barrage work.
The British authorities have been
Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in the latest Marx Brothers' hit, "Marx Brothers at the Circus," showing at the Queen's and Alhám- bra Theatres.
Luminous Badges
For Dumb
To assist them in black-outs and air raids, deaf and dumb people in Swan-
sea have been supplied with luminous badges which indicate their affliction,
The scheme is being adopted
able to learn new points from the other areas.
Germans.
any
Bachelor Maternity
in
"SOVIET" FAT IS NAZI
In an
endeavour to lead the German people to belleve Russla has started the long awaited de- liveries of foodstuffs, two mac- paring factories In Czechoslova- kla, under German control, have received from the German au- thorities labels printed in the Russian language, with Instruc- tions to stick them on the packets of margarine.
Several German balloons which have broken away from their moor- ings have finished their runaway studied by British experts, and courses in Britain. They have been Chief valuable features have been noted for
Alderman Eric Anderton, only ba- the benefit of our own balloon manu- chelor member of Wood Green, Lon- facturers.
don, N., Borough Council, has been Cossacks It is understood, however, that in appointed chairman of its Maternity this sphere the Germans have no Committee. Erounds for claiming superiority over
ourselves.
DOWN IN BHETLANDS
Alderman Anderton is a dentist.
Q
"I wish you could get your father
The latest German balloon to reach Hit A Nazi-2 and" mother to let you come over to Britain came over in the track of Nazł this country; where It is safe. We airmen and was secured in the Shet- have a big house, and you could stay with us.
"The one dollar enclosed is money that I have saved, and I am sending it to you so that you can give it to some→ body there and use it in helping some of the poorer children.
"And I hope you win the warf"
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Wooed With Kicks
Three years of unwelcome wooing, which began with a kiss, went on with slaps and kicks and ended with a dy- namite bomb, were described to a New York Court by a pretty twenty-six- year-old teacher, Mary Miller.
A school supervisor is charged with setting a dynamite bomb to kill Mary because she refused to wed him.
She said: "He would blacken my eyes and kick me and then beg me to marry him. His idea of showing af- fection was to drag me around by my hair."
Army Secrets
In Stolen Car
Wiltshire police are searching for a car containing important military do- cuments which was stolen from an hotel car park at Devizes.
It is thought possible that the thief does not realise the value of the docu ments in the car, which may have
makes taken for a “foy-ride...
A description of the car has been circulated to police stations in the
lands.
It was first seen at Hoswick, in the south mainland of Shetland, sailing up to the land from the sea trailing its
cable.
at
It
Hanged
J
Offer Aid
In picturesque Eynsford (Kent), the famous troupe of Cossacks are wait- ing for chance to serve Britain.
When war was declared the Cos- sacks had just completed a tour of the country.
Two men have been hanged in a One member of the troupe, a former concentration camp for knocking down colonel of the Imperial Russian Army, Nazi Storm-Trooper doing-guard told the press that the Cossacks had duty there, it was announced in Berlin called at the Foreign Office and offer- yesterday.
ed their services to the Government. The executed men were Franz Broenner and Anton Kropf.
Rumania Nails
! " ་"t
It carried on for over another 20 miles, and after Interrupting telephonio communication Walls, on the west mainland, burst on a barbed wire fence be- tween Walls and Sandness. It contained instructions in German for its return, If found, to Heidelberg. The casing weighed nearly two cwt.
It must be stressed that the balloon barrage is not, and never can act as "an umbrella." People who move into A German wireless story that two towns from the country to get balloon Britons have been arrested in Buman- protection against air raids are anti- ia in connection with recent fires in cipating a degree of security which, the oilfields was dented last night by cannot be afforded in this way. the Rumanian authorities.
Nazi Lie
WIN BA 22
Beite: Payle” Brian Aberne and Donald. Crisp: In- “Juarez,!!/
Cold Comfort
From "Parliamentary Debates": Captain. Plugge asked the Chancel- lor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether ice-cream is regarded as a luxury or necessity, and what is his policy in respect of furnishing to the trade : necessary ingredients.
Mr. W. S. Morrison, Minister of Food: regard ice cream "as a' non- essential foodstuff. In the allocation of materials the ice-cream trade will be treated no less favourably than other trades in non-essential food- stuffs.
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"Foolish To Say Hitler Won't Try"
"He would be a very foolish man who would say that Hitler, will not have a go, at us when he thinks we are the most useful objective, or when at last he finds there is nothing else to do, shid Sir Ernest Gowers, A.R.P. Regional Commissioner
for London, when opening lif off-duty club for -A.R.P. personnel at Fulham.
"Those ignorant and superficial peo- pla who biva pěch spying that civil defenos workers are wasting their own time, and public
be, glad bombs