THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 15, 1940
PARASHOT ARMY IS AT WORK
(By LT.-COL. T. A. LOWÉ)
London, May 27.”
OUR "PARASHOOTERS” had a busy week-end. They have now been reinforced by mobile columns of well- trained, splendidly equipped troops, and I saw many flying columns of these men hard at work.
The link between the columns and the National De- fence Volunteers will soon be as firmly established as was that between the old Regular and Territorial Armies.
"
This is a matter of the highest im- portance. At first the "Auxiliaries,' the men who responded to the tune of 250,000 when the War Office sent
ONLY EIGHT
out the call, felt that there would be BAYONETS-
no room for them in the organisation.
I am now assured that this will not be the case, that they will soon be in uniform, armed, and trained in the highly specialised duties which arc bound to fall to their lot.
Some of them are already working away as if they had spent their lives looking for invaders.
BRISK BATTLE
I spent some time on Saturday night
ENEMY FLED
When eight British sol- diers, led by an officer, made a furious. bayonet charge upon enemy troops in Nor- way the Germans wavered, broke, and threw away their
with a "Parashooter" in his observa- weapons as they ran. tion post.
The place commanded an extensive view, and the while we watched a brisk battle broke out several miles away between an enemy 'plane and our guns and searchlights.
The raider sheered off, but it rimm quired no stretch of the imagination to perceive the danger for which we are now prepared
had his My friend
orders and he fitted into the scheme. In a short space of time he could have summoned a flying column to his ald.
These columns are trained in a new technique, which for obvious reasons I am unable to describe. They will be able to counter anything the Ger- mans could send, and in a prompt and smashing manner.
Neither are the "Parashooters" only concerned with parachutes. Again I cannot give away the secrets of their training, but I can promise recruits they will not be bored.
The country is now thoroughly awake to the possibility of an inva- sion, and so are the authorities by. whom it would be countered.
HAND OVER CARTRIDGES
The War Office announced last night: "The Commander-in-Chief Home Forces asks all who are in possession of 12-bore cartridges to hand as many as possible into the nearest police station for redistribution to the local defence volunteers."
This story of British heroism was. revealed by Private Gorge Williams, agèd nineteen, of Lough-borough, one of the men of the Leicestershire Regi- ment, now on leave.
"I believe I am the only survivor. of that fight," he said.
WITH WILD YELLS
Bombed out of hastily-improvised. defences, in what one man described as "a raid lasting a fortnight," merci- lessly machine-gunned by low-flying warplanes, and faced by an enemy superior in numbers and weapons, the nine Britons fought a series of rear- guard actions.
The bayonet charge came after women and children nearly had been killed by enemy machine-guns, Led by Captain Ramsden, his re- volver in one hand, a stick in the other, the eight men went over with wild yells that echoed from the hills. The Germans, staggered by the very effrontery of the attack, broke and
ran,
posted as
Captain Ramsden was "missing, believed killed."
OFF THE RECORD
OFF TO THE CLOUDS-Jõhn Payne (right) bids farewell to Oll- via de Havilland and George Brent in a dramatic scene from "Wings of the Navy" which has its first local showing at the King's Theatre to-
day.
ARMS FOR SWISS A.R.P.
Switzerland has arm- ed her A.R.P. men.
The Swiss military au- thorities have ordered. the partial arming of all passive air defence or- ganisations.
The measure is taken to ensure the security of A.R.P. installations. Reuter.
FLEW WITH THE ENEMY IN ERROR
AFTER SHOOTING DOWN A JUNKERS: 87. BOMBER IN FLAMES AND ATTACKING THREE OTHERS, A PILOT OFFICER OF THE 'R.A.F. FIGHTER COMMAND NEAR ROT- TERDAM FOUND HE HAD JOINED. FORMATION BY MISTAKE WITH 109 MESSERSCHMITT
TWO FIGHTERS.
He had used up all bis ammunition and there was nothing for it, but to “get out."`
"I at once climbed into cloud and returned to my base," he reported afterwards.
33 YEARS IN THE POST In July, 1907, Mrs. Vera J. Theed, of Spinneycroft. Pennymead-drive, East Horsley, Surrey, than a girl of se- venteen, posted a card in
her mouth to the man who is now falled. husband. It has just been delivered at the house of his mother at Wim- bledon.
Bourne-
make tried to Several Junkers head-on attacks on his Spitfire but
By ED REED. WAR MEMORIES
OF 25 YEARS AGO
(From the "China Mall" files).
June 15, 1915..
Enemy losses at Plava are reported to be very heavy, and the Austrians have been withdrawn and transferred to the Serbian front.
A U-boat sank the trawler Argyll in the North Sea without warning. She sank in two minutes seven of 'the' ship's company, including the captain, being drowned.
Mr. Asquith, in moving in the House of Commons a vote of credit for £250,-* 000,000, said that this was the fourth vote of credit asked for since the out- break of the war. There had been three such votes during the financial year 1914-1918.
MARRIED DEAD LOVER'S PAL
A bride recently married the "bosom pal" of her former flance, who was killed in a plane crash.
After the ceremony she placed har bridal bouquet on-the-grave-of- her former lover.
The bride was Miss Lily Tant, of who Chalfont-road, Edmonton, N., was married at Edmonton Parish Church to Stoker William Smythe, who lives a few doors away.'
Miss Tant was previously engaged to twenty-year-old Edward Letch.
Miss
Edward, his brother, and Tant's eight-year-old brother Jimmy were killed. Inga plano arash at Edmonton In September, 1938. The O.B.E. was awarded - post- humously to the two brothers for their courage in trying to rescue the pilot from the blazing plane. The decorations were presented to their widowed mother by the King at Buckingham Palace."
Stoker Smythe was on the mine, sweeper Dunoon when she was min- od In the North Sea recently, and
after being picked up he was in hos-- pital for a week.
"But we aren't hungry. We Just had two ples apleco,”
Here's Luck
EWO BEER
Tel: 30311
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
LESSON SERMON
SUBJECT "GOD - THE PRESERVER OF MAN
The subject of the Lesson Sermon in all Christián✨ Science. Churches to- morrow, June 18th will be:"God the Preserver of Man.”“-
be
The Golden Text will Lord is my rock, and my fortr my deliverer, my God, In whom I will trust, my the horn of my salvation t high 'towar" (Psalma 18: