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THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 17, 1940.
Walter Pidgeon and Deanna Durbin In Universal's roman-
tic comedy of Hawall and New York, "It's a Date," coming to the King's Theatre.
SINGAPORE AN IMPREGNABLE FORT TO-DAY
BE CAREFUL, HERMANN!
Field-Marshal. Goer- ing, who is directing the operations of Hit- ler's air fleets against the British Isles, on Sunday night set out from France, piloting: himself in a German bomber, to take a flight over London.
This is according to a claim by the Gér- man news agency. — Reuter.
ALL QUIET IN FRENCH INDO-CHINA
Reports that air pas- senger and mail services between Hanoi and Kun- ming had been interrupt- ed were denied in Chung- king yesterday by the Ministry of Communica- tions, which stated that the air service between China and French Indo-
ONE OF THE chief defences of Singapore is the China was continuing as fact that it has no enemy within several thousand it is further stated
usual. miles.
that not only are the Sino-American China That fact does not allow the scale of its defences National Aviation Corporation ma- chines now operating on the ser- to be reduced in any way, but it does mean that a vice between Hanoi and Kunming completely unexpected attack - a. bolt from the blue is highly improbable, if not impossible. And it also means that the difficulties of an attacker are very great.
Attacks on defended
but the Chinese-German Eurasia Corporation are presently operat- ing services over the same lines. Chinese reports from the French
colony indicate everything is quiet and that no Japanese troops have landed-Reuter,
MASSACRE BY THE R.A.F.
AT- DURING THE SECOND TACK ON LONDON ON SUN-
bases Singapore, including the men of have in the past often been de- the naval base, air force and the iivered from across an ocean; garrison numbered, with their} many examples in the seven-dependants, some 12,000. It Is teenth and eighteenth centuries probably considerably larger now. in the American continent will The increase of the garrison occur to all. But military ex has, of course, necessitated the Ipeditions to-day are very much provision of barracks to house less self-supporting than they it. The chief of these are the were in the days of Verhon or Gillman barracks, near the city Wolfe. Whether naval or mili-overlooking Keppel Harbour, and tary they need a constant ser-the Changi Barracks at the eas- vice of supply, and to main={tern end of the island..... tain such а service over a These are of modern design and DAY AT ABOUT 2 P.MA distance of 3,000 miles is a provide every comfort such as is FORMATION OF HURRICANES resources necessary to make life in a tropi-SAW 400 GERMAN MACHINES maritime cal island tolerable, even possible, COMING FROM THE SOUTH- European garrison. For EAST TOWARDS THE CAPITAL. WERE FLYING IN that purpose, too, elaborate sani- THEY tary and anti-malärla arrange- GROUPS OF NINE, THREE BY ments have been necessary to THREE LIKE A SERGEANT'S There have been defences. at provide for the health of the STRIPES. Singapore for а century past; men, and the transformation of The Hurricanes, which raced to but it was only when, in 1923, a tropical swamp into a healthy the attack, also saw Messerschmidt the establishment there of a mo- garrison station has been a very nighters flying overhead at 35,000 dern naval base was undertaken remarkable achievement.
tremendous tax on
of even a first-class
power.
· Large Calibre Guns
that it became necessary to raise the scale of the defences to that of a first-class fortress, able to hold its own in the face of at- tacks of any magnitude.
for a
Combined Exercises
.feet.
They shot down 10 Germans while other squadrons did. the same thing and in a short time the tight German formation was Every year, for some years past broken up and scattered all over elaborate combined exercises have the sky.
This entailed the Installation, it taken place at Singapore in which Much of the flying was in clear is understood, of guns of the all three services have taken sunshine 4,000 feet above thick heaviest calibre capable of make part: In these, the garrison at felduas, and the German planes ing it impossible even for heavily its existing strength has repre- were being brought down in ones, armoured ships-of-war to ap-sented the Army; the Air Forces twos and threes, sore of them proach close enough to support stationed at Singapore on some being chased down into the sea. by their gunfire any attempt at occasions have been reinforced: Reuter: the capture of the island. from India, or from even farther.
No details of these guns, of away, for the period of the ex-
Course, have been made public, ercises of the Navy, the ships A LUCKY
but they have often been describ- of both the East Indies and Cfilna
ed in articles, in both British and Fleets hävë' taken part, some of
American periodicals, by writers them usually playing the part of ESCAPE
who profess to have some in- an enemy attacking the colony.
side information about them. Most In August last year and dur-
of them describe the biggest guns ing the first two months of the A FAMILY IN A SOUTH- as being of large calibre.
war, Singapore, like the rest of EAST TOWN-HAD A VERY Other guns of varying calibres the world, was hard at work LUCKY ESCAPE DURING are said to be mounted at various bringing its defences up
GERMAN AIR RAID ON SUN- to ά
DAY NIGHT. - places, and there is no doubt state of complete readiness. “Ad- that, Whatever their actual calibre, ditional defence works were erecta
They had just completed - the erection of their Anderson shelter Singapore lá ús strongly defended,, váriðüs, activities tvere un ed as
any Island fortress in the dertaken along the water front; that evening and when the alarm world.
and local volunteer services were
sounded they went into it. The defences have been de- embodied and exercised in their molished their House, but the shel- A short while later, a bumb de- veloped gradually over a period wartime duties of minesweeping, ter was untouched on the edge of of fifteen years, during which local patrols and the like,
the Eratur and no one why hurt. the naval dockyard has been un- This activity slackened off at Reuter, der construction. They include the thu or Outöber, when It ap not only guns covering the sea-peared that there was little pro- ward approaches, but also an ad- bability at the moment of the welcome to Europeans living in equate garrison of both military war spreading to that part of the the tropics--would have to
and air units.
A
world. But they were resumed replaced by barbed wire en- last month, when tetision appeara tanglements, which would pre- The R.A.F. ed to be increasing in the Far clude their use by the public for
¡East.
bathing..... Besides the highly developed A communique Istued on July There must, of course, Hove civil air port close to Singapore 1 informed the inhabitants ht been many more preparations city, there is the Royal Air Force Singapore, that further defence than those of which public notice Bags on the north side of the works were being put in hand was thus given, and it may be island, facing the Johore Strait, and that it would be necessary taken now for granted that the not far from the naval base itself. for several of the shark-proot defences of Singapore make it Four years ago it was stated bathing centres on the south coast as nearly impregnable to attack that, the Services population, ntde the island--an umenity, very as any fortress in the worki