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THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 21, 1940.
DETERMINED TO SEE WAR THROUGH HUMBLE
(By Edwin Haward in the “North China.
+
Daily News")
I LEFT ENGLAND just as the preliminaries of
MUSSELS NOW OUT
the German air attack were being staged. In fact IN FRONT
The mussel, formerly regarded
ginia's shores. Then someone dis-
remember one night, at midnight, as I was on guard somewhere in Surrey, hearing aeroplanes as a rather useless relation of the overhead and being informed that they were Ger- clam, is emerging as a hero in the Virginia's saltwater man by one of the experts in my section. These drama of
fisharies..
For three centuries the bivalves earlier reconnoitring flights were not interfered with for strategic reasons, but soon we learnt that grew in utter neglect along Vir- raids had taken place on the coast and bombs had covered that the shellfish was rich, been dropped, necessitating action by the Royal Air in nutritive qualities. Now hun- Force. On the day that I left, while we were wait-lected each day along the castern ing for our passport examination, a German raider shore and sold to one of several large plants operating between came over and was driven off by the anti-aircraft wachapreague and Cape Charles, batteries and British fighters
་
dreds of bushels of them are.col-
The mussels are steamed, and the meat is removed and placed on ice
for shipping.
The mussels grow in clusters in the mud around the base of the beach grass root of
near the They are usually water's edge. dug with clam forks,
The almost overnight boom in their production has led the Vir-
of
town to inaugurate studies to de- termine the food value, rate growth and reproduction.
The spirit of England, since wonderfully shown in the fortitude and courageous initiative of the people of London and other big cities, was calm and unafraid. The formation of the Home Guard had brought to the civilian population a great sense of security in the feeling that every man could play ginta fisheries laboratory at York- his part in defending the shores of his country. It would be wrong to lay stress to say that the men and women only on the work of men, for the of England had decided to face the women were no less determined fact that death was a light thing. and prepared. Apart from the many young and not so young women in uniform of various kinds, the women's voluntary ser- vices, spread all over the country, were admirably organised, provid- The popular song "There Will ing motor car drivers, attending | Always Be An England," had .be- to canteen work, assisting in the come in effect the expression of a evacuation of children and the vow. The England that will em- like.
Complacency Abandoned
of
To my mind that was the key to the remarkable resistance which eventually developed to the German attack when it real- ly came.
erge when victory is won will be England. It may be a different England-it must be a different England but in the mind of all s the thought that it will be per- haps I might almost say cer-
WAR COST IN CANADA
$400 A FAMILY
The war is going to cost the average Canadian family about $400 a year, according to Finance Minister J. L. Ilstev. This amount is not paid in cash, but based on current estimates of increased. taxation and Government borrow-
If it can be said that the Ens" tainly a better,Englatal. The ings. It works out to about $85 land which went through-one
per person. spirit of self-sacrifice has been the fiercest winters in living me truly enshrined in the national diers and
Not all of this is spent on sul- ammunition. For mory was inclined to be compia-consciousness, and the few who, instance, $800,000,000 is provided cent, that condition was quickly comfortably imagine that when in this fiscal year's estimates as changed after the setback in the war is won everything will assistance to certain industries France. Then indeed the country go on the same as before, are like that lost export markets Apple realised that the war would be a ly war to the death. No shadow of struggle is recognised on all sides flsley said this estimate does not to be disappointed; for the growers are an example, but Mr. disunity was to be discerned. to be a grim one.
include aid to wheat producers,
nerves to be rattled.
an
Prime Minister's Warnings
Political differences were set aside, and it was recognised by everyone that the evil thing had to be met and crushed regardless of what- ever suffering and destruction the effort entailed. Waiting for
The Prime Minister, whose ful to observe how magnificently onslaught is always a difficult and every word is a tonic to the na- the English sense of humour man- nerve-wrecking experience, but tional spirit, has all along carefully ages to maintain itself under the it was amazing to see how little guarded himself against promising stress of an unprecedented catas- smooth things. He threatens trophe. One morning on arrival the public as a whole allowed its rather than promises. He knows in office my colleague like my- The normal routine of the vill-in the past in the encouragement night before spent some of his how much danger there has been self an elderly traveller from the Far East-reported that he had the age and town was scrupulously of wishful thinking, and he will observed. There were signs of not allow himself to be drawn into time in an air raid shelter attach- course that everyone felt the need that deceptive vein of thought.ed to the particular block of fats for preparing for emergencies. One He has wonderful backing from which he inhabited. He remark- indication of this was the extra- the young men and women who ed that in the next air raid he ordinary increase in the number serve him.
would see that he took to the shel- of bicycles purchased in the shops.
ter a cushion, and a revolver. The I need not bere strass the gal cushion I at once gathered was The idea was that if by any chance dantry of our boys in the air. Their to make him more comfortable in enemy air attack obstructed the epic has already been brilliantly the somewhat stony surroundings placid journey from the dormitory told in the telegrams that suburb to the city, the possession have received in Shanghal. But made me ask a question. It was, of the shelter, but the revolver of a bicycle enabled the worker I think there is one point which I learned, to shoot the funny man. to get across to the nearest tube might be made. These young I made further enquiry. Appar station and so ensure a more or men and women and the re-ently the authorities in their wis- less punctual arrival in office. It mark applies to civilians as well dom had engaged a professional must be confessed that some of us as the fighting men do not talk entertainer to cheer up the tem- who gaily undertook this form of heroically, They are almost pain-porary occupants of the dug-out. transport were little perturbed to fully averse from appearing to This artist had emitted a series find that the passing of years had show emotion or even enthusiasm. of comic songs, and then had pro- reduced. our agility, especially Yet they are living in a heroic ceeded to ask whether he should along roads where motor transport time and are themselves the was flerce and swift.
then tell them funny stories. Withi symbols of that time.
you
Those who have eventually the one accord, the assemblage shout- Sudden Transformation responsibility of rebuilding after that, however benevolent the ed "No!". The conclusion Was this war will be false to their A.R.P. magnates might be, provi- As for the roads themselves, the trust if they do not take all possi-sion of mental pick-me-ups was. sudden transformation efter May ble means of seeing that. for these not appreciated. was truly amazing. At all points saviours of civilisation the way. Then, of course, there were the there were machine-gun posts and of life is smooth and encourag numerous stories of the moral of sandbagged redoubts and various ing.
the men who came back from: contraptions for dealing with the The price that has to be paid Dunkirk. The fact that that huge possible attempt of an invader to is a heavy one. This was brought army had to be hurriedly evacu→ make a swift thrust along the home to me very forcibly because ated was of course, depressing. It English highways. The course of so quickly did I find in the casual could not be described as any events on the other side of the ty lists names of men whom I had thing, but a disaster. But the spirit Channel had strongly impressed known in England and elsewhere: of those men, helped as they were on the minds of the authorities the and in particular I recall meeting by an amazing calmness of the need for guarding against an un-two men from Shanghai in quick Channel for so many days, was controlled exodus of the civilian succession, from whom, after beyond all praise. Two soldiers population. The public were ad ilght, enquiry about their family, who casually met in a London bar vised that if by any chance they had the painful embarrassment suddenly discovered that they happened to be on the line of of learning that in each case à son possible enemy advance, they bad had been killed in action. I do were both at Dunkirk and gather- to make up their minds, then, not want to dwell too much on close to each other at the time. ed that they must have been very either to remove themselves to the zombre note, but after all it safer areas, or if they wished to in dificult to draw tue picture So they started: to compare notes. remain, to be prepared to stay of the confilet without emphasising Bill?" said one, 'Oh," said the "When were you at Dunkirk," put" if the emergenoy came. At that question of the price. all costs the highways were to be
othel, last Wednesday night. kept clear for military traffic.
"Gor bilmey, sa was 1 blinkin". wet day, wasn't it?" and a drink Without any sort of complaint
celebrated the new-found link or, resentment those rulings were accepted, and it is not too much
comradeship.
English Sense Of Humour
At the same time it is wonder-