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THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 7, 1941.
PIERRE--AN EPIC OF THE DESERT
BUSTLING IN AND OUT of a gracious, old-¡ fashioned 'mansion in a Cairo suburb, every day are heroes of the most daringly romantic escapades of this machine-made war, writes a correspondent.
A brass plate on the door of the mansion says. Comite National Francais. On the arms of the men is the Cross of Lorraine.
AMERICAN
FIREMEN
On the arms of the men AMAZED
I have met dozens of these men, who for free- dom's sake have struggled through deserts and battled their way across perilous seas and hostile skies.
Some go on to join units fight- ing in the Western Desert, .hers remain at headquarters where the growing staff keeps in touch with sympathisers from Stockholm to Shunghal.
The Adven ures they have hed getting here are epic.
Vivid Adventure
Take the cuse of Pierre (1 can- L KIVC his surname, for his family are still in France)
He slipped
the Syrian border one evening to reach Pad- estine and got lost.
across
For 15 terrible. days he wah-
dered desperately in the stony,
sunscorched wilderness.
Twice friendly Bedouins gave him food and drink and sent him on his way But never once did he consider retracing his steps.
Finally, with blackened skin and half demented by heat and thirst, he stumbled into a Palestine vil- lage and collapsed
Now he is commanding tachment for Free France
Submarine's Trip
CANARY'S
SONG GUIDES RESCUERS
(By A Special Correspondent)
By Londoners' Calni
Misa Helen Kirkpatrick, the London representative of the "Chicago Daily News," despatch- ed the following cable to that NEWSPAPEr;
Three New York fremen, Chief Daniel A. Deasy, of the Bronx Division; Chief Frederick G. T. Wedemeyer. of the Marine" Divi- sion, and Fireman George T. J. Scott, of the New York City Fire Dapartment, who have been sent to London by Mr. Ta Guardia, Mayor of New York, to study how the London Firo Brigade lgbts the "blitz" fires, received the Press with much pomp and ceremony, They are beginning their two
Wedged in a crevice un-months' investigations with great der twisted girders and anthusiasm for the work of the | London Are-fighters, and admira- pile of wreckage, a canary on at the calmness of the peoplu in a battered cage sang its during rolds. way to freedom and the' freedom of nine raid vic- tims who were trapped in a London tenement.
The trapped people were too exhausted to cry out, but the do- canury's merry notes guided war-
dens and A.F.S. workers, who al tered the course of their tunnell- ing to the spot,
1
out of
Then there is Jean, whom first met flying back from Malta two months ago.
He is a submarine commander, and he managed to slip Tunis with his vessel some weeks after France's collapse. He weeded out the doubtful elements most ly petty officers--and he made for
Malta with a skeleton but reliable
crew,
Puzzled British bombers flew out to inspect this strange sub- marine, but they held the attack until the commander managed to explain himself. Then they ex- corted him to Malta and freedom.
Almost the best in the story of Rene He was a lieutenant of the Meharist Camel Corps in North Tchad, and in its first moment ha wanted to join the Free French movement.
But superior
and tried to persuade him to wait.
Tortured By Thirst
The result was that nine people were rescued alive, though six bodies were brought out a little later. It is though that five more dead are still under the wreckage.
I stood on the pile of wreck- age which a few hours before had constituted the home of some 30 people - happy workers living in houses which had been converted
into flats.
While I was there a faint cry dens that there was further life from another spot told the war-
there. A few minutes later
A.F.S.
an
man
and
emerged carrying little boy clothed
a torn only in
shirt covered from head to foot in dust He had been in the wreckage for more than 10 hours. The boy grinned at me and whis- pered: "Can I have a warden to
and grime.
rescue me?"
officers wavered Crypt Shelterers Escape More than 500 people sheltering in the crypt of a London church were unhurt when a heavy bomb struck the side of the building and exploded in a pit. A woman standing in the street at a 'bus and minor casualties were caused by stop, however, was killed, flying glass.
So Rene and three N.C.Os with their camels set off on a 450-miles
trek to Khartum.
Tortured by thirst, blinded by the sun, and mocked by mirages, they made the journey, and the first news they heard when they stumbled into Khartun was that Tchad had joined De Gaulle,
to
There was a message waiting for Rene to return immediately take over an important post.
Dramatic Episode
Cyprus was the scene of another episode packed with drama. The first battalion of a French infantry regiment were stationed there, and when France collapsed the reg. ment's colonel Came over from Syria, paraded the men, and da. livered an harungue preaching loyalty to Vichy.
When he had finished there was dead silence for a couple of ser- olids. Then half the battalion broke spontaneourly into the Mar. sellaise. That was their answer,
Those who sang are now in Egypt, and those who remained silent returned to Syria..
The damage to the church it-
{
"Why there is more excitement in New York at a little tire than
there is here at what the English all a 200-pump fire" Battalion
Chief Deasy told us.
The pupils come to the mas- ter to learn. Is the way he ox- plained their visit to Britain. He seemed more impressed with the efficiency of the rescue squads and firemen than with the air ruids themselves. From his ex- pcrience as a gunner in the last war he felt that London's barrage was pretty good. Debris Clearance Speed
His views on the speed with which the debris of the raids is
cleared seemed to surprise thu majority of the British Pressmen present, whose main complaint is at the slowness of the authorities to mend bomb craters in the streets and to clear away the de- bris.
Ae tin hats are more essential in London to-day than the uta- brella was formerly supposed to be, everyone wished to know if the New York fremen were equipped with the protection without which no one ventures Brigade was giving out at night. Deasy said the Fire them hats. They had asked at the American
Embassy but had been told, "You go out with your soft hats and we will try to get you one."
but
self is mainly superficial, priceless stained-glass windows were shattered by the blast.
A 14-year-old foreign boy saved from falling into a bomb crater by a London 'bus and passengers
standing In the road and shouting "Stop."
WITH THE SEA BARRAGE BALLOONS
(By A Special Correspondent)
"WE ARE WAITING for the long-promised invasion," said Mr. Churchill in his broadcast to the French people. "So are the fishes." And so is the Royal Navy at the invasion ports, waiting to pounce and destroy the fleets of barges launched on their reckless gamble.
Wintry weather has new pro-¡ cording to 'some plan that baffled blems. Mists and drizzle envelop a landsmun.. the sea one day to conceal the Nazi armada; next day a gale lashes the water into a cauldron that miskes barge invasion seem fantas{fc.
Vive La France
The Navy keeps its ceaseless watch by night and day, and as I There are dozens more. Charles stand gazing out to sea at the dark drove an armoured car clean
grey silhouettes of warships slip- across Syria from Aleppo, forcingping through the haze I realise every barricade, holding up every thankfully the strength of Britain, picket at the point of a rifle, and And while waiting the Navy Anally scorching through the fron does its workaday jobs. I raced tler, barrier into Palestine without this morning in an R.AF. pin shouts "Vive la France."
nace when a convoy was assem- Maurice had to steal back his bling in a heaving ses, a half-gel own magneto from the authorities blowing. On the pier I noticed the and clean up two machine-gun admonition. "Book early" as I posts before he could fly his 'platie jumped aboard for a "trip round away from a Syrian airfield.
the Fleet," Craft of all typos, from dirty coasters to warships with raking lines, were moving ac-
They come every day. Already the gracious old-fashioned mansion in the Cairo suburb is overflowing as its two predecessors overflowed
Soon they'll have to find other quarters.
سعه شايد مستمر
the Wostern Deadrt.
French pilots have taken part in raids all over the Midalo Eust:
Their Aghting forces are grow Ining steadily, 'In strength,
Already French units have been in action against the talians
Strange Cargo
The strangest craft of all is that which has nothing else for cargo but m - barrage (balloon. These balloons carrid with the `convoys have proved their worth time and time again in scaring off the diva bombersi
By, courtesy of the RAF, Com- mahding Officer here, a Canadian wing commantier with wings and medals of the last war on his tunic, I boarded several balloon barrage ships, the newest branch of the Navy and a sea-going section` ́ØL the RA.F
Three RAF, mên go to sea with each of these balloon carriers; the crews consist chiefly of hardy fisherman).
Then we boarded a ferry marge that takis'
s the balloons from the "shore to their Honing &tatlong hÈM
ballast up and down the