Mecord your important event with MOVIE
**16 mm - 8 kum
Make an appointment with
FRANCIS WU'S STUDIO
Gloucester Arcade
CHINA
No. 34349.--
ESTABLISHED FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS
HONG KONG, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1949.
Price: 20 Cents.
“SKANDEX”
CARD-INDEX STEEL" CABINET Swedish made.
High Quality Low Pro Various Sizes In Stock' Ask for a Demonstration AE---- HONG KONG TYPEWRITer exchang
9, D'Aguitar St.
..Tel, #1493
AMETHYST HEROES WELCOMED
John Leonard French. the Amethyst telegraphist who was awarded the DBM for his outstanding work in keeping up communications with the olalde, is shown at right. With nằm "This assistant, REM Autter. "China Mail" Photo.
Heroic Wireless Operator's Story
(Exclusive To "Chino Mail")
The following story of HMS Amethyst's adventures is fold exclusively to the "China Mail" by Jack French, wireless telegraphy operator aboard the sloop.
Jack French, who was decorated for his part in
---Amethyst's ordeal-says--in-his-story-that- Hong Kong's welcome made him proud to be in the Navy and proud to be British.
For 18 years now. I have been how, is the story as I saw 11 of In the Navy, and our reception Amethyst und her crew when we
In Hong Kong was the kind of welcome that made me proud to be in the Navy, and proud to be British.
But the story I want to tril
Ordeal In Engine Room
in
the
Fire
engine
room caused a tour-minute ordeal to personnel who were swelter- ing in a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, us Ame- thyst sped down stream.
The No. 2 boller was tempor-| arily put out of action when pin broke, rausing flames to shout out. This was repalced within a short time, without hindering the normal movement of the sloop in her dash
first started up the Yangtse on
a routine trip to take stores to
Atturke the Naval
in Nanking. and stand by to evacuate uny British resitients
Everything was going well for nk until the morning of April 21, hear Rose Island, when suddenly shore batteries started firing on Amethyst.
I was on deck at the time, and Lieutenant-Commander Skinner raid to me: "That's
not quite cricket of them, is it
Amethyst did not fire buck on The shore batteries. I heard a shell strike the wheel house. Two men were killed and the ship went completely out of control. All of us felt the ship go into the mud, and it was only then that our afi gunners started firing-at-the.shpre batteries.
After they had fired only
about 12 rounds, a shell ripped into the aft gun, killing or wounding all of the crow. As soon as we were hit. I sent message to the Far East Com- mand, Hong Kong, telling them
the attack I had two or three other mes- Captain to be sent to Hong Kong, when on off- cer sturk his head in the ratio
on us.
"Four Stokers" suffered from the heat and were taken to the sickes from the
for treatment.
bhay
came out in a few hours room and oxtered me to abandon well again. LSM C. Hawkins of ship. Cambridge said.
Destroys Codes
"Once when Amethyst minde a
Amokescreen when under heavy In such an emergency, it is the artillery fire, the stokers thought city of the wireless operator to the ship was on fire. Spoke was destroy all the secret codes and enveloping the room and every ruling machines.
body beard the resounding crash
took the coding machines to
dumped them overboard, and I burner all the
of the sloop's guns in retallation. starboard and
Almost immediately after we
W secret papers and books on the
had slipped our cable that night, deck.
As
Rousing Reception As Ship Enters Harbour
Thousands Turn Out To Cheer Frigate's Arrival SIRENS BLARE SALUTE
Hong Kong from the humblest coolie to high ranking Govern- mont and Service Chiefs gove HMS Amethyst and har heroes the biggest and most enthusiastic welcome that has ever been accorded a warship in the history of the Colony. Every conceivable type ofharbour craft and men and women from all walks of life turned out yesterday to greet the officers and men and comme- morate on historic event in the annals of the Royal Navy.
For more than an hour, under incessant rain, thousands of people- coolios, labourers, seamen, clerks, dockyard workers, teachers, stevo- dores, company and bank managers, government officials and school children-lined up on at least eight miles of the Island's waterfront and cheered Amethyst into port.
At the same time, all types When the battle scarred war. _of_harbour_craft-from-midget |__ship_reached_the_central_fair«. speed boats ไป ecran going way, the whole Colony virtual- tugs-net Amethyst uL the herbour entrance and with their sirens sounding accom- panied the warship from Lye- mun to her berth at the Naval Dockyard.
Across the harbour, all Kow- loon sprang suddenly to TITO shortly before 10 am, yesterday despite the grey weather, as the Brst toot of crafts at Kowloon Bay signalled the arrival Amethyst.
The wet roots all over the Chat
atham Noad residential district became alive with Deople In various morning attire all shelter- ing under umbrellas, macks, with eyes turned Eastward,
מני
Rediffusion sets were turned everywhere as the populace strained to see and hear of the grand event of welcome unsur- passed in the Jony's history.
Housewives who had previous ly decided to remain indoors unel watch from the homes, present- ly decided
to run out to the water front, rain or 10 tahu
Royal Air Force Spitfires flew over Amethyst s she and
dipped in a solute to the officers and men,
Depite the rain, roof tops on both sides of the harbour were ulsa packed with, people watching Amethyst steam into harbour.
came in
ly exploded with the setting off -of-fire-cräckers,-on-land and-on
skips.
AS Amethyst docked, she was greeted will with thunderous cheers from qficial parties and
Simon The Cat hundreds of weil wishers at the
Was Wounded In Red Attack
Simon, Amethyst's cat, should he - wearing--a wound stripe, kuys Asso- clated Press,
It was learned ́yester- day that he suffered four wounds during the first Communist attack. on the sloop.
"We were qulto worried about Simon, said Stores
Petty Officer John Mc- Carthy, of Ulster.
He added: "Poor old Sitnon just crawled around in corners licking his wounds until he was an able seaman again."
Simon proved his worth Inter when the ship be- came rat-infested. The black cat averaged four weekly.
· Amethyst also has an- other pel, a dog named Peggy.
were
Naval Dockyard. Echors heard a mile away on the Main- land ncross the harbour.
HMS Jamaica
followed by
|
|
The shell spattered frigate Amethyst, whist daring dash down the Yangtae made Naval, history, is shown above as she neared her berth at the Naval Dockyards yesterday. Other pictures on pages 2 and 3." "China Ma!" photo.
Captain Denies Frigate Fired On Chinese Ship
Lieutenant-Commander John S. Kerans, DSO, Captain of Amethyst, denied yesterday that his ship fired on the Chinese ship, Kiangling, _during_Amethyst's dash-to-safety-last Sunday. Commander Kerans added that it was possible that Amethyst hit a ship, but that he knew nothing about it if she did, though he did see a ship burning astern about 4 a.m; on Sun-: day.
He added: "We. definitely: "We did not have any codes HMS
Cossack precedert HMS
did not turn our guns on any, because they were destroyed Amethyst into
into port shortly before 10 am. As Amethyst came through ship, but replied only to shore when the order was given to abandon thip; all the mersades batteries in self defence.” Lyemun Pass,
Marine Police
between myself and the Com launches, Naval
The Communist Political Com- lugs, Talkon Dock tugs, Revenue Department missioner of the Cheklang Area: munder-and-Chlef had to be 20. plain language, and each message launches, Marine
Kang Ma-chao, Department
in contrived craft and some private launches every possible way to force the had to be read between the Hnes
Brt ish Government, greeted the warship with their
through to be understood.
"Only at the 11th hour did. I girans.
admt! Commander Kerans, to
Inform the crew of
plans. Amethyst paksed
Taikon that the British ships fired
They reacted wonderfully, and, Docks, ships in dock used their Communist shore batteries first
were in tip-top condition for the bass-toned sirens to
out
morze signals: "Welcome." Well
"Victory" els Done.
following by similar signals free ships.
A string of firecrackers act
-off on one of ships at Tal
koo set bimation -Waves of.. Browarka cryptions spreading to barbour gratu ships and along the waitfront oulminat- ing in the bin, thunderous rattic In the Central District. As Améthyst was steaming slowly to her berth, the crew of merchant vessel strewed mull- coloured inflated ballons in the path of the warship.
(Continued on Page 10)
Anxious Moment As Red Traders
Boarded Vessel Before Escape
(Exclusive To "China Mail")
we notice n Chinese steamer ap "Then an officer shouted: "All HMS Amethyst had a narrow escape when threa
proaching. She ore Communist | swimmers to swim
ushore, and
lights and sounded the normal others man the lifeboat for the signals-two long, notes and wounded."
short onc-as she neared Rose I jumped overboard and swam Jaland Bend.
ubout 200
yards to shore, and 2 "Our ship passed her at top hid poder a dinghy until I got speed, after she (Amethyst) my breath back.
Elt
up by We
HIW
Communist:
Then I heard the gunner, Eric
Was flares. sterming bank as we left her behind," the wounded. I was one of the few men arount, and got in the "It was very clear to my mind whaler and returned to the ship.
Communist traders' left the sloop 30 minutes before she was due to make her dash for freedom_none the wiser, despite the intense preparations which were then under way below deck.
vessel Monaghan, ask for volunteers to go "Had one of the sailors slipped up we would have the towards the opposite hack to Amethyst and help with
been dead ducks by now," said ERA L. Wil- liams, of Felixstowe, Suffolk, who was in charge of the engine room.
Hawkins related.
that the Reds had got the wrong
Since I was a boy, I have
man with the best of intentions. always been interested in
High Priced "UB"
They must have thought that our ships, My one great ambition sloop at 8 p.m. that Saturday eggs and vegetables proti.
The traders boarded the several dozen bottles of her ship wag behind the Chinese Was to some day join the vessel without realising that wa
night with beer, eggs Royal Navy and become
and had already passed the latter," sailor..
vegetables when officers and Hawkins said.
men were busy preparing for
THE WEATHER
At 6000 GMT 13. HKST) = trough
to
I
the dush.
When we pulled up alongside the foesie, the electrient offer shouted: "Is there a telegraphist The boys were marvellous and with you?"
did nothing to cause suspicion as replied, and they holsted me
the three Communist truders extendi from, Tonking Formosa up the ship by a rope.
went to the plates room. Lieutenant-Commander Streln
To allminate suspicion, the asked me to try, and gat contact traders were told that the goods with
Нопр
Hour after would be paid for the following Keng. hour I sent messages. i never morning: They left none tho knew at the time if any of them wiser of the sloop's impending had got through, but late to the departure.
Precure In, Trowe
DVIK
China and the Philippines and high over NE Japan.
Today's Forecasti-Moderate Southerly: wizdas.
akowers with· Zalz
Scattered
perioda.
Yhaterday's Weather Maximum 80,5 de, Fah Minimum: 78.1 dem. Fak.
Stikline: NIL
Rainfalls 26.7 mm.=1,41 Ina. Total kines Jan. 11206.4- mm(7.60 Ins. saufneț 'an Kvernge of “3370.4 mm. $4,19 (on
Readings si
Bárn, ·şi, m.a.1.1000.0 1006.8 m.b.-
1Q A.Dh 4 DJ.
32.78 $9.73 inches.
W bé x 8
ayaning we a all received the "Polar Lorre (as one of the arandest mesage of our lives boy scainun described one of the
from Hond when a mosLANO
traders) gave us a start when he Kong came in saying that they
became interested in what oar had recolved us. Then I started to give a tune out-stores,"
of the boys was doing-taking Ptoker Kenneth ning account of the situation on w
Windfeldor Amethyst. I seat messages the ship's best harmonica player. Buckinghamshire, Acribing the damage to the ship i
wald;" the names of killed and wound-i fi
ed, as bear. I knew them, our But the auspicious Communist position. I didn
didn't nolice
Len the was stalled off the
Ume; I was never so awake. In wint always antisfied that my life am I was then, though I sailors were checking stocks
Când
had not had also for more than "We got more than me. DVEL the Reda ERA, Williama mald recalling that.... the as
74 hours o
(Continued on: 2017
for
the Yangtse In het bid
freedom, General Kang-whom the sea men had not set eyes on--WDA the prime mover in attempting to procure & false admission from Lieutenant-Commander
Keratin, commander of Amethyst, of res porisibility for the killing of Communist soldiers during the April attack on the British sloop. In the engine room, the boller
Red Version Denied
A Naval spokesman des. cribed the Peiping Radio's version of HMS Ame- the thyst's escape from Yangtze as "entiroly In- correct".
during the incident of April 2)
Commander Kerans had 11 meetings with Kang-some last-
ing six hours--in which Kang attempted to make the British admit fundamental gullt.
Vague Issues
He said: "Kang was all along spending his time bringing upj vague issues and did his utmost to undermine my stand,"
trip.
"J
out
"I personally thought we had
50-50
chance of making it, though I did have rather con plote Chinese charts and maps of the Yangtse.
"I cannot too highly com mend the angina room per-
8. Kerana, 080. sonnel for their amazing effort.; All of them worked without only returned relier In
120-degree tempera batteries.". tures for more than eight hours.
Rod Threat
Lieutenant Commander. Johir
more
Лго on shore
Commander Kerans received
than
100 congratulatory yesterday. | messagea
He received
Mossage
from
"I knew, because Kang told m-The King, The Prime Minister, time and again, that if I tried Hong Kong dignitaries, and one to take Amethyst down the message from his Yangtse, he intended to destroy Mathematics master (Mr. Hughes)
#t Tibberton Court the ship.
"In about a minute and a half message we slipped cable, turned around, Tibberton Court.
•
The
former
school.
Your
read: "Well played
and followed a passenger ship. must have improved. Huh
"I wish to emphasise that ni Commander Kerang was born no time did Amethyst fire at that in Birr, County Offally, I clund, tte said that now the his ship, nor at any other.
"Eleven minutes after we were mission had been complete: suc- under way, shore batteries began cessfully, all he could feel was
"It is true that the Communists fring, and during the dash; we tremendous reliet. did allow the ship to take ori food supplies, but út fantastic prices.
"It beaame quite apparent that if Amethyst continued to stay in the Yangtee, we might} not have had enough food and fuel to make a successful dash; at all, even if we were given the chance.
Far
"I had complete approval of room, the mess and in the cabin, the Commander-and-Chier, General King was the most-East Station, for my action, talked about
mun nhourd' the
would like very much to see his face when he learned about our escape," a scamon sald, .Another Communist officiat who had been the subject of
On Other Pages
brewed beer was sold at HKEI, was the Communist leader, Mao Page 2
A bottle of "UB" Shanghai- much merriment aboard Amethyst
"We had no alternative but to] Tse-tu seamen made a 'Gay
accept them at exorbitant prices the sailors sold. 1.
was hung on the
Correspondence.
Registration 'Bill First Reading.
Chiang Leaves For Korsa
Mae with a placard with his "What will general Kand game; written
In bold English Page 3 say tomorrow: when he's-dipped letters. This to private 7-thia www the quarter deck near the ship's bell wisecrack of the day, when a week before the escape, Stoker Amethyst was an route down| Kerufeth Winfield said,
U.S. Navy Welcomes Amethyst
The United States Navy, oficially welcomed the shell-scarred Amethyst when she arrived in Hong Kong - yesterdaý, mording.
"Two naval „Captains, H. A, Anderson, af the USS "Pollux," and, J. A. Morene, of the USS Floyda. Bay, were ‚at North" "Arm When Arkthyst, moored.
·Captain ̈ Anderson sallat Amethyst's escape was
He addedar Teli typicalfar the Boyal Navy naerung: The Front Washington, DCs and iderson, faffiched to Admiral Hidráľa Fleet, Marylan
4
Barclay's Bridgv..
Page
Arab Agreement On Israelis
Proposal.
Pige 7
BUICK 49
Verdict's clear-it's the
Buy of the Year
It's The Buick Super!
Troops Dig Goal In Ausgla
Affries.
With Dynaflow Drive!
14 Taman Buka al
Pape
U.S: Defence Chiefs in London. With new Rooma new outlook Pice
SP
Engineering Page, Page: 12X
Startling, Sonech. By Tito.
Page
18
Belf
features-by-the-fistful
And:
that Make it the season's top buy!.
Rejection Of Rupelan Protest CHINA INTERNATIONAL MOTORS LTD.