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THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1948.
RED TABS BUT NO RED TAPE
By FRANK OWEN
One day during the war was walking along Pall Mall when I spotted a Brasshat- bearing down upon me. refused to show Q their own get by his 37 years in the Army
Being R trouper, and not battle dispositions. He got up from without hard words. He had dif anxious to distribute salutes um- the table and started to walk out } ference. with Field-Marshals necessarily (or answer guest- | "Where are "you going?"- they Milne, Montgomery and Alan-| tions). I shifted my course. The asked. "Back to England! Never brooke. General followed, and, further been so insulted in my life!" Monty, he says, simply never
· The Red commander tore away undersfood tanks. He more, stopped
"Don't I know you?" he de the concealing paper he had dead wrong about peace-time 12312manded. I-admitted it. "What are pinned over the map.
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All news contributions to tion about the lower forms a life Passed Him Al
was also
Mystery Of The Foreign Legion
By TоИ POCOCK
Good Morning!
Ayunaıṇīméus deckion to to an undis. shift the capital closed. Southern destination-is ex- pected soon.
CIGS arrived. But not free of duty.
Part of the Canton-Shungitura.
Słow
conscription. you doing here?" I was able to After Hghting in two world All these struggles were com- produce a leave pass. "We will wars (he commanded the 50th dusted with the same hard slog- go and have a drink," he "an- (Northumbrian) Division at Arras ging that made him seven times nounced
and Dunkirk, saw ever other a Services boxing champion, but Forthwith, he led me into his front except_the_Pacific) Q lost always with a cheerful grin.
Once again the Foreign railway is running again. club club; where troopers "were about an eye in his Pall Mall
Travel round the ring with Q welcome as rickshaw wallshs when a bomb fell on it one night go with him to point-to-point or Legion is lost in a self-raised train to China. would be in the Bengal Club. He in 1945.
tiger hunts, to Afghanistan. Flan- sandstorm of mystery. Gen- bal wanted the answer to some ques-
ders, Russia, the War Office; the eral Montclar, as Inspector- Cabinet room and you will cer General of the Legion, has Remote control addressed to Editor-in-Chies.
As soon as possible he reported tainly hear foutspeaking."
"At Nairobi, Kenya, on October. Advertisements and Business com.in the Army, which he got. It
flatly turned down my ap- munications should be addressed was an extremely good battle too for duty. The War Office, suspect- One day, he says, he means to
a daughter. (By airmail)." The Brasshat was-"Q." other-i Ing he would bully, anormal] design a tank as big as a battle Plication, as a British report-/ 15, to, the Rev. Mr. and Mrs wise Giffard Martel, then Commander pointed a special one--with three he campaigns for a new Regular of his extraordinary regiment Sir board into saying he was it, ap ship, but of more use. Every day er, to visit the headquarters of the Royal Armoured Corps. RAMC generals. Q took the pre-Army-with better pay and at Sidi-bel-Abbes, in Algeria. Į Lxt the boxer who leans bask This, of course, is the Q method: caution of filling up with port prospects. But what we need In spite of the easy assurances against the ropes, to come off This chap (however unimportant) wine the previous evening "to most of all in the Services is "a of the French Embassy in Lon-theta like a catapult shot and might know-ask him Another raise my blood pressure." They new band of crusaders."
doo, a letter of introduction from slam his opponent down for the Q practice is: This chan (however passed him AL.
Today is 60 years old. Happy their Military Attache, the count, the noble Admiralissimo important) DOESN'T know eli The Outspoken Soldier, did not returns, Happy Warrior!
General has, from his holiday re- is leaning back towards the Indo- him!
sort at Vichy, refused military China and Burma frontiers ********
permits to myself and two Ameri-' But what if the rope breaks can correspondents.
and he ends up in the audience?
to the Company CHINA MAIL
LTB
BIRTH
BANNISTER-To Muriel, wife of RC Bannister, on 29th October 1949, at Kowloon Hospital, the gift of a son.
TRADE UNIONS
Lieutenant-General
The Massacre Of
The Bottle Parties
By TOM POCOCK
Since the Foreign Legion-for all its Beau Geste glamour--is as much part of Montgomery's Wes-Now It Can Be Told tern Union defence as the Somer- set Light Infantry, it is reasonable to ask: What is the Foreign Le gion trying to hide?.
All Sorts In
The
at
J
Fanks fleeing on borses From Mao Tse-tung's forces, Have crossed the high moun
tains to Srinagar,
A feat unsurpassed Since Kannibal last
Trans Alped with his humbos
and vinegar....
•
It is a very good job for the British Army that generals like Martel and Fuller thought and! acted this way: If ther had not done so in the matter of manks after the First War the Old Guard! would assuredly have had the IN ASIA
messy noisy things driven into the garage. fetched back the to "real The trade union movements chargers, and got down of the East, like those of soldiering again, dammit, sir...."
Instead, these resolute госп At 11 o'clock one Europe and the US., have to with Elles, Pile, Hobart, and a
recent scriptions varying between five
The Legion has always offered the night a salute af 100 popping and 20 guineas a year. make their choice between few others, fought for
The new licensing, regulations sanctuary to the oppressed linking up with international nucleus of those magnificent tank champagne corks heralded the will bring the old bottle parties dreary reception barracks trade unionism or with inter-forces which 20 years later spear-unveiling of the new Astor into direct
competition not only Sidi-bel-Abbes have filled
Current reports from the Eng- national communism Recent headed the British advance from bottle party underneath Lon-with the dining clubs but also turn with anti-Stalin Russians, Lish channel indicate that traffic.
with smart restaurants like the anti-Mussolini Italians developments in the inter- Alamein to the Austrian frondon's Berkeley Square.
anti-and the sale of grease have fallen Apart from its £6,000 decor, Cafe de Paris, Quaglino's, and the Franco. Spaniards,
anti-off considerably. national field have brought tier and from the beaches to Ber-
its rabberised-cork floor, and the Bagatelle, which have no stb Hitler Germans, this issue right to the fore-
Duchess of Kent's favourite bands scription and are open to
| . It might, therefore, seeth front.
(Paul Adam and Santiago Lopez),
In fact, it looks as though unnatural that the Legion should As a boy, Mozart remarked the Astor made news by mpening offer something new in entertain- but for the fact that, technically, nose in G
Tear the
they can cut their prices or recruit anti-democratic Germans that his father always blew bis in the teeth of Chater Ede's mas
mert the organisers of London's sacre of the bottle parties.
yet at peace By the end of the year all (15) night life had better
UD
Germany. London's big bottle parties will poultry farming.
And yet the French Army |la| This bave followed the Kit-Kat and the
competition in an Nuthouse to the files of Scotland often
profession will now charged with flouting Allied Yard's Clubs
probably
the return
by recruiting Ger- of agreements
lin.
imaginative
mesa
take
we are not
and
with
He should have been thankful the old man hadn't got A fever.
Believe It Or Not
Not Their Fault The choice is given a dramatic turn by the fact that
It was not
their fault, cut vital conferences will be held curs, that other ears were more While at roughly the same time in receptive to their ideas.
Fuller was writing his angry. November. One is the con-
warnings of the stituent conference of the
coming clasit of armoured armies,
Office. free trade union movements and Q was building his one-man
Two U.S. planes crashed ima of the world, taking place in tank in his Camberley back gar- No longer will revellers stumble cabaret. Last winter Carl Byson mans for the Foreign Legion. In
out into the dawn with hangovers A staged a £1,000-a-week revue in admitting this, French officers, thunderstorm in Germany. They- London, the other is the den, Adolf Hitler was piling up and the exfair will be as quiet show ran at a loss and so had to "the Aika Korps," hasten
Though the who often refer to the Legion as were both Thunderbolts! early newspapers. After the Embassy Club.
be taken off for the summer, the add that each recruit's
Trouble with these super-air- club was packed every night. carefully combed by the security planes is they have such super
police. Turns Are Short But all the average recruit need do to avoid detection. is to And Noisy
adopt nom de guerre
When choosing à Fremier is The Cabaret Cinb presents its Recently a Legion lieutenant France the third time is usually
Asian regional conference of his panzer divisions. the WFTU in Peking.
نسبة 230
to
part is
2
crashes.
•
"We were just a little band or as Atlantis.
This summer, in crusaders," writes Q in his latest
in spite of the Many organisations
tourist b broadside, An Outspoken Soldier
boom, night clubs have Asia have already made Both between the wars, and Hopped. Though the Travel their choice. To Peking will while we were raising our Association had
arranged intro- call armoured strength in 1940-42, he ductions for foreigners into hair go those which still themselves trade unións but and his comrades needed all the a dozen bottle parties, few visitors are under Communist do-faith and fervour of crusaders
eluh, with all the night life of
hour break between, The turns that one of the mea serving Montmartre 124 fying hours are short, noizy, and spectacular under me was Adolf Hitler I Broadminded. struments for Soviet and not run out of either.
How did Q put across to Mt. away.
should cover him like anybody The bottle parties brought ruin appealing entirely to the eye. Cominform policy in the in-Churchill his own ideas of tank
Producer Murray realises that else, provided he was giving no Having made
night cind patrons cannot be trouble as a Legiomaire," dustrial and political field organisation? He briefed all the upon themselves.
thost
doubtful, The proceedings at Feking divisional generals: before Win fortunes during the war, they bothered with
aimed high Any party that dreary monologues which have will be dominated immester could yet at them. He admits could attract the popular games been passed off as
cabaret
*** în diately by the Chinese Com-that Winston saw through it-bot among the younger socialites was the smart bottle parties.
tog late munists who control the All
Later, as Head of the Military China Federation of Labour, Lission to Russia, the Russians and less immediately but no less effectively by the Krem-
mination and therefore in and also their cunning. They did cl£5 a head in a dull London show in two halves, with a three) was quoted as saying. “It I knew' lucky.
mean
Apart from
£1
these
$1
The Death-Roll
•
·
2
of Legionnaires one cried; "Vive la France?" The
Meanwhile the French Anny refuses to admit whether or not There is a story of two Legion it is rearming. Germans and so who died, before a breaking the promise of the Wes-
Perfection in Sound & Projection
PHILIPS Cinema
"The famous opera star, 20- nomeing her intention to retire next year, says she believes the older generation of sinners should to the give- way gracefully younger." set for a six-month boom. But The Cocoanut. Grove, on old Bulk of the Legion has now the young arbiters of fashion-favourite of show folk showed been shipped to Indo-China, Darkly, at dead of night. after dark are sickle, and today at the way carly this year by star-where even now the French Army possibly biased correspon least three of their old play ring Tommy Trinder, by far our loses around 250 men a week to dent suggests that some of the grounds are deserted.
be buried best cabaret artist, with its show snipers and disease. North Africa, ECA countries may Tel: 54177-#lin. The Conference will parties, or the creatures in
Cabaret Club The
too, seems a likely trouble front, with their Marshall cloaks around a girls.
In a few clubs the chorus girls as unrest is said to be spreading them. claim to speak for all Asian the industrial field of the
First-Ever
double as hostesses, persuading from the former Italian
North workers and probably all political parties. This does not
champagne, customers to bay Australasian workers too, mean that trade unions can But not all night clubs have flowers, and slip them a
few African colonies into Algeria and
Morocco.
"Where did you get that black but it will in fact be repre-be separated from politics. flopped. Those wise enough to pounds when the party breaks up.
So every month, it is reported, eye?" asked Jones as Brown carne sentative only of Communist That would be impossible in ignore the socialites have done These girls, who quickly succumb
My wife.... organisations or of those the East, and has never, in fairly consistent good business to 11 part to 4 am working hours, the French enlist more than 400 into the office.
"Really? Apparently Jon which they can, delude. fact, been possible in the Typical of these is Soho's Cabaret are thankful for the new 230 Germans-80 per cent, of the Le- gion's total intake. They are offer- Club-an old favourite of the deadline. To the London Conference West. It does mean that the Duke of Edinburgh-which, open-
ed a small enlistment grant, re-haven't acquired the secret of will come representatives of organisation will put first ing in 1933, became the first-ever. Moving Is Brave gular pay of id. a day, and a married bliss. I never have
free passage home if they are row with my wife. I have no
secrets from her.” AIR FRANCE DC-4 SKYMASTERS organisations which are free and foremost the promotion bottle party.
Gesture
alive after five years.
"Neither have 1,” sighed Brown. or are determined to be free of the social and industrial
Though Twice Nightly For The opening of the Astor or given Duten, Belgian, or Alsatian
many Germany-ar
That's the trouble. I only TO
from any form of external interests of its members and
thought I had?" rather the moving of the old, dig-names by their officers, they keep domination and which are not subordinate them to poli-
The Girls. nified Astor from Stanhope Gate prepared to accept the sim-tical advantage or the needs
This bottle party offers a good to the underground site of the many characteristics. In the Far 5a. mea! (2s. 6d, cover charge), a Nightingale bottle party-is have been heard swinging along other shouted "Heil Hitler!"
East columns ple but fundamental prin-of political tactics.
It is hard to say precisely twice-nightly girl-show, and the brave gestured light of this morn to the words of the "Horst Wes- ciples upon which genuine
But in the cold trade unionism is found. Not what kind of structure the brilliant boogie-woogie of Freddie
Aspinall
ing its promoters will be asking sel" song. to set up in all of the organisations which | WFTU
Fercival Murray, who runs the themselves this question: There will join the new trade union Asia, and indeed, in other re- Cabaret, says of his future: may be enough wealthy Londoners deserters international at the London gions. But it is not at all hard. Soon we shall become a regular to fill the Astor every night-bet firing squad. Before the valley, item Powers. conference have yet achieved to say what the object of, dub, opening for cocktails at 6.30 are there enough to fill nearly 50 the position of the Western their organisation will be, and closing at 2.30 in the morn-dining clubs, smart, hotels and
ing. We shall collect 5 guineas restaurants and the Astor?" trade unions, and difference and what the constituent annual subscription from some of
Sante of Mayfair most know of conditions in Asia will al- unions will be called upon to our 40,000 members and the pre-ledgeable entrepreneurs think the ways require some adaptation do. At a recent WFTU Con- sent berbaric in applying basic principles. ference in Marseilles the Aus will be abolished entrance fee answer is a straight. No,
"middle- But they will have the funda-tralian representative called class bottle parties, the only The White mental objective of working for the setting up of a re- night
arts now flourishing arej
clubs. Of these the Queen's Bldg, for the industrial and social gional organisation of seamen the
interests of their members covering the Far East and the small, plushy La Rue just off Garzon Street is typical.. Within and not of sacrificing those Pacific, so that major dis 16 months a 28-year-old Pole to the political objectives of putes in that area could be called Siegie Sesaler has turned
Many books have been written La Ene into London's mast ex- about "The Fifteen" and "The any international or external properly co-ordinated. body.
We have recently had an clusive showcase for celebrities. Forty-five"-two of the most ro- mantic and tragic episodes in the The proceedings in London example of what the state-
history of the British Isles--but will not be dominated by any ment can mean--it can mean
few writers are as well qualified organisation, though Com- that dockers in one part of
to record the vicissitudes of the munist propaganda will con- the world can be brought out
Seating only 85 in its restam. Stuart cause as Baron Forcelli, tinue to shout about the dicta-on strike when they have ant, oyster bar, and roof garden, the author of The White Cock- tion of the dollar. There will absolutely no grievance or no the club has only 1,500 members, ade," which has just been issued be differences of opinion to industrial dispute of their whom (Sessler boasts) one by Hutchinson.
third are titled. The success of The author, whose Italion- be ironed out by democratic own, but simply to support a this dub has been based on the sounding title hires the good old discussion-there will not be strike in another part of the patronag
patronage of · the "unity" demonstrated at world, of the merits of whichzad. Sharman cess Margaret Scots name of MacDonald, is in actual fact a descendant of Flora Eue has several rivals. MacDonald, the young girl who Milan and indeed at every they know nothing Ciro's and Les Ambassadeurs are rendered Bonnie Prince
Unions that links up with well established, but now new such great assistance during his WFTU meeting since it be- came a Communist organisa- the WETU organisation in clubs appear. In the staid, ers wanderings after the Battle of tion: a unity of the robot the Far East will be used in tocratic Express Club the Per-Culloden bad terminated the '45 which is imposed by the this way. Their members slan Room has opened to try to aristocracy
Rising. Communist leadership and will be brought out on strikete the theatrical
Earon Porcelli's book is an ac- current favourite, the demonstrates the true nature by decisions taken elsewhere Caprice
curate record of the Stuart tra- of the WFTU and its claim to and for political motives And now Bertie Meadowgedy and contains much material together only Communists brother of Harry Meadows, who hitherto unpublished, speak for 70,000,000 workers, which
rums Churchill's bottle party with a fine series of reproductions The London conference share
verting his Chesterfield Club into drama. The account of the David again, is not going to be pri- It was because of this desprending about £16,000 on con- of the chief characters in the marily political, and the or-termination to use the WETU the 21 eating club 54 Goliath contest at Culloden
smony...these is
is particularly gripping. ganisation which it will set simply as a Communist poli- Holding its own
giants in the tiny Bon Viverr Though he lacks the inspiring up is not designed to be cal instrument and not as
Shepherd Marketp simply anti-Communist. It is a trade union body that then future all night
this will style of those better known his- torians, Philip Guedalla and A- intended to be an inter leaders of all the free and have to serve meals drine being thur Bryant, the treatment of the national trade union move-democratic trade unions had mir facidental to the food and en- Stuart story is sympathetic and
Harz detalled
book and the ment in the proper sense of to leave the WETU an or tertainment Already,
Meadows is planning to spend the word, with its constituent ganisation which in 1915 210,000 on converting Churchill's eminently readable. Definitely a book for all Scots, and most parts functioning as trade they had played a great part into a dining elb unions and not as political in forming.
The new clubs will demand sub-Englishmen as well
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