Ja
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1953.
DUCE'S SECRET DAUGHTER
By Sidney Rodin
London.
MUSSOLINI'S favourite
daughter in London studying English. Elena Curti is her name-but it does not appear in any official record of the Duec's family. For Signorina Curti, now 80, is the child of Mus- Bolini nd 11 beautiful woman of Milan,
It was a love affair that secretly endured to the end despite the many Women who were to enter into the Duce's life.
And the affection that Musolini had for the mother sprend to the daughter. He clung to her with al- most pathetic desperation, especially as he was din- appointed in his five children by his legal wife Rachnele.
Thus young Elena rede in the arinoured car with Chura Petacci. Mussolini's last mistress.
The bodies of Mussolini and Clara Petacei were hung head downwards by Italian partisans in unre in Milan. Only a young man in Mussolini's party and Elena escaped death.
FASCIST OFFICER
STATION
THE FIRST SENT
Hazel-eyed Signorina Curti, | ***********************
who once wore the grey-green TOLD IN DETAIL
uniform of woman Fascist meer
al her father's request, told me: BY FRANCIS MAR-
"After the ratar I was a victim of
the hatred against Mussolini in TIN FOR THE Italy. fell in love, but tho
parents of my flanen turned him FIRST TIME: THE the Normandy landings a
against ane because of my birth.
ure gone.
"Did Mussolini as a political Bgure I
de not think I ought to discuss.
But Mussolini as a man I did
admire very much. fle was an
inspiring kader who loved his country.
"As a father? I was not fold That he was my paront until I cavas 18. 11 was saich an emotional shock that I could never bring myself to call him father.
later. year
Mother's Day
Mowers for Mahar
MAN WE TO TITO
hands of Sergeant Rose, He and his staff officers out- and Waller lined the situation. The entire And Major Palestine-born,
preter, and a Royal
0
men
GILES
London Express Bervice
LIEUT..COLONEL DEAKIN
2 think my chances of marrying STORY OF THE William Jones, a Canadian Wroughton, a young RAF cor- Partisan army of 20,000
SOLDIER-DON WHO 1914-18 war veteran aged poral from Yorkshire. The tearn was encircled by twelve Ger- admire my father? WENT AS CHUR- over 50. With them went was completed by a Croat ser man and Italian divisions who, (inter- backed by the Luftwaffe, were Marines making three NCOs, Yugoslavs by Reant, John Starcevic
supremie
Lo CHILL'S ENVOY birth, who had emigrated to sergeant from Northern Ireland liquidate the entire
bid Jiberation whose Job movement. eso...¿$5.............................................. Canada when young, but named Campbell,
spoke their native language was that of bodyguard.
The mission had dropped SCORTED by Royal fuently.
in the centre of the enemy In the storm · Navy patrol craft
ring. As Tito spoke, bomb Soon after the arrival of and much incidental
crumps and automatic fire this "pilot" party a secret
from could be heard in the distance, Imp, Marshal Tito
Two years ago he was call- North The ring was tightening hour- sailed up the Thames last radio message was picked E mission took off
ed upon by Mmg, Vanda Novo- sel, wifo Yugoslavia's Minis "My mother and he met week on his first visit to up in Caire. It said that
Tito Was prepared to Africa, at dusic on May 27 in discreetly, and he was always ex Britain. Ten years ago the receive a British
their fer of Merchant Marine, was on a holiday trip to ceptionally kind to me. He British paid their first call mission, and that its mem- Over Greece they ran into an
DIVA- tain. insisted I should be near him,
upon Tito with rather less
Deakin vaguely knew he bad particularly from 1942 onwards.
bers were to drop during electrical storm which put them tions us spearhead
of elean "Yet he would tell no one that ceremony.
height protecting the rear. Su a fight seen the face somewhere. Ther I was his child for fear that
ine it all came back to him. She began The story of our original the small hours of May 28 forced them to such a
conscious in march
had would cause me embarrassment.
military mission to Tito's over signal fires in a valley that everybody lost
of given his spare pistol, a cap- headquarters, never told be- near Mount Durmitor. on ness except the acropline crew, shoulder of 1,500 ft, Durmuor was the girl to whom he
tured Italian one, by candle- light in a peasant's hut on fore in detail, can now be the borders of Montenegro who had oxygen supply. The owards the forest refuges
Durmitor,
It stayed our secret, even though It made Clara Petacci jealous,
"The truth came out during my
Interrogation as a prisoner."
ARTIE'S HEADLINE
"First catch your ox...
revealed,
It takes us back to the carly months of 1913. A transmitter calling itself Yugoslav Free Radio, hut
.
military
und Bosnia.
Researcher
Derna
airfield,
Halifax bomber.
their
and eourse
y
HQ proposed fighting way out of it with two
and Mosnia.
and uno
over
wasn't
SEMP
NICEST PLACE IN TOWN!
Scottish Cream
Sera
who Bri-
.
the
Halifax returned to base took off again next night.
Stuart and Deakin scrapped In St. Antony's common At two in the morning the
room they drank Yugoslavian pattern of signal fires was spot. us much of their equipment as ted in the valley near Durmi- they dared and put their radio pluni brandy and talked about old times. They even laughed for. The drop was smooth. The uutrits on muleback. Selling
about them.. Not that it судя in n mountain up the transmitter and making any laughing matter in meadow and were quickly believed to be located in THE mission had already party landed
been picked, trained located by
tough, haggard contact with Cairo would take spring of 1943. Russin, was putting out in- ereasingly impressive re- and briefed.Its-leaders-Partisan-patrol,Among them une, and there
her knute lo spare, perts about Tito's guerilla. were two officers of Special was a uniformed girl in
carly twenties.
The march went on for Д campaigns and the number Operations branch.
"We are short of arms and month, through rain, mud, cold, of German and Italian Captain William Stuart ammunition," she sald divisions his Partisan forces had been British vice- haven't got
Deakin hunger and bombing. When the ☐ çun were pinning down in the consul in Zagreb before the gave her his spare pistol. Then bread ration ran out they boil-· came a 10-mite tramp to Tito's ed and ate young beech leaves, Yugoslavian mountains, wer and knew the Yugo headquarters, which was not a A pack mule was killed by a
slavs well.
place, not even a tent, but just bomb splinter, which meant a knot of men in worn uniforms talking in undertones meagre rution of boiled mule. among hillside trees.
into
Frey
British GHQ Cairo, de- cided tu check on his achievements. То begin Coptala (later Llcut-colonel) Frederick W. D. Deakin, 29. with two observers were
Was Junior Oxford don turn- parachuted
newly ed soldier who, during the late Stuart, Deakin and the rest who liberated areas of Croatia thirties, had done research were presented to Tito,
Ho Churchill's wore no insignia of rank, and Slovenia: Captain work for Winston
was calm, courteous anti Marlborough blography, Hunter,
The Mos moment Scots Anthony
There were four others in the smiling, At that Fusiliers, who was killed in party. Radio gear was in the had little to smile about.
PARIS NEWSLETTER BY SAM WHITE
BAUDOUIN IN
GETS
A TUTOR
'KINGSMANSHIP'
UNPUBLISHED
to
aristocratic birth and
the
1 life- Identical
Bormons
preached in three me devoted to diplomacy,
Their theme; There is one thing lacking: churches.
un-
Tito hurt
11
OST of the time the Ger-
mans were pretty
close. On the slopes of Mount Milink- Jada; while Partisan squet's were pitching band grenades into enemy snipers' nests and bullets were whistling About all eurs, German aeroplanes dropped bombs,
One bomb unluckily
found
WDS
D
its mark. Captain Stuart killed outright. Tito got splinter in his left arm. Deakin one in his right leg.
The marching and
Aghting
went on without halt. But one were day late in June the battle Monroe noises suddenly faded and cut the out, Tito and his men wero
offensive, harrying Axis com- munication lines before the Ger- man command had had time to recover its breath.
he has no interest in sport. His "courage" shown by St. Fran- out of the ring. From the Bos only hobbies are reading ant els de Sales in the 17th cennian forests he resumed the tury in rebuking one of Prince listening to musle.
His elegant wife will official Rainier's ancestors, the Duke of ly remain In Paris. Dominant Savoy, for Infatuation with this, feminine influence around Bau- a dancer. The moral of douin will remain that of the the clergy concluded, was that St. Francis, because of his de- Princess de Réthy.
or For another two votion to the Duke, did not months he was watched by the hesitate to remind him that one Deakin mission; after that by of the principal duties of a Brigadier Fitzroy Maclean's
QUOTES
three
in
were
Paris. King's intentions, but also 10 portly, greying Baron convey the Cabinet's wishes to
Baudouin. Jules Guillaume. Bel-
"He will review, and possibly gian Ambassador in Paris, has fallen a unique job: suggest changes in, Baudouin's tack entourage. But his first that of being an ambas- will be to introduce in Belgium sador to his own King. a British royal precedent that of daily publication of a Court Belgium's Circular." Guillaume (01), most experienced diplomat, was instructed by his Government lau return to Brussels to act as
Belgium has no Court Circu- COMEDIAN Jean Tlader: A ruling prince was to ensure by Anglo-American mission Hulde and mentor to King Bau-
bank is on establishment
a proper marriage the dignity which the Deakin team douin. His job wil be basical- lar, with the result that
Palace are perfectly willing to make you a and continuity of his line." merged. ly to instruct the King in the activities of the
prove All services concluded with arts of "democratic kingsman- largely unknown to the Belgian lean provided you can public Whom the King re that you don't need it. ship."
celves, whom he entertains, Singer Falth Plaf-I even the movements of the everything about Amerlen Royal Family outside Belgium, cept the cooking. The appointment is for a six- remain unpublished.
PRINCE AND ACTRESS month period: It will carry the What is known is the identity
at Kremlin conference title of State Secretary of the of those whom the King does
tables as a satellite boss, sup Royal House and will give him not receive socially. These in- IN the manner of Bishop Blunt
with Stalin ill of Bradford, the clergy of
Ave In the Cabinet rank. The post has not clude his Prime Minister and
Helen morning,
10 Stalin's existed in Belgium" since The
who the principality of Monaco are members of his Cabinet,
records. days of the reign
the TN anticipation of a favour favourite gramophone of have never lined or Junched beginning to sermonise on
of Albert I.
with him. They also include all private life their ruler,
Bed able reply to an Invitation Incur Stalin's displeasure
of the Kremlin's Sold Belglon Embassy off foreign Ambassadors
Prince Rainier Ing. Thcso
by the mayor of the village of be struck clal: "The baron will bo like a have only met Baudouin 00 Object: of their
censure: Erugny (population 1,300), to pets' list, Rainier's' declared intention
to renovator asked to renovato and formal Slate occasions.
to Malenkov and, Eisenhower. marry Gisela Pascal, one
beautiful task Guil- France's most
Barly
CABINET RANK
air musty Victorian palace.
He will not only have to keep
To his delicats
the Cabinet Informed of the laume brings royalist fervour, stars.
"
like
special prayers for the young prince.
Ex-
Rainier was not in Monte Carlo that day.
With Mlle. Pascal he is spending a winter
An
Oxford
sports hollday at undis-TITO toughly survived to sit closed resort.
́DIPLOMATIC NOTE.
Deakin went back to his his of meet there the local fire tory books and to Oxforü, film brigade band are rehearsing ap- where he is warden of SL.An-
propriale tunes.
tony's, ""baby", among-colleges,
One of Scotland's best!
Scottish
Cream
Available from all good stores
Sale Importers
GIBB, LIVINGSTON & CO.LTD., TEL:38458
GEVAPAN 3
Gevaert
The Faster Film
FILM
with Great Latitude in Exposure/
OBTAINABLE FROM ALL LEADING PHOTO STORES
POBTAINABLE
Sole Agents -
HONGKONG CANTON EXPORT CO., LTD.
French Bank Building
Page 5Page 6