*Page 4
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1955.
How would you expect a wife to react if her husband returned with a new face..scarred beyond recognition? It happened to a war hero and his wife. And it makes— A HEROIC STORY I CANNOT FORGET
T
HE bandaged man lay staring at the roof of the wagon. How would his wife react?
That
ТУЛЯ the question which danced before his Idless eyes us the train jogged slowly on.
on
He pletured himself last leave with her boyish, romantic, young officer, still in the full vigour of youth. everything was changed.
Now
A few weeks earlier he had been dragged from the burning wreck of his RAF. bomber in the Belgian hsil country. bad
They
rolled him like a charred log through the long, wet grass to put out the flumes.
Suddenly the hospital train heaved to a halt. The door was shoved open.
They gasped
Women peered in Bunit! world outside.
By Robert Pitman
without a Bid-streaming lessly,
The tragedy which can be described In own words:-~~-
to
ex-
con
heip- wrote Meindoe, "must be de
voted to enabling the man followed live for his country m Simpson's pended on seeing that he
dio for it"), of his care for the minis of his disfigured patients (he refused to make them wear "bluce," insisted 1011 hospital
"All her hopes and dreams of finding me badly wounded and
scarrel debut
offensive, them being nursed by the suraming at the eyes, dirtly protulest girls he could find). bandaged and clumsily disabled -were sheltered in that first sinalant of recognition
bruke down and wept."
Не adds pathetic
1
from 12
But when he moved his head to look them they gasped in horror and drew back, shielding their faces from the sight of him.
For William Simpson, in the summer of 1940, it was the first of how unmistakable terribly he had been disfigured,
sign
Now, in 1955, in a frank and ( Burned My powerful book Fingers, Putnom. 18s.), Squad- ron-Leader Simpson, OBE. D.F.C., describes his journey back to Ble from that moment of despair.
First come a year In France- a year of agonising treks fron
hospital. But hospital to patriation to England brought deeper pain.
fession:-
moment how
con-
WILS
There Wan Monica, Even her she among these pretty nurses
Simpson good looks sparkled. wow her first when he
to be trundled to the waiting operating theatre. Later he "I was bitterly ironical that watched her each day from his her instinctive compression hard bed in the ward, not daring to ened me against her. From that disclose his growing love for onwards, no matter her. Today she is his wife. And gallantly obe tried-and in her own fashion the has sur- she tried so hard and for BU
hor husband back courage, long-there was no way
She was 4 devout to my heart. t had turned lo Catholic and her children arc stone."
today being educated as Catho-
Yet. lies.
by marrying divorced men, she deliberately cut herself off not only from her religion but also, but m her belief, from 1s promise of life in eternity.
Simpson had reached the Jonellest stage in his Journey, There was nothing he could do for himself. Unaided he could mot
He even frod or drink, could not wash, dress, brush his own haly, clean his own teeth. His boy was broken, gook! for So were his marriage nothing
un his cares.
She sparkled
chlidren www.t.
fil."
Who worked this fransformation”
Yet
41
There
'Yes, please'
were
people like Lord Beaverbrook, In the postwar work they Rave Simpson the chaper he wanted--the chance to be treated as an equal and Simpson Tot as a special ense. describes
interview »n<
with Beaverbrook :----
Intention
Cummings
COMRADES STALGANIN, STALSCHEV AND STALINOV AT YOUR SERVICE ·
A
CONVINCED HIS
HE'S POLICIES
12
That was 14 years ago.
T 67, Francols Chris- today William Simpson is eminently successful prote
tiuun Erasmus is signal man. He has two ne
man at ease with His life, he anys, "is
* Do you want job he
the world. Genial, satisfying, and purpose, asked in his deep and greting
Cumudian drawl. I had not bad gregarious, and relaxed, he
13 of becoming harbours no discernible bit- wonderful any
but I Journalist,
suid, Yes, terness, grinds no political found myself please, and
Xey He walks and tulks the staff of the Sunday Express.
great human like a man
with plenty of make 'We'l
he said time, no immediate worries, writer Grinstead
out of you.' Tather frighteningly. He named and nothing on his con- a salary and then doubled the
with
spontaneoria gesture and a friendly grm..
There was Archie MeIndoe thow Sir Archibald), the great est of our plastic surgeons. At his hospital fo East
011
science.
Le gave Simpson a new nose, wife was waiting for him new check, new eyelid, everi a
new eyebrow He moulded the figure seaside hotal. room at Her hair and jumper were care-
remains of his hands back into
All that comes as a sur- fully stabbed with
A great huran the scent usefulness.
writer?prise when you meet him. S.nipsext rewalls these opora. which she knew he liked best.
Simpson's new book often comes her
Aart he also Then
husband ions in thetaji. young
near to justifying that large hobbled in on maimed feet, with paints a picture of Meindoe's prophecy. It is a book I for one
his fight for his hands reduced to stuinpa, bis wider
will never forget.
To recom- burned
beyond the cause of disabled men ("as mend face
almost
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910 Gloucester, Belldi
For he is South Africa's Defence Minister, one of the fathers of the ideology of apartheid, and one of the men who must take the final responsibility for the state of the Union.
ARE
By Les Armour
If the West has a "soft under-belly," then the great stretches of Africa south of the Sahara qualify for the title. How this soft spot can be hardened hinges largely on the efforts of the Minister of Defence for South Africa. What sort of man is he?
have
been frontpage force
for geared
action headlines ever since Daniel against possible revolt of Malan first became Prime the African inside the Minister of the Union in suc- Union. cession to Jan Smuts
RIGHT
ERASMUS
But Erasmus has always that defence is When Smute und Hertzog, insisted
elder purely against the possi South Africa's two You expect a tight-lipped, statesmen, formed a coali- bility of external aggren-
was one of sion. And there is nothing level appropriate to the twentieth uncompromising, iron-willed tion, Erasmus apostle of the supremacy of the few men who chose t about the nature of South century.
follow Malan into the wilder- Africa's defence programme
the white man.
Instead, you find a friend, ness rather than join them, which suggests the con- into an army would
ease
ly, unassuming man with an When Malan became Pre- under questioning mier, Erasmus became Do- which comes, obviously, fence Minister. from a sense of the right-
ness of his actions and his
HO
deep-
Idens which is sented that he is sure that
Ticklish Job
trary,
which. reality
to him,
is
a coming
It may not square with in- mediate practice. But to sincere Nationalists, that is merely the result of past raiarule which is being corrected.
So he can afford
amilo gently when he is told that America's Foreign Secretary, John Foster
Dulice bas described Nationalist policy
0.9
BT
one which "may touch off explosion that will spread the of revolution throughout Africa."
fire
After all, South Africa has no Mau Mau
Sees Danger
And the anthropologists haves blamed Mau Mau, in the last resort, on the bitterness and confusion which have resulted from the clash between Western civilisation and the tribal way of life.
Mr
It is precisely that clash that Erasmus 15 trying to minimise (though the practical success of the essay may be doubted).
Obviously, to recruit Africans contribute st more to detribalisation
Furthermore, he quite The Union has a small, com- genuinely does not believe that pact force which can be rushed there is any danger of revolt anywhere the government feels He insists that the African is
Meanwhile, he feels free to 1000sanya fores which ap- better off economically in South
concentrato on South Africa's parently, would be more use as Afrien than anywhere else, and
defence against external ag- that Africans are aware of the gression. a South African contribution to
Unless
they an international effort than as
history wil vindicate him As Defence Minister, his deterrent to internal revolt. and that the world's opinion, job has been ticklish. for the moment, is unimpor- tant.
He has been accused of refus For the outside world's ing to arm Africans because he was afraid that they would use question about South Afri- their arms against the govern can defence is always: de ment, fence against what?
at
are
a advantage.
spurred on by "agitators," ho South Africa 1s separated
secs no chance of discontent from Moscow by 80 degrees of becoming generally serious. And, latitude and from Peking by 78 government makes short degrees of longitude. It is, in his shrift of "agitatora."
fact, about as for away from the capitals of any potential aggreb- sor sa anything in the world. But Mr Erasmus atlil secu danger.
A farmer's son, he left the warm dry plains to go to
Good Futurė But his answer is that parti- Inw school, practised suc- cessfully for a while and Defence against external cipation in modern war or pre-
parations for modem war would As to the future, he is con- then, at 30, gave it up for aggression or defence clash with the government's vinced, again, that the African
In event of war, he is con- good vinood, Russia would charge politics.
against revolt from within? pellay for African development. In South Africa has
future to look forward to a hell bent through the rich and From the first he was a There have been many He holds-and no doubt he future in which he can develop politically unstable oil lands of staunch believer in the who have suggested that holds it sincerely-that Africans his own, society.
the Persian Gulf, menace Suez should be reintegrated into their policies of the Nationalist Erasmus' aim must neces- own society and encouraged to
and be in an ideal position for The great dream of two
offensive
South against any Party-the
that sarily be to build up a strong develop from a tribal basis to policies
a societies in South Africa is one Africa.
LOGAN GOURLAY on Broadway
THE BOGART OUTLOOK
Now, at 54, it's time to be a respectable citizen
I
I
In fact, he says, "Africa south of the Sahara la the biggest weak spot in the West's amoLAT.”
And, in event of hostilities, weak spota may well be good targets.
He is not immediately worried, But hos dickering, slowly,
to fill the gap.
His Diplomacy
"Seriously, HE
don't know. waiter came into York, and they talked as only ing head. (I reported the frat the lounge of the hotel the bantering Bogies do.
stage about two years ago when Maybe it's because I've learned He succeeded, this summer. în something about acting at last," gotiing the Brilish Government She said: suite balancing а
"I suppose you've he was visiting London.) been wasting your "ime
Bince
He bawled to his wife, who to provaise support—in principle "Well, haven't lost any more
a spreciad tray, and said: "Here are you got here. You've probably hair. Maybe I've even sprouted had retired to the bedroom to for
agreement by NATO powers concerned in the drinks, Bogie."
gone to see Bogle's now movie a bit. But I've no magic cire change and ignored mine.”
"It's 7.5. We gotta leave for Africa to co-operate in the de (His was for baldness, Make that clear.
fence of Africa. 1 We were in democratic The Desperate Hours and here Ever since you first wrote about that dinner date.
She emerged in black avoning New York, where it is the Blood Alley. Both had just it I've been pestered by letters
from bridles
stoie saying: And he,la-working on the been premiered.)
begging for the own and mink waited-upon who have to
cure. Some from women,
"Why are you always telling French, the Belgiana, and the he polite, meek, respectful.
"And ever since you said I me the time? I'm a big girl Fortuguese, But even there no film cele-
WAS. A dollar millionaire I've now, and I can tell the time.
But he does not Boo the trouble. been, in
Relax, Bogle grut brity would expect,
and
Sald Bogle: "It's 7.5 and 85 problem de one for immediate practically nothing compared to
worry, "World tension is des encourage, the hotel staff to
these Texan oll millionaires, seconda," use his nickname. Except a national
A pageboy brought in a copy But everyone's been trying
SO KEEN
finitely caring," bo says, with z ̈ magazine, and put the bite on me. I'm nearly "Shut up and let me Humphrey Bogart, the least Bogle turned to the film page to ruined. I let the walters
talk smile, call about my career for a change, pompous and pretentious read the review of The Desper me Bogle so they'll settle for a Noel Coward in Blithe Spirit his diplomacy will get hos the
I may be playing Elvira with of celebrities. But he's also ate Hours. It was flattering. He small ip." the most wryly chievous.
SCORN
I confessed she was right." received a scornful look
WHO SUES NOW?
mig smirked.
the "What does it, say about my ruined”.
I've
to
In the long run, he reasons,
For the As an actor the "nearly on TV over here. I'm so keen remonts he wants.
to do it for moment there is nothing to Bogie has never been I'd almost agres asked Beity.
more in demand for films that nothing. But don't tell my worry about, "Nothing. It only reviews earn him around £60,000 each agent
has been (Her agent
Lot the outside world criticiso the really important filme." or a headung percentage of saking about £8,000 for her if it wants tombe la codwinced
incidend Betty....
that history will show him to be services.)
As we rode downstairs in the elevator, Bogle, who has been
History may, indeed, show hum banned from two, New-York
to be wrong. of right clubs, soldi ima
would do wout the world tional Daws, Haven't been worried about South thrown out of avarat dubine eluidy Erwania. He la nockunleus Rear) Beei bahaying like ya among Nationalle politicista nciable, citiem, powerful berl not be kind toray
When I groated him with "Hello, Bogle," he said. "Please don't be so familiar in front of turning to
praiti
said Bogie, see
IT'S CHARM,
the staff. Bad for disciplina."yoti at the mome. Who's muing
Mrs Bogle (Lauren Bacall)"Nobody "I replied. "Who He pondered the "question entered from the bedroom, in a are you suing at the moment? ** why the mintald be so shocessful „Sorry I haven't *any sensa← Bowing multi-coloured, dressing- Not a soul: Except the guys at the age of 54. gown. She is called Beity of by who run that inaanzing that it?
he said, twist into a demoniad
I Inquired about his campalaris charm. Pl
bat, friends and probably by the attacks all the Hollywood stars, ¿ing hid chataburira da ino“.
Kurkd Better, awith the subjectively grinz
rozka” na milions/d