THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1958.
CHURCHILL SPREAD OUT HIS FINGERS AND SAID:
DO YOU PLAY POKER?
Here is a hand
hand to win the
IN February 1941 I received an invitation to stay
a night at Ditchley, Mr Ronald Tree's country house near Oxford. It was here that the Prime Minister spent week-ends when the moon was bright, as Chequers was considered too dangerous at such times.
1 motored down from London on the 15th and when I arrived at that most beautiful of houses I found Mrs Tree, Lady Diana Cooper, Miss Mary Chur- chill and Mr Bruce, American, all having ten together in the drawing-
room.
We were to dine at 8.30, and when we had assembled, the Prime Minister appeared, look- ing cheerful and fresh. He
talked to me for a little, and thre we went into dinner; Lady Dluna Cooper sat on the Prime Minister's right, and I next to Jer.
GOOD SPIRITS
Mr Churchill Was In Food spirits and his conversation was reintillating. When the ladles had gone, he began to sing. waving his cigar in time to the tune!
"I went in to pay the bill, But, instead, I took the s My wife
and kids
457249
#tarniny."
tuere
When the brandy cane round I refused it. Churchill turned to me and said: "Ah, you are those abstemious fellows, are you? Well, I can only tell you that I have always found liquor of the greatest assistance to me-all ty life."
When he continued to talk of food and drink, I told him I re- membered reading in one of his description of the
books wagon in which he had travelled in South Afrlen, and how he had bad ted with a double boltom in which to stow sup- plies. "Yes," he replied, "oir strangements were excellent."
'AFTER YOU'
The Duke of Marlborough joined us ofter dinner with
sume other men who were stay- ing at Blenheim and at other houses in the neighbourhood. When we went to joiu The ledjes Churchill insisted on the Duke preceding him 05 we walked out, saying: "The head
FERDINAND
by Major-General
SIR JOHN
KENNEDY
Director Military Operations 1940-4), Assistant Calsi u
Imperial General Stalt (Operations and intelligesen) – 1981:45.
PORT FOR THE
ADMIRAL ‘AT 2ăm
of the family must go before the Prime Mjuister,"
That be
I
Drawing by WHITEAR
the war
The Premier vei, up in bed while I corlewed the war situation from noiss on a postcard.
T was about this time that the Prime Minister offered the First Sea Lord a whisky and soda, at I am., at ORE of the late sittings of the Defence Commitice, never drink spirits in the moriúng," said findfey Pound. “Shape apless u port
and
A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you too, old man
και
Account to
Longrass
Account to
Commonwealth
World Copyright by arrangement with the Hunchester Guardian
gold watch on the lable beside his bed, and knocked it on to the floor. Mrs Churchill pleked it up, put it to her car, and re- Royal Flush--Great Britain, the would have kicked ported, in a phrase which took Sea, the Air, the Middle East, my fancy. "Its little heart is American Ald." Leating quite strongly; it's
|||UNA JAY" And Churchill breathed
Heaps of Ales and papers jay on the bed, and several, tele- phones were on a table beside him. He said he hoped I did not mind hisiair-raidsuit, and offered me a elgor. I told him I had brought no papers-only a map, which I spread on the
he
I had meant to go back to London that night, but the 10 Prime Minister pressed me
wan lay, Sunday evening repetition of Saturday, and we were treated to another brilliant display of conversation it a
nonologue can be so called.
4
man's brains out if he had tried to doctor it.
vet put n twitch
*
on its nose, and then he
could rub the leg with disinfectant and do anything he liked, while stood tremb- the horse
That Jud.
illustrates I told the initiative, then that story at the Onco time of Gallipoll,
by you grab the enemy the nose, he will, bo able to think of nothing else."
Changing the subject; "I have remember he went out
never known a case of a great athlete being great general-no prize-fighter
A sigh of relict.
left his room, most I also Next morning, February 16, hlm my views frankly and I was stationed to the Prime forcefully, and 1 expected that pleasantly surprised and con
idderably relieved at the wuy Minister's bedroom 21 about this might provoke him into which my four d'horizon Someone fucked
10.30. He had warned the at anger, but to my surprise
kul. been accepted. Never reasonably. and had visited Blenheim during the dinner the night before that he argued most
the and had koon afternoo
would do so, and that he wanted even seesied to accept any point gain was I to find him so ensy, "General Skerski and the room where the Prime Minister a general review of the situs of view. I was puzzled by this,
Polish Ambassador came in lie said, among other things, was bora. "Yes," he said, "an. He was shiting up in bed remembering with whas ardour
and afterwards Duff that after the war he would give luncbeco chose it. My mother intended in his famous gally-jøttemed he had pressed for at forward
keture o strategy at the that I should be tom in Lon- dressing-gown, will dragons, poltes at recent meetings of the Cooper and I were hauled in to
attend their falk with the Imperial Defence College. "It don. But 1 elected otherwise, smoktog a long cigar.
Defence Committee.
Prime Minister. It went on for
will be all animul stories -- and i ørrived a month—no more
When we had finished talking two hours, and ranged over nothing else. You than a month-belore my time,
gland strategy. he spoke of the such subjects of the employ- while she was staying at Ben-
Chief of the Imperial Generalment aid the equipment of the helm."
Stoff, General Sr. Jolas Dill. Polish forces, and the disposal, He said that although Dill had my excellent, quglities he had the Polish gold reserver. one great falling he allowed his Churchill poke fluently and mind to be too much impressed expressively in schoolboy by the enemy's will- 'did noļ French. Fle was stumped at #gree with this, of course, and ene moment, when he was try- thought to myself that b's Ing to Ilken the Germans In powers of resistance to, Chur- Europe to maggots in a cheese; chill's will were proof enough of we all know fromage all right, From some notes on a
his moral courage. But I felt but not even Duft Cooper could card, which 1 had made over it was much too delicate a sub interpret "maggots." The Polish my morning tea, I reviewed the Ject for me to discuss, and re- Ambassador came to our rescue. whole situation as it appeared, mained silent. la mc.
He istened attentively After we had been talking One of Churchill's phrases throughout, stopping me octa- for nearly three hours, Mrs slicks in my mind. He held up I had not been to a parly on sionally to discuss various points Churchill come in to say that his hand with the flagers, spread such a splendid scale for a long at greater length. When we she was going over to Blenhelin out, and sold: "Do you play time. It was delightful,
came to the Balkans he seemed for und
luncheon. The Prime poker? Here is the hand that the war seemed very remote. particularly interested; I gave Minister reached out for the big is going to win the war:
Soon the lights were put out lims. First came a newsreel, in which we saw Churchill bed. specting troops, in a recter jacket and yachtsman's cap, un Italian propaganda film déplet- ing Mussolini making o specch, Anally, a thriller. Atter and, that, we tuiked in the drawing room until, at last, the Prime Minister went off to bed at 1.30
and we nut down, to see some
0.71,
MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN
HMM--YOU SAY THE
FLYING CARPET LANDED AND TOOK OFF HERE--, WITH THE THIEF?
YES!
I'D BETTER PHONE THE POLICE,
JOHNNY HAZARD
GEOKSET VON'T] THE LADY
RUSH OFF * WARTS YOU,
GRMOR.
LOCK ME UP, GUARD
I GOT
NOTHING MORE TO SAY HERE!
NOT THAT MEAN
NEWSPAPER PUBLICITY, IMA
BANKER I MY
ASSOCIATES-
YOU STYME F
MY VIEWS
post
--THEY'D THINKI BUT YOU EXPECT WAS DEMENTER YOUR INSURANCE) |WITH SUCH A COMPANY TO
BELIEVE IT?
STORY.
5-29
I-29
By Mik
FERU
By Leo Falk and Phil Davis
YOU STILL WISH TO MAKE THE CLAIME
NOI FORGET THE WHOLE THING!
| IMAGINER İTİ
I'M KISMET'S QUYE
By Frank Robbins
„GIEMO! 1 UNDERSTAN"
YOU WANT TO TELL ME
SOMETHINGT
to COLOGNE...
SWISSAIR
There's More than Meaic
about CADBURY'S...
HONG KON Favourite Chocolates
AUSTIN
have
WIDE RANGE
OF CARS for
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DUFF COOPER
A
"A thoroughbred harnessed to a dung-cast."
how Foch said: 'I am like
A
THE
BUSINESS
OF WAR
To Brendan Bracken' (who
to
has ever been a good general, was then the Mister of In- The only exception might be in formation) ho mid: "You scem the Italian ariny, where a to be peiting on very well with Heneral might find it useful to the Press. One always los
try to match the man to the job,, be a good runner."
When Duft was appointed At one point the conversation thought he was exactly the
man turned to. Turkey. I sald some-
for it. 1, said to my- self: Hero is n thing about the Turks being a
man with very doubtful quaniky, and fine war record, with expert- that their decision in entering ence of politics and govern~ the war or keeping out would ment, and a dine reputation as turn entirely on what they con- a writer. He is just the mon sidered to be their own in for it. And what happened? Lerest. "Yes," he said, "it is fe falled completely. It just nearly always so with nations shows that it doesn't do to
the but not with
Americans. harness a thoroughbred to They are moving into the war dung-cort,"
could make by sentiment. I out a very strong case to show why it would pay Amerien to
patrol-un, perToquet, First I keep out." grasp with my, beak, then with
Speaking the decisions that one claw' and so on. Then had been taken in the war, he there is the Uger sprawled and said the two hardest were, first, the tiger crouched. cace had to keep the fighter aircraft out a horse that got badly rubbed of. France and second, to send in a ship coming over from the tanks and other reintorce- Ireland. The Inside of one ments to Egypt at a time when hind leg was quite raw. It Invasion still seemed likely.
COMMENTARY.
a
One would not have thought that either Duff Cooper or Bracken would care for this much, but they both took it cheerfully.
NEXT WEEK Generals say "No"
.
-Loniun Express Service).
BY FRANK OWEN
BSERVE that picture of batteries and Infantry forces against any substantial
OBSERVE Ministers on to guard the airfields, as well flections of strength from our
Churchill obed, "late in the as engineer, supply and morning." DS his Service medical units. critics in Whitehall used to complain.
Committed
hard-pressed troops in the Western Desert, and he con- tinued so to the end.
Interesting, then to read now how patiently Winston
It is 10.30 a.m. and We were already pretty Churchill, who was so fer-
already piles of papers and well committed in Greece files lie on the bed, which is before, in January 1941, on vently in favour of a much really his working desk, Now pressure from Churchill, the bigger intervention in the Balkans, listened to his argu-. he is asking his visitor from Greek government were in-
ments. It shows that Win- the War Office, General vited to say: If they would Kennedy, Director of Mili like more artillery and some ston. resolute as he was in tary operations for a real re- armoured troops, too. Be- his own particular destres, view of the war. Churchill cause, at that point, they other side of the case, if it.
was not unwilling to hear the shows especial interest in were anxious to avoid offer- what is going on in the ing any provocation to the was put up to him in terms Balkans.
that went beyond a blank Nazis, the Creek govem- ment replied NO!
negation. Hore, since the autumn of 1940, the Greeks had been . But by February, a fighting the Italians in the government had taken over mountain border land of in Athens, largely controlled Albania and had given by General Papagos, C-In-C them a thorough hiding! of the Grock amy, He said The Greeks had been helped, YES!—if attacked. to a limited extent, by the
So off to Athens flew Mr mand.
new
Two questions The Prime Minister. had certainly had a hard fight with his Service Chiefs ad- visers on those two
ques- tions of
back ONT tary of State for War, and Battle of France for the from the For on the Italian invasion General Sir John Dill, then Battle of Britain; of Greece, which began.this Chlef of Imperial General little war, General Sir Archi- Staff, In Egypt General (2). Sending tanka and bald Wavell, C-in-C Middle Wavell was warned that other reinforcement away East, had at once despatched he would have to provide from home to Epunt at a time on RAF Fighter Squadron further reinforcement from when the invasion of Britain. there. This action had been his already not too ample was still reckoned to be very endorsed next day by the reserves. He protasted, but much on the cards. Chiefs of Staff in London, like. Dill, who had also begun It was, indeed, a big risk and even fortified by them, by refisting more commit. In both
events. Well, for they ordered up three ments in the Balkans. Wavell twice Winston Churchill more squadrons later changed his mind, ** took (t—against the counsel
British Middle East Com Anthony Edon, then Secre- fglator aircraft
(1) Holding
But along with the RAF General Kennedy, on the of the Service Chiels, crews and their, technicians, other hand, held fast, From And it was Winston whe had gone anti-aircraft gun the start, he had been, tumed out to be right,