1939-06-14 — Page 15

he armaments of draft owing to the proximity of their een appreciably bases, the caverns are being excavat- ent weeks. Latest ed in the lower part of the Rock, near including anti- and in the town, so that no civilian ave been installed will ever be caught far from a shel- position and en- ter. To avoid congestion there are ed in bomb-proof to be five or six entrances to each

the guns for cavern.

These shelters are being con- e confined boun- structed at a cost of roughly £9,000 the advantage in each. Part of this expenditure is uld unavoidably being defrayed by selling the ex- le batteries on cavated debris to builders. For there Moroccan main- is an awkward scarcity of building his reason that material in Gibraltar, and that im ions

being ported is very costly. The debris d at first highly is to be used in the construction of a

much-needed block of flats.

are

for the endurance of a siege has, been the assurance of an adéquate} supply of food and water. Enough food has been laid by to last the garrison and population a good six months, by when, it is trusted, the Navy would have brought relief.

Drinking water supply has always been a special problem at Gibraltar. Nine subterranean cisterns, utterly indestructible by an enemy, hold the catch- water that runs from the ments on the side of the Rock, To ensure adequate reserves in the event of a siege a tenth cistern is now being hewn. About 140,000,- 000 gallons of fresh water are al- ready stored. Unfortunately this

ALL ATTACKS

25,000 persons

ve

As, in the event of war, the grea- Were war ob- ter part of the garrison would be would probably manning positions in the bomb-proof. 1,000 or so galleries of the Upper Rock, the se- to England or curity of the three infantry bat- The remainder talions and one artillery regiment troglodyte life stationed at Gibraltar is requiring s that are now less urgent attention. But the er them.

first serious task of the 1st Bat- e 10 of these talion the Welsh Guards, who

accommodating rived from home last month to rein- civilians. The force the garrison, has been to dig

The others suitable. cover for themselves the beginning of their barracks.

light, drinking

be fitted with

on and gasproof

very brief warų-

of enemy

FOOD AND WATER FOR SIX MONTHS

ar-

near

One of the most important ques- air- tions that has had to be considered

ing the new road bridges and tunnels on the North pear to be like sheep tracks on the steep cliff face.

VIN'

?

By George McManus

MR. JIGGS-THANKS 50 MUCH-THE OPERA- IT WAS WONDERFUL- BUT I HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST IDEA AS TO WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT-IT WAS AL

·SUNG IN ITALIAN-

year's light.

rainfall has been abnormally The average fall is 35in, a At the time of writing-and the rain period is as good as over— there have been only 12in.

year.

The Gibraltarians are themselves co-operating with enthusiasm in civil defence. A few months ago they were resigning themselves fatalistically to an exceedingly un- pleasant time in the event of war. Gen. Ironside has now convinced them that there is no reason why they, if not their homes, should not survive the most formidable siege.

POPULATION'S LOYALTY TO BRITAIN

Although the majority of them are Spanish-speaking and many have close ties with Spain, their loyalty to England is unquestionable. A young Gibraltarian said to me the other day, "Although I speak Eng- lish imperfectly and Spanish per- fectly I feel myself to be wholly a British subject, Although we Gibraltarians live surrounded by soldiers and sailors in what is vir- tually nothing but a fortress, we feel as free as birds. We know that that would not be so under any other regimes."

When I watched the newly-disem- barked Welsh Guards marching briskly to barracks to the piping of the "Lambeth Walk" I thought I knew what he meant.

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