1940-08-06 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 6, 1940.

CHINA MAIL

DEWINDSOR HOUSE E

H.K.'S PART IN THE WAR

One of the most thrilling things' about this war → and there are thrilling episodes galore-is the spontaneous donation of money ...and of gifts In kind to the British Empire - In the battle against aggression.

Germany at one time fully ex- pected that' not only the Dominions, but all parts of the Empire would seize any confllet in which Britain wes Involved as The an excuse to break away. Dominions are, of course, free and their whole-hearted support of the mother country must have come as a most unwelcome surprise to German rulers. The Colonius, mandated territories and other possessions, voluntarily offered to help and to-day, after eleven months of war, gifts of every klúd are still pouring in. The downfall of France fed the Empire as a whole to still greater effort, so that various ministries in London are new in a porllion to add consider- abdy to their supplies by reason of these generous gifts.

Surress brings success and the marvellous exploits of the R.A.F., etrning the grateful recognition of the Empire, has become the popular focus on which the greater number of these gifts are being centred. Lord Beaverbrook, Minka- ter of Aircraft Production, an- nounced last week that he had on hand a sum totalling £2,000,000 which had been donated hy citizens und ear-marked for aero- planes of different kinds.

Some gifts are addressed to the Red Cross, which has now several million pounds at its disposal. It is in this latter category that Hong| Kong is well represented, although the financial donations sent home for general war purposes tube equally fine.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

ESTILLA LONG LONG WAY FROM THE END OF THE WAR.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE (Copyright in All Countries.)

One Gun That Saved

his-

I have been reading the The B.W.OF. or British War tories of V.C.'s, and am struck by Organisation Fund, which

was the way that so many individual started in Hong Kong soon after feats which have won the rarest the outbreak of wai, has been distinction seem to summarise steadily piling up quantities of

a whole campaign, though they,

hospital supplies as well as knitted fill only a minute or two (and) garments for the soldiers.

an imagined eternity) in weeks

In fact up to this time the sum of fighting.

of H.K.$575,886 has been subscrib- ed to the Fund.

thirteen centres

An

idea

Army

of offensive operations, officers coming out of

Head-

mob

the

up, and went on directing shoot.

Soon all the crew were killed and except Bradbury, Dorrell, Nelson. They went on firing..

Two machine-guns had been got into action up the street. Un- der cover of the houses the 11th Hussars opened fire with their rifles.

this re-

This "absurd and un- equal duel" was over.

But it had done its job. The Germans 'were in doubt how

them. below

ап

Thus the first V.C.'s of the last

then the gap in the French quarters saw at the other end. In the apple orchard the one The B.W.O.. was well organised war, three given to a captain, a’ and a sergeant

line will remain, and the 'con-of the main street "a sergeant-major,

01 gun of the L Battery, surround- its and very soon after its inception of the L Battery of the

35 ed. by dead men, kept up Royal sequences must be borne by galloping, maddened horses,'

fire, sporadically now, but with were oponed Horse Artillery, because, on а

them."

It was plain, says a later ac-

determination. Captain under the leadership of various misty September morning, with That night Kitchener set off count, that "the gunfire had bitter ladies, to which others desiring one 13 pounder gun in an apple, or the front line to talk

Sir stampeded the horses of the Bays. Bradbury was hit again, to help, could

come and work orchard they held back the 4th John into co-operation. receive wool for work at home Division

At the same time a high ex-time mortally. There now of German

mained only Dorrell and Nelson. Cavalry, Joffre wired Sir John to send plosive shell burst among the or hand it over when finished. typifies in little the whole story cavalry to intercept the German surging mass of the animals." With these two to serve it, the These centres were scattered us, of the 'retreat from Mons and avalry crossing the Oise at Bail-They galloped wildly out to the gun fired its last rounds and was widely as possible throughout the most of the 1914 campaign. ¡ly. Sir John answered, "The open country in a flood that car-silent.

French Cavalry Corps now in the ried all before it. Colony. The knitting and sewing centres included the Military Wel It happened on September 1, neighbourhood of Compiegne are It was, perhaps, the last bat- fare Centre as well as centres at the day which turns out in re- much nearer the Germans than tle of its kind in military history, great a force was in the village Stanley, Quarry Bay, Busy Bees, trospect to have been the most

the old-style battle such .as

The September Corps Kipling's hero of "The Light that mist covered the stampede. The nway. Failed" would have drawn with battle had lasted little over British spirit.

A confusion of men and hour when the 4th Cavalry Bri- six stampeding horses, shells so few Battery that you could count the indivi gade arrived unexpectedly from the direction of Compiegne, The 13-dual shell-bursts, machine-guns

The Ger- not coming into the battle till tables were turned.

mans retreated, abandoning eight near the end, range 400 yards.

In the apple orchard, Captemfield guns and a Maxim gun. The 11th Hussars went in pursuit, E. K. Bradbury leapt to his feet, and brought back 50 prisoners. crying, "Come on. Who's for the It has been discovered since to what degree this little action dis- Captain Bradbury was the concerted the Germans, who officer 1914 style, famous for his thought they were dealing with bunting feats in Ireland, "where an exhausted force. The battle he went out as often as he could of Nery put the German 4th get a mount, which was general-Cavalry Division out ol joint.

opposed. six days a week, since every-"Had Von Kluck been body was glad to mount. him."

less stoutly it is doubtful if the He won the officers' race at 5th Army could have escaped,”

any troops of mine." - Police, Methodist Ladies' Society, critical in 1814 and, perhaps, in The French Cavalry U.S.R.C., Club de Recreio, the whole war.

were in fact, fifty miles Y.M.C.A., Chinese Customs, All the Allied Armies were. re- But the 1st Brigade of American Club, Kowloon Dock treating. The French 5th Army, Cavalry, with 2,000 men, and the Dockyard.

under General Lanrezac, Was machine-guns, and the L Five Serving Centres were alongside the B.E.F., and, per of the R.H.A., with its six formed at Government House, haps; the hardest pressed." Union Church Guild, Reak, Helena "During the whole of Septem- May and Chinese Y.W.C.A., while ber 1," writes General Spears, four other knitting centres were who was its liaison officer, "the formed under the leadership of men of the 6th Army stumbled various ladies,

back ever more slowly under-im-

The B.W.O.F. represents hard mensely difficult conditions. They work and though it is impossible looked like ghosts in Hades ex- march to give names-there are too many plating by their fearful -one can but applaud the Enter-the sins of the world.

tainment Committee which has "Heads down, red trousers and netted $16,000. This same inde-blue coats indistinguishable for

BY WILLIAM WALWYN

in

the

unaware

was coming

Luns?"

of his own called "Sloppy Wea- ther." And now the hard-riding. of

Captain was to win his fame and his death in, perhaps, the last

✡

*

fatigable Committee recently dust, bumping into transport, pounders, crossed the Oise that started an "Ambulance Fund;" In¦nto abondoned carts, into each night and bivouacked aid of which the sum of $2,300 other, they shuffled down the village of Nery, quite has been collected. The Publicity endless roads, their eyes filled that a few miles away a whole Punchestown once with a horse General Spears has written. Committee brought in a profit of with dust dimmed the scalding German Division $2,400 which is excellent work landscape, so that they saw clear-through the tangled forest as usually publicity work means ly only the foreground of dis-Compiegne.

Battery-Sergeant-Major G. T. the “giving out," not the "taking carded packs, prostrate men, and A solitary aeroplane, flying at important cavalry battle fought Dorrell and Sergeant David Nel- in" of money.

an occasional abandoned gun." 3,000 feet. had not seen the by the British "Army.

son were awarded the V.C. on The evacuation of a large per On the previþüs) day :Sir John Uhlans advancing. And Brigade

The battery could only got November 10. They were typical itself established centage of workers has meant a French had wired to the Cabinet Headquarters

Dorrell three guns unlimbered in

Contemptibles." ' the "Old distinct decrease, in the number of in London that he could no longer in the main street of the village orchard. They had hardly

R.H.A. since op-had been in the articles turned in, but nevertheless co-operate with the French Army. that night without knowing that

Ire- the work is so well organised-He had only once talked with Joffre and French had been atened fire before one gun was 1895, and had fought in Africa.

Nelson, who come from knocked out by a direct hit. 'Two

be- who said woman cannot organise? | Lanrezac, his French partner in odds all day about who should

or three rounds were fired, and land, had joined ten years that the work almost automáti-the line.

stop the German Cavalry, now

all the crew. of No. 2 gun were fore. Both were given commis- rank cally churns itself into knitted Sir John knew little French, almost within sight.

casualties.

sions, and attained high garments and bandages!

Lanrezac no English. For se-

before 1918. Captain Bradbury left. One gun was

It was So much for the B.W.O.F. Hong crecy, they met in private,

served by Captain Bradbury, was awarded a posthumous V.Č. Kong has helped in other ways, without Chiefs of Staff or inter-

Lieutenanta Campbell and Mundy, a fortnight later. For instance, the Government sent preters. They reached- misunder- So L Battery settled down in Battery-Sergeant-Major Dorrell Yesterday I was looking home £200,000 towards the war standing to the degree that they the apple orchard-no place for Sergeant Nelson, Gunner Dar- their gun in the Imperial War and the "S. C. M. Post," giving never spoke to each other again. fighting, for it was dominated by byshire. and Driver Osborn. Museum, examining the

an opening to the desire of Hong

Kong citizens to have a direct{"

share in helping the general fund, oponed a subscription. list which,

י לו

✡

a ridge Just outside the village- and the lines of horses were tied

.

blown away.

at

dented

muzzle

The limbers were twenty yards shield, the broken spokes of its

The space between them wheels, part of Its very up in the fields behind the cot-away.

and the guns was raked by thei I said to myself, it's no now On August 31, Joffre had in-tage gardens. ****

twelve guns of, two German bat¬ in a very few days, amounted to vited Sir..John French to help] The cavalry ́ lieutenant," who

few men, with the obstinate $1,200,000.

the perilous gap in the French climbed the ridge to reconnoltre teries, firing from the ridge with story. This one gun and these.

the sun behind them.

bravery the common man some- If the wor continues for many line between the 5th and 6th at dawn, was surprised to ace

the Gunner Darbyshire and Driver times has to rise to, staved, off more-months, it will be necessary Armies. The British Commander the Germans emerge from for those countries comprising the refused. He wired the Cabinet:mist 150 yards away. As he Osborn had the job of bringing for the moment the defeat that British Empire to redouble their "If the French go on with hastened back, his horse put a the shells across that shell-swept had been prepared by the con- fusion and misunderstanding and efforts, but in the mean time, the their present tactics, which are foot, Ir a rabbit hole, and went zone.

The solitary gun bore a charm-stupidities of the great' ones, at work in Hong Kong, in spite of

practically to fall back.. right down with him at full..gallop. evacuation and all that, continues

and left of me, usually with- He got back with his news as ed life. Captain Bradbury had headquarters. I suspect this out notice, and to abandon all the Germans opened. fire. Thela leg shot off, propped himself one of the functions of bravery.

In steady tempo.

is