1940-08-27 — Page 6

Drink SQ

MATERS

PURE DELICIOUS WHOLESOME

In the

HONG KONG HOTEL

DINNER DANCE

With Nick Korin & His Swing Band NIGHTLY 9 P.M. TILL 1 A.M.

TEA DANCE

SUNDAYS 5 TILL 7.

THE HONG KONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS, LTD.

NEW STOCK

STRINGS FOR

Guitar:

Mandoline

'Cello

D/Bass

VIOLIN Pegs

Bridges Mutes String Grips Resin

Bow Hair

AT

ANDERSON'S

Size VIOLIN oufits

The Sign of Perfect Drycleaning

ZORIC

GARMENT CLEANING SYSTEM

FOR ALL TYPES OF CLOTHING AND HOUSEHOLD FABRICS

THE STEAM LAUNDRY CO.

Head Office and Works, Tol, 57032. Hong Kong Depot, Tel. 21270. Gloucester Bldg., 2nd Fit.....:

Tél: 20938.

Peak Depot, Tel. 20352, Kowloon Depot, Tel. 58845.

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 27, 1940:

FIRST FULL STORY OF CALAIS EPIC

Tommies "Sat In Road & Peppered

Away"

བ་

OF 3,000 BRITISH AND 1,000 FRENCH TROOPS WHO. HELD CALAIS FOR FIVE DAYS AGAINST THE GERMAN HORDES ONLY A HANDFUL SURVIVED. THE DIARY OF THEIR

OFFICIAL

STATEMENT

DARING, NEVER YET TOLD, CAN NOW BE PUB. ON RAIDS

LISHED.

It was given in London by two men of one. of

The fact that the Ger-

the units that share the glory of a siege unsurpassed man attempt to make a large-scale air raid on in military history.

"I must say that the idea of "During the night it was fairly London proved abortive is

Fifth Column

going to Calais in broad daylight, quiet. At dawn the old ramparts revealed in an Air Minis- with the news as it was, was were shelled heavily for about! try communique last rather startling", suld ⚫ one, twenty minutes, "Actually we got there without

night which states: the slightest difficulty, thanks to

"During the afternoon a large one flight of our fighters, who put "Here I must till you something number of enemy aircraft enter- two Messerschmidts into the seal about the tremendous Fifth ed the Thames Estuary and ap- just about the time we arrived.Column activities. When we were proached London but

"We

were en-

got to the town in the on the sand dunes just after we gaged and scattered by our fight- afternoon on May 23, disembarked had landed we were constantly lers and anti-aircraft guns. and sat about on the sand dunes being shot at, although the Ger-1 "Some of them dropped bombs near the docks waiting for the muns were then well outside the in Essex, causing little damage ship that was bringing our tanks city.

and few casualties." and guns. She did not show up

Dealing with operations else- until the evening.

where, the communique states: "At about noon

of force a bombers escorted by enemy fighters approached the south- east coast and split into several parts.

"It was very serious for us, because all the weapons we had were a few Bren guns, which had been kept for anti-aircraft) protection. When the ship did. arrive the French stevedores re- fused to unload her.

"A rifle would be popped out of a window here and there and some one would take a pot shot at us. Another time thres civilians In ordinary French clothes came along the coast and were challenged by a sentry. They ran away, firing three

"Some attacked the balloon green Very lights. Twenty barrage over Dover, others drop- minutes later that spot wasped bombs on Folkstone where shelled to bits by the Germans buildings in the centre of the "Then we found that a man in "They said they had been work-

town were hit but the number of ing forty-eight hours without a factory on the waterfront was casualties was small. food and rest. So the job was directing the German' shelling. by done by some sappers and our own telephone. men. They were inexperienced, and it was a slow business.

48 Hours - No Rest

Dawn Patrols

Turned Back....

"The remainder of the force

"While they were still unloading "At dawn on Saturday patrols came inland for some distance but the ship a hospital train with a were carried out. Two officers turned back when engaged by. large number of wounded came in a small car drove miles round our fighters.

into Calais Station. At the re-the town. They went much fur- "Their formations were broken quest of the medical officer in ther than they were supposed to up and they were pursued out to charge our. unloading party were do and when they returned they sea. turned into stretcher bearers. said they could see hardly any "Later an attack' was made

*"They carried the wounded Germans at all..

in the Portsmouth, area but met from the train into the ship; inj "Later in the day, however, we with no success. No casualties which most of our equipment was knew the enemy had come back.

have been reported. still lying. Orders were received, The main attack started from the "During the day a small num- that further disembarkation ofjeast and south-east. Our chaps ber of casualties, some of which material was to cease, and that the were posted all round. Calais on were fatal, was caused by bombs boat-was-to-go back to England the bridges trying to hold the Ger-in several country districts dur- with the wounded, which it did.mans back.

ing isolated enemy attacks. "About 60 per cent. of our "They just sat smack in.

"Bombs were also dropped in vehicles, ammunition and wea middle of the road with their mathe Scilly Isles but there were no

chine-guns in front of them and casualties from the bombing.” pons, went back with- it............. "As the ship was going out of peppered away: there was nothing Reuter.

the harbour she was struck by a to protect them.. shell from a land battery. It went right through her side and landed in one of the vehicles without ex- ploding.

Tank Duet

mixed

the

Making Tea

"Sniping from the rear ́and] from houses all round us ba- came very much more Intanse. It was difficult to catch theas would see ahots snipers. We

A few hours later the real Ger- coming from a certain house; and man attack began. A sergeant- we would "dish in, only to find a màjor` `who was there through it' French peasant reading his all continues the story. He said:-- book of raking" over"his"garden! "Sanday morning" breakfast time I was issuing rations. I had at the back.

"On Friday 1 small column using such vehicles as it could get, and about four medium tanks, was organised, and went out at dawn towards Dunkirk. "It must have been one of the the water boiling for tea when They were supposed to be on re-strangest battles in history. While the bombing started.

"I had no arms with me, so I connaissance.

we were being driven back and

lay down in the sand dunes with "They had a merry little en-fighting every inch of the way; gagement with the Germans; in and" while German gans a tin of corned beef in each hand. which two of our tanks were and 'planes were raining bombs blown up and two men killed.[down" They certainly killed twelve Ger-into the streets, there were hundreds of civilians going about "Later in the morning the their daily life as though it were commander of this little force spoke to me on the field" radio: He said: 4 think I am now al-

mans.

shells"

and

normal-week-end-

The Old Man

most completely-surrounded; and "Rows of houses were still oc- I should like to know whether cupied. Shops were open, and I can retire."-

people even went out buying "I went to the commanding things. officer, who told me he had al- ready given orders for this force to retire.

Sniper Rivals

"I told the commander this, and he said he knew of these orders, but he didn't want to retire until' he knew which was the right| bridge for him to cross on the way bacle:

"In the aftérnöôn” the Ger- mans, ran up the Nazi flag- on the fort. Then British warships steamed in' and' shelled. Calais to a shambles and the flag went down.

"Now I was hiding 'undeneath the

pier. There were fifty others, beside me, and we were so close to the Gormans that we watched them placing snipere. on the forts only eighty yards away:

While we were all cowering "There were three officers down taking shelter from one

among us and about eight rifles. particularly heavy air raid a We stayed under the pler until old Frenchman with a long white beard and an umbrella 9:30. We were wet and cold and came strolling up the street. He we had had nothing to asked if he could go on. I' sald drink for hours.

"When it was dark we climbed: 'Certainly not, take cover.",

eat on

tower on

"He just alghed, and sat down up into the signalling

the pier to get a bit of shelter. We on the doorstep of a house

were amazed when we got there to

and waited, there until it was find a captain of the Marines. Ho

all over,

"On Friday' afternoon an order! was given to man the outer! "I had a windy message from told us he had been there all day.

Made Rafts lines, and this was done. There one platoon saying they were 'cur- was a good deal of fighting and rounded, and I hurried down to

"He had broken down doors and a lot of light-hearted anlpsee them. They had had a cć isi- Ing.

There was tremendous derable number of casualties, and woodwork from the pter and had rivalry among our" chaps as to I went back to company head-made some rafts. He said that if get' nothing clae we had bagged the most Gor-quarters, which was near the we could

Others quay. When I got there I heard might push off on those. "One would come in and say, people in the next garden jabber-suggested they would swim out to a Belgian boat which was stuck in I've got two. And anothering excitedly. would say 'That's' nothing, I've "I thought they were talking the harbour. pot three or four? Every one. In French, but then I thought, "Then, at two in the morning, the harbour was thoroughly enjoying himself), 'Hello! That's German: 1-look-a yacht came into at that time.

ed over the wall and there were looking for survivors. In the dark- about ten Germans.

ness it went right past us up to "We rushed from headquar- the shore end of the pier, and wo tora and drove them out of thej did' not see it.

We caught it just as it was garden with rifles and revolvers. They grabbed women and going out to seh again, and signal- children standing in the streets led to it that we were there. It took and ran with them into a near us all off and landed us back in

England." by house."

"At dusk we heard that large numbers of German tanks wore approaching During the night the order was given to retire to the Inner lines. There was terrific and incessant' machine-gun fro. The Germans were right in the]. 'streets.