1941-01-07 — Page 38

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́THE_CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 7, 1941.

PIERRE--AN EPIC OF THE DESERT

BUSTLING IN AND OUT of a gracious, old-| fashioned mansion in a Cairo suburb, every day are heroes of the most daringly romantic escapades of this machine-made war, writes a correspondent.

CANARY'S

A brass plate on the door of the mansion says, SONG

Comite National Francais. On the arms of the men 'is the Cross of Lorraine.

I have met dozens of these men, who for free- dom's sake have struggled through deserts and battled their way across perilous seas and hostile skies.

Some go on to join units fight- ing in the Western Desert. O hers remain at headquarters where the growing staff keeps in touch with sympathisers from Stockholm to Shanghai.

The adven ures they have had getting here are epic.

Vivid Adventure

SERIOUS CHARGE

GUIDES RESCUERS

(By A Special Correspondent)

Wedged in a crevice un- der twisted girders and a pile of wreckage, a canary in a battered cage sang its way to freedom and the freedom of nine raid vic-

DROPPED tims who were trapped in

Take the case of Pierre (1 can- Out RINC his surname, for his! The

manslaughter charge family are still in France).

against

¡1 Kowloon bus-driver, He slipped across the Syrian sequel to a collision between a border one evening to reach Pal-, motor-bus and a United Delivery estine and got lost.

lorry in Castle Peak Road on December 10, was withdrawn by the prosecution, when Tang Sang. 30, appeared, on remand, before Major A. N. Macfadyen at Row- loon this morning.

For 15 terrible days he wan- dered desperately in the stony, suuscorched wilderness.

The bus-driver is now charged with driving without due care

Twice friendly Berlouins gave him food and drink and sent him on his way But never once did he consider retracing his steps.

Finally, with blackened skin and | and caution and his bail, $500, half demented by heat and thirst. was reduced to $250. he stumbled into a Palestine vil- lage and collapsed

Now he is commanding મ tachment for Free France

Submarine's Trip

de-

Then there is Jean, whom first met flying back from Malte two months ago.

1

He is a submarine commander, and he managed to slip out of Tunis with his vessel some weeks after France's collapse. He weeded out the doubtful elements — most- ly petty officers-and he made for Malta with a skeleton but reliable

crew,

a London tenement.

The trapped people were 100 exhausted to cry out, but the canary's merry notes guided war- dens and A.F.S. workers, who al- tered the course of their tunnell- ing to the spot.

The result was that nine people were rescued alive, though si bodies were brought out a little later,

It is though that five more dead are still under the wreckage. I stood on the pile of wreck- age which a few hours before had constituted the home of some 30

The case was fixed for hear-people happy workers living in ing next Thursday and Friday.

Mr. D. B. Evans will appear for the defence and Traffic Sub- Inspector A. R. Brittain for the prosecution.

POLICE

SEAMAN

ACCUSED

houses which had been converted into flats.

While I was there a faint ery from another spot told the war- dens that there was further life there. A few minutes later an

A.F.S.

man emerged carrying a little boy clothed only in a torn shirt and covered from head to foot in dust and grime. He had been in the wreckage for more than 10 hours. The boy grinned at me and whis- pered: "Can I have a warden to rescue me?"

Crypt Shelterers Escape Puzzled British bombers flew Seaman No. W77, Ho Sui-wah, out to inspect this strange sub-28, of the Water Police, with four

More than 500 people.sheltering marine, but they held the attack other Chinese, Lam Fook, until the commander managed to Keung Fook, 30, Tsang Wing-pan struck the side of

alias in the crypt of a London church were unhurt when a heavy bomb explain himself. Then

they e 34, Wong Wai-pang, alias Chen and exploded in a pit. A woman the building corted him to Malta and freedom.

Hing, 36, and Lau Lam, 36, were charged before Mr. H. G. Sheldon, standing in the street at a 'bus K.C., this morning, with robbery minor casualties were caused by

stop, however, was killed, at No. 369, Lockhart Road.

flying glass.

Almost the best is the story of Rene. He was a lieutenant of the Meharist Camel Corps in North Tchad, and in its Arst moment ho wanted to Join the Free French

movement.

But superior officers wavered. and tried to persuade him to wait.

Tortured By Thirst

So Rene and three N.C.Os with

their camels set off on a 450-milex trek to Khartum.

Tortured by thirst, blinded by the sun, and mocked by mirages, they made the journey, and the first news they heard when they stumbled into Kharium was that Tchad had joined De Gaulle.

There was a message waiting for Rene to return immediately to take over an important post.

Dramatic Episode

Cyprus was the scene of another episode packed with drama. The first battalion of a French infantry regiment were stationed there, and when France callapsed the reg ment's colonel came over from Syria, paraded the men, and de. livered an harangue preaching loyalty to Vichy.

When he had finished there wak deud silence for a couple of ser- .ouds. Then half the battalion broke spontaneously into the Mar- sellaise. That was their answer.

Those who sang are now in Egypt, and those who remained silent returned to Syrlu.

drove

Remedios

It is alleged that accused with two other men not in custody, robbed Chan Kai of $145.

Mr. J. M. d'Almada appeared for first accused.

Defendants were remanded for three days for further enquiries. Darkin is in charge of the case.

Detective Sub-Inspector W. N.

and

The damage to the church it- self is mainly superficial, but priceless stained-gloss władows were shattered by the blast.

A 14-year-old foreign boy saved a London 'bus and

passengers from falling into a bomb.crater by standing in the road and shouting "Stop."

WITH THE SEA BARRAGE

BALLOONS

(By A Special Correspondent)

"WE ARE WAITING for the lang-promised invasion," said Mr. Churchill in his broadcast to the French people. "So are the fishes." And so is the Royal Navy at the invasion ports, waiting to pounce and destroy the fleets of barges launched on their reckless gamble.

Wintry weather has new pro-cording to same plan that buffled blems. Mists and drizzle envelopa landsmuti. the sea one.day to conceal the Nazi armada; next day a gale lashes the water into a cauldron that makes barge invasion seem fantastic:

Strange Cargo

The strandest craft of all fa The Navy keeps its censales that which has nothing else for stand gazing qut to sea at the .dark watch by night and day, and as cargo but a barrage balloon. These balloons carried with the grey silhoueties of warships slip-|-convoys-have proved thair-worth- ping through the haze I realise thankfully the sirength of Britain,

time and time again in moaring off the dive bombers.

Vive La France There are dozens more. Charles an armoured car clean across Syria from Aleppo, forcing every barricade, holding up every picket at the point of a rifle, and

And while waiting the Navy finally scorching through the fron does its workaday jobs.

By courtesy of the RAF. Com- tier barrier into

I raced.manding Officer here, a Canadian Palestine without this morning in an RAF piawing commander with wings and shouts "Vive la France.".

nace when a convoy was assem medals of the last war on his tunic, Maurice had to steal back his bling in a heaving sea, a half-gale I boarded several balloon barrage own magneto from the authorities blowing. On the pler I noticed the ships, the newest and clean up two machine-gun admonition

branch of the posts before he could fly his 'plane jumped aboard for a "trip round the IAF

"Book early" as I Navy and a sea-going section of away from a Syrian airfield, the Fleet!" Craft of all types, from They came every day Already dirty coasters to warships with the gracious old-fashioned mansion

In the Cairo suburb is overtowing a lines, were moving ac- as its two predecessors overflowed, the Western Desert,

Soon they'll have to find other quarters.

"Already French units have been in action against the Italians

French pilots have takon part in raids all over the Middle dust,

Their fighting forces ing steadily in stren

Three RAF. men go to sea with each of these, balloon carriers; the crews consist chiefly of hardy

fishermen.

that takes the balloons from the Then we boarded a farry Barge shore to their dós back; -again. Ferr ballast up and down the Themes,