1941-02-20 — Page 2

LION OF JUDAH IN CONTROL OF GOJJAM PROVINCE

TWO HERO- COMRADES

DANGILA, 40 MILES south-west of Lake HONOURED Tana, the fall of which was briefly reported on Tuesday, strategically controls the whole of Gojjam province.

The Italians had stationed there a Black Shirt division, with other white troops, though it is doubtful whether these troops were there when the town fell.

Abandonment of the town

of local products, wheat, barley and Monday was the result of guerilla coffee, with goods from other cen- pressure during

the past

few tres.

weeks by Halle Selassie's patriots

led by a British officer.

They on occasion approached to within a few feel of town's strong defencea.

the Five

days of close attacks followed. As the final blow was struck and cooperation with the R.A.F.

received from gianes

as

messages enabled the patriots to capture some members of the garrison they left during the bombardment. Remainder of the garrison are retreating

towards north-cast Bahrdar Giorgis, a town on the southern point of Lake Tana.

are being

and

harried by small Abyssinian force.

a

Reuter.

ABYSSINIAN

WOMEN AMONG

THE PATRIOTS

Two heroic officers be- longing to the same squa- dron one a youth of nineteen are named in

the latest list of R.A.F.

awards.

"His magnificent fighting spirit has proved an excellent inspira- tion to his fellow pilots."

That Official tribute announcing that he had been awarded the D.5.0.-his third hencur in three months--is Squadron-Leader A. McKellar's fitting epitaph.

A

He won the D.FC in Septem-

ber and a bar to it in October.

In defence of his country he de. stroyed twenty enemy aircraft.

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 20, 1941.

Vichy To Try De Gaulle Adherents

of

A big trial of officers who have joined General de Gaulle's movement is to begin on Tuesday next at Gannat, 10 miles west Vichy, states a Vichy despatch to the official German news agency. The proceedings will not be open to the public.-Reuter.

OLD MEN,

MEN, BOYS, HELP GREEKS WIN

OLD MEN AND boys, armed with hunting guns, blunderbusses and bill-hooks, and shepherds using grenades instead of stones in their slings, helped to rout the Italians in the mountains of Northern Greece.

The story of this smashing of the Italian me- chanised army's first assault on the Greeks in the Pindus Mountains was told for the first time when wounded Greek officers reached their base hospitals.

Now he js dead-killed in Evzones, the famous Greek kilt- action. He was twenty-eight. ed soldiers, and peasants share the Squadron-Leader McKellar, wing credit for "this amazing victory. was an Auxilliary Air Force, of- With his wounded leg propped ficer, belonged to No, 605 (County) up in bed, an Evzone sergeant told of Warwick) Squadron. He was yesterday how his SOS for re- born at Paisley.

inforven ents to meet the Italian atlack was answered in surpris- ing fashion.

Rammed A Bomber

Some Abyssinian women are fighting alongside Flying-Officer T. 1. M. Cooper-

nineteen. of the their menfolk in the rankslipper, ged

same squadron, receives the Dis-

of the Abyssinian patriots.inguished Flying Cross

This was revealed last night by Princess Tsha, daughters of Haile Selassie, in a broadcast speech from London.

On Edge Of Plateau Daugila stands on the edge of the the northern escarpment of Abyssinian Plateau, 7,000 feet up

The Princess, who appealed at the junction of old caravan

for gifts of clothing for Abys- routes to Addis Ababa from Gola-

sinian fighters, has lived in bat on the Sudan border, and from

Britain for five years In exils. Rosetres, on the Blue Nile, in the

She announced she hoped Anglo- Egyptian Sudan,

all to join

ambulance Siba!! The population

but shortly since the Italian vecupation roads unt which is leaving for Abys- built along the carayan routes sima under the leadership of an have fachtated the exchange of Australian surgeon.

IS

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It is now disclosed for the first time that he was the pilot who deliberately rammed and destroyed a Dornier bomber at 19,000 feet after his own con trols had been practically shot away.

Reporting his exploit to his su

"My aircraft periors. he said. rammed one of the enemy bomb- ers amidships One of its wings. was torn of

"We were amazed and disap- pointed," said the Bergeant, "when hundreds of old men and

boys, armed with hunting guns.

blunderbusses and bill-hooka-

many of them left over from the Turkish war-turned up.

"Thoy begged to be allowed to fight for revenge, as Italian plunes

had bombed their village. kdling seventeen.

The peasants with long-barrell- ed guns were wonderful They

"My craft was wrenched clear of ¦ ddn't waste a single shot. the enemy 'plane, which now minus its port wing and most

o its engine,

was

"Shepherds used grenades instead of stones in their slings against "My machine was falling out the Alpini, while mule teams were of control in an inverted spin, | bringing up mountain guns, so I left hurriedly."

Flying Officer Cooper-Slipper's home is at Kinver, near Stour- bridge. He is officially credited with destroying seven Germani planes and damaging three others.

Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded Pilot Officgr R. F. T. Due, D.F.C., No. 238 Squa- dron

"When the Bersaglieri tried to scale the sides of the ravine, we used bayonets, and the peasants used their knives."

Scared By Pigs!

PRAYED,

SAVED 700

IN TITANIC

Captain Sir Arthur Ros- tron, one of the

world's most famous transatlan- tic liner captains, the man' who saved more than 700 people from the Titanic, has died.

He told the story years after. "1 am 2 great believer in prayer," he said. 'Always, every night I have said my prayers, and I have never asked for anything without having it granted in some way.

"That night in mid-Atlantic 1 kneit beside my bunk in my cabin and prayed that something would happen that would bring. lasting honour on my ship, my firm and my wife.

"I had been in bed about an hour when my chief officer burst open How a herd of wild pigs frigh-the door of my cabin and rushed tuned one group of Italians was in. told by a bearded Greek soldier in the next bed, whose eyes twinkled beneath his bandaged head,

Pilot Ofcer G. H. Russell No. 236 Squadron, receives the D.F.C. On reconnaissance off Brest,

"Our company," he said, "didn't about despite a box barrage of 600 bursts and intense light A.A. have a chance of a straight tight, Are which caused him to descend We were outnumbered. We sniped to 20ft. over the harbour, he ob- during the day, and at night heard tained valuable information re-firing in the valley. We thought garding the disposition of ships dur troops were counter-attacking.

and enemy aï- in the harbour craft.

On the return flight he attacked Dornier 24 flying boat, which was destroyed after a short en- gagement,

CANAL RAID HERO KILLED

"The next morning we found the Italiane had left two

machine-guns and rifles, and their only victims were eleven wild pigs, part of a herd which, frightened by gunfire, had run into the Italiane and caused panic."

He bore the first message for aid sent out from the Titanic.

"I thought that my little ship, the Carpathia, would proudly tow the giant. liner into Quebec.

"I knew' the Titanic' could not sink.

'knew' Every sailor

it. Yet, as stood on the bridge, I, felt myself urged by some power to make preparations.

"Those preparations were - made against my will, and yet something told me I must make them.

"So I ordered all my executive officers to make ready. Stewards got bunks and blankets prepared. Boats were swung out, alert for All the wounded Greeks spoke

the tragedy that couldn't happen.. of the Itallan Bersaglieri and the first boats and rafts came into "We steamed on, and then, when Alpini as tough fighters, but said sight, I knew that some great

the Blackshirt battalions liked sacking villages, and were poor fighters,

power had guided mỹ action.

(The Titanic sink in the Atlan- " Greek women have asked per-073 of the crew and 825 passengers tic at 2.20-a.m. on April 15, 1912; mission from their King to form

regiment

were lost.) of Amazons, says

Acting Squadron Lead-a

er J. A. Pitcairn Hill, Ankara radio. The peasant women of the mountains are used to

D.S.O., D.F.C., leader of handling rifles, and accustomed to PRESSURE

the Dortmund-Ems canal great physical exertion. raid, one of the most dar-

ing bombing attacks on was described as a difficult opera- Germany's internal com- tion.

munications, has been /D.F.G.-Aged 19

killed in action, it was an- nounced.

For his part in the raid Acting Squadron Leader Pitcairn Hill was

ON RIVER

JUBA LINE

Increasing British pres-

He was officially reported miss-awarded the D.S.O. He won the Sure on the lines of the ing early in. October,

D.F.C. the previous month. River Juba, in Somaliland,

He was the elder twin son of

The canal was the chief link for

heavy transport between the the Rev. C. C. Pitcairn Hill, M.A was announced in a com- Rhineland and North-West and the Barony Manse, Kilbirnie, Ayr-munique issued in Nairobi Central Germany.

It was due to Hiile skilful The Air Ministry Issues its last night.

fifty-

shire.

Judgment and resolution that | second casualty list:

the attack, carried out in Au-

pressed home despite the heav- lest opposition,

The communique says enemy

It reveal that Pllot-Officòr counter-attacks were repulsed, gurt from less than 180ft, was-Dudley Trevor-day-nineteen--|with 40-onomy dead,-Including-10-

year-old fighter pilot who was Italian officers, awarded the D.F.C, a month ago Despite long distances over bad aftor destroying eight enemy roads "transport drivers are caua- aircraft, has been killed on cessfully maintaining schedules. motive servloe,

and bring forward the necessary His home was in South-East water, ammunition and ration London.

The aqueduct 'over the canal was, shattered by a shower of heavy bomba.

In official dispatches the raid, launched "precisely at zero hour."

*

supplies.-Reuter.