1941-03-18 — Page 25

THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 18, 1941.

DUNKIRK REVELATION

UNIQUE

IN RAID

SUICIDE SQUAD CHINA LOST OF 9 GALLANT BRITISH PILOTS

NINE OLD PLANES Jumbered heavily across the field and waddled off into the early morning mists the day that the retirement from Dunkirk started, writes an America Pilot, who was in Eng- land at the time, to the “Oregonian." We stood along the edge of the field. No one said a word as the drone of the ships' engines faded in the east.

No one said a word. We couldn't. We knew that the nine smiling youngsters who lounged be- hind the joysticks in those old crates were never But they coming back. They had known it, too. had smiled as they moved up from the line to take their turns in the take-off.

And they didn't come back. But 300,000 other back came young men from Dunkirk in their places. I'll never forget that morning.

The story of those nine young- sters and their nine old crates has ever been told before now. Their tory will go down with history's other stories of valour and

heroisin.

But they necessary instruments. had more than enough bombs for even an intensive bombing flight, It seemed to us as

watched | that they were relling bombs out to those ships for hours.

We

Hundreds of pounds of high ex- plosives went under each wing and as sort of a crowning touch pain of aerial torpedoes strapped on.

a

were

Secret Which Died

With Potters

A collection of Badkin lustre ware, the only onc in existence, was destroy- ed in the fire raid on the! city of London.

If belonged to Mr. Charles R. S. his Taylor, a freeman, who all

fe had lived in the famous square mile, like his father before him and his grandfather, too.

"There was nothing like that collection," said Mr. Taylor in his new home in a West End hotel. "It was nearly 200 years old, and it had come down to us from the ancestors who made it at them pottery in Longton, Staffordshire. I inherited it from my father.

"When the potters died their secret went with them, and our specimens were the only ones in existence.

"The distinctive feature of the ware, which consisted of a loving cup. tea cups, saucers and many other articles, was the silver or gulf lustre that had been apphed to it.

one

The British Museum on casion asked for it to be lent. to them, but we were afraid it might be broken. No maid was ever allowed to touch it. My wife and 1 at regular intervals would turn-clean it ourselves, and the bright- ness of the silver and gold was never lost.

And then the motors were ed over The nine young

fliers walked over to their ships They smiled a light little sinile, waved and were gone in the morning mists.

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But

"Now it has all been destroyed."

WROTE FOR BUTTER

Mrs Phyllis May Bigg-Wither, Rivermead Court, Hurlingham, who was stated to have written to a grocer in Dundalk, Louth, asking for a pound of butter and a pound of bacon to be sent to her each week, was fined £4 and ordered to pay £2 Es, costs West London Police Court.

If it hadn't been for them, Dun- kirk might have been a far grea- ter tragedy. Instead, somewhere From that moment on the good between 250,000 and 350,000 En- Lord alone knows precisely what glish and French soldiers came happened; exactly what went on back. 1 don't know the

in the minds of those men. exact umber of those that escmped. 1 we knew what they were sup- doubt that anyone does, for they posed to do and what they must came across the channel by ones, have done for their objective was

The and they accomplished.

nitte by twos, by hundreds,

ships came in everything from rowboats flying close together climbed up to automobile ferries. Navy men and up as they crossed the Chan- have said it was the strangest nel until they were far above the Totilla in the history of war, and ack-acks. Then they came down, So it was.

straight down, over Calais, and cach of the nine planes dove full Call For Volunteers

tilt into one of the nine tanks be- fore the Germans had time to Towards the end of May the realise that British 'planes were It was said that she asked that

At the moment of contact | the parcel should be marked "But- brass hats put out a call for volun- | near.

gift" so that she would teer pilots. Similar calls had been] 'planes, men and tanks must have ter

before for

nothingness m one "get it without trouble." put out

particularly washed into

terrific burst, dangerous missions, but this one was different. It was understood that the ones picked wouldn't come back. Nothing was actually said, but everyone knew.

Some 1,350 men knew of the call. And 1,300 volunteered. Thirteen were picked by lot, but it wasn't until the chatter of their engines had faded in the morning mlat that any of Us knew precisely where they were going on thle suicide mission.

Great Heroism

In my lifetime t have never scen a greater bit of heroism. Those nine men gave up their lives deliberately, but not with out gain for Britain, The Ger mars on the advance front found themselves with nothing but the gasoline actually in use.

And without gasoline the tanks and panzer divisions were strap- As the orders would have it. ped, which, however, in no way lessens the valour and heroism of their objective was to destroy " German gavoline dump at Cali...

the 800 Scotchmen who also play- It sounds simple, but it wasn't. | ed a major role at Dunkirk, Those The Germans are very conserving 800 Scotchmen, fighting in their with their precious gasoline kilts despite the fact official Bri- gasoline that supplies their figh-tish army sources frown on kilts. ters, their bombers, their tanks held back five whole divisions of and panzer divisions. Rather than Germans for 24 hours along to- maintain bases and gasoline dumps ward the end of the retreat. They far behind the lines, they moved enabled the last man to walk off them up as the infantry consoli- the beach with the first German dated occupied territory. They still a comparatively long moved the gasoline from storage inland.

tank to storage tank through big rubber hoses that could be laid down and rolled up in the matter of hours.

PRISON FOR SMOKING

way

Thus shortly after they had taken Calais, they were running gas into nine big oil tanks that

Ella Bain, aged 37, Great George weren't far from the Calais aero- Street, Glasgow, who, at a Scottish drome. The gasoline supplied the Sheriff Court was sent to prison tanks, 'planes and the fleet of fast for six weeks, admitted "being motorboats that had been built found in a protected place with up to harry Channel shipping. The six cigarettes and 10 live matches tanks were ringed with anti-air-contrary to the Defence Regula- craft guns, and a constant guard maintained,

Certain Death

The English, of course, were not! long in finding out about that dump. Its military importance to The German was obvious.. But Scout bombers that. happen- ed anywhere near the area hadi undergone intense anti-aircraft fire, and had to face whole squad- Irons of fighting planes.

tions. It was stated that Bain, a factory employee, deliberately brought in cigarettes and matches to have a smoke when she felt inclined,

BIRCH FOR BOY OF 9

A boy of nine was at SaMord juvenile court ordered six strokes

And so it was that those nine of the birch for wounding his young men were picked, and nine-year-old 'friend by stabbing. .....sent off on a...mission, that was] him with a knife. "It is only by

certain suloide,

good luck that you are not a We watched them load those murderer" the chairman told him, planes. Each one had been strip-It was stated that there would be ped of everything but the most an appeal,

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