1941-05-16 — Page 25

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THE CHINA MÀIL, MAY 16, 1941.

THE DEAD END KIDS LINE UP FOR A BATTLE

(By A Special Correspondent)

JUTTING OUT in black relief against the water A hun- around the island, stood Watson's Wharf. dred and fifty people lay huddled in the shelter underneath one night, praying that the rain of bombs might cease.

And a band of boys who had grown up together in the slums of Wapping Island were laughing and joking in the middle of the shelter.

They went out into the night to| see if they could help their neigh hours And from that arose # band of fellowship called the Dead End Kids of Wapping

In the next months all Wap ping Island thrilled at the ex- ploits of the Dead End Kids, There were eighteen of them.] all shapes and sizes, from bargee's! assistant to grocer's bay. They were led by Patsie Duggan, a young lorry driver.

Night after night this unoff cial defence SPTY TCC" hus gone into action. They have forgotten the number of fires they have put

SIX DAYS

OF AGONY

AT SEA

Far out in the Atlantic

out, but they know the shelterers a ship was bringing a

cargo to Britain. A Bri-

of Watson's Wharf rely on them

They have formed themsrives into four squads, and they stand tish ship.

by in the shelter.

When incendiaries start to fall, out gues Squad No. 1. Each man wears two pairs of gloves and carries a stirrup pump.

Unwritten Law

From out of the grey sea came it torperle. In a few moments the ship was sinking.

Ten men got away in time ten men lett by the enemy to die.

They had time only to lower

a

raft.

All they had on board to sue-

KNIT YOUR HAT AWAY - IT'S LATEST IDEA

Hats made of skeins of wool for war knitters are sell- ing in hundreds New York opiece.

in

ot £1

The hat looks like a bird's nest of wool and has space in the crown for decorative knitting needles and

a

sweater or other garment thot is in the making.

The knitter simply takes the needles from the hat. Then, as she knits, the wool gradu- ally unwinds itself from the head, mak- ing the hat smaller and smaller until it vanishes.

PRINCESSES GROW FOOD

Princess Elizabeth and Prin- cess Margaret, who are evacuated have converted to the country their Bower beds into vegetable are now growing gardens, and onions and carrots,

This is in response to the King's

ta

connected everyone

big If it is 21

job the other

cour them were six tins of con-appeal But the squads are called out. unwritten law is that no fireman is called unless the whole band can't handle the fire.

densed milk and half a gallon of with the royal household to grow

jas much food as possible.

been

The "law" has never broken. Through every kind of rand. in all

weathers they have Tought those fires.

fire

A time bumb fell fifty yards They were tackling The Dead End Kids went on

from it

Once a time bomb fell near a shelter. They strained and hcaved at the bomb. but it wouldn't come

out

the ground,

ان

But with the great fire came their first ensualties Two of the boys were killed as they rescued horses trotit a burning building. Then me was drowned when he :lipped from a barge

Three more

boys stepped mlo

the ranks.

The firemen around Wapping say that the boys ought to be re- commended for their valour.

NEW RICH CLASS IN CHINA

water.

They had taken bearings short- | ty before the ship was torpedoed. The nearest land was 800 miles away from Ireland

Between them and that land lay 800 miles of sea, freezing winter few struts of weather...and a wood.

And so they started six days of agony. One by one the tins of condens- ed milk were opened a sip taken.

At night, they fastened them- selves with their belts to the i wooden struts while they snatched sleep. Even so two an hour's

off by the heavy were washed spas and vanished

Two more lost their reason, and died.

Life Sailed Along On the sixth day a warship; sighted them drew nea.

Within hailing distance a life. line was thrown from the ship's deck over the raft... the men on the raft stretched out their arm to catch this line of life. It fell true and the men were with litted aboard, nearly stiff

rold.

The men reached England; a few hours later they had applied for another ship. Now they are

ling again.

Or such is the stamp of the

A new moneyed class men who man the Merchant Navy

... such is their magnificent eon- has sprung up in unoccu-tribution to Victory.

pied China as an out- growth of the Sino- Japanese war.

GHOST OF A RAINBOW

The crew of a Hudson recon- naissance aircraft, flying over the North Sea when the moon was full saw a very clear lunar 'rain- bow.

Its members are ricksha men, chauffeurs, carters, burden car- riers and day labourers engaged in transporting goods from the sea- coast to west China. They are for earning the unprecedented China wages of Ch. $8 and $10 daily. Before the war they aver- aged about that much monthly. "It was like the ghost of a sun- Chauffeurs are the plutocrats in rainbow" said the pilot. "It made this new society, especially those a complete semi-circle, with the who drive the heavy trucks which ends going down to the sea. You bring supplies, from the China- could just make out the different Burma border to Chungking over colours, but they were very thin

For the hazardous Burma road,

and weak. realise from one such trip they

"It was a beautiful sight such Ch. $800 to $1,000, a fortune as none of us had seen before, and the average Chinese. A well paid made a pleasant change from the chauffeur in Shanghai earns Ch.$80 a month, the equivalent of searchlights and anti-aircraft fre had just left on the Norwegian

"US$4.

to

coast."

GAVE LIFE FOR

MESAILOR

The growing wealth, of the is one transportation workers phase of a social readjustment which is evident. everywhere in Free China-to-day. With prices rising excessively, the salaried and

Commander Charles F. Hallaran, professional classes are having! difficult times, since their incomes R. N., former Irish Rugby inter have not increased. Their doi, national, has died on active ser- lars are worth only one-fourth vice in attempting to rescue a their pre-war values.-Associated sailor who had fallen into the sea,

it was disclosed in London. Press:

The King has given plots of ground in the royal gardens at Windsor Castle to every lodge. keeper on the catate. Enough ground is being allotted for each lodgekeeper to grow enough vegetables the whole year through for his family.

In a notice circulated to em- ployees the King stresses the im- portance of growing every possi- ble ounce of vegetables.

BLITZ BELL FOR

CATHEDRAL

Bells salvaged intact from

London blitz-damaged

church have been installed in Guildford's (Surrey) new cathedral.

They will not be rung unt after the war unless there is an invasion. warning in the district.

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