1951-05-12 — Page 27

W

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1951.

MINISTER'S AT CHEQUERS

A

PRIME LIFE

HEN,

in

June.

1940, Mr Churchill decided to spend some of his week-

ends at Chequers, I hoped he would at lust find time for soine relaxation.

But even here his off-duty hours were few and irregular: In fae: his week-end VİKİL meant taking Downing Street into the country.

Chequers Court, near Wen- dover, is the country home of The Prime Ministers of Bri- tain. (I remembered it well, because at be time of Lord

of Farcim

handing

over to the nation in 1921 one of two

police

was officers de- Sinn

''Jevz to prevent the

haven Feiners from carrying out their threat of burning it down).

The nival of The Prime Minister's party at Chequers on

Friday evening

was like a mature invasion.

There would be several car- louds of distinguisher Kuests, for the Out Man might have decided to hold

a wrok-end Cabinet meeting,

Ja Mr Churchill's party were Commander C, R Thompson, his personal assistant,

ihrey secretarios, valet,

myself and arothe

detective, two m operators.

electrical ell- gineer, three chauffeurs, and a posse of Lontion police for out- side protection.

422' chief-of-staff's

Sometimes when the Prime Minister arrived he was asleep in his car with his black satin Isandege over his eyes. We dkł nat rouse him, end within a few aninutes of the ear coming to 2 stop his would awaken,

BEING CHAPTER FOUR OF

"I WAS CHURCHILL'S

By Ex-Inspector

SHADOW”.

WALTER HENRY THOMPSON

After his bath, Mr Churchill would change into his siren suit. The suit was made to bls own design by a famous Lon- don firm,

He always called the sult The first one "my "umpers." was of a heavy woollen material in Air Force blue. Later he had lightweight "rompers" made for visits to tropical climates.

Me Churchill After dinmer would put on a gorgeous dress- Inst gown and with his questa see a film show. That was the only break in his long night's work,

Films have always been Mr Church's greatest relaxation, I remember in the Christmas holiday of 1939, the only break he took was on Boxing Night, when after dinner he marched me off to a cinema in the Hay- market, where I sat in the seat

immediately behind him in the

circle.

Al Chequers the film opera- fors would come clown with the latest pletures, which were shown upstates in, the Great Parlour.

One

Alm which he never tired of seeing or of glowing to the guests and hansehalti

ALAS, MY

POOR LION!

enme

"It's a Hitle late for that," said the Premier grimly,

Was

at last at the local police station, where contact made with the French Govern- ment. We were told that Mr Church 31, could meet the French Ministers after lunch.

Our next problem was lunch for ourselves. The hordes of refugees had almost cleared Uite town of food. But the police managed to get us into u restaurant. We nie with the refugees, rattling at the tocked

through the windows,

staff that made up the audiences seen him come down to the capable of looking after hin- doors and staring enviously in the Great Parlour was "Lady Great Hail after a film show self. He

was, 100. He kept Hamilton, produced with apparently deep in thought. some useful small arms audi Vivien Leigh in the name part Oblivious of guests and staff, itcut himself in practice, and Sir Laurence Olivier is he would to to a small tablo

When we were at Chequers After lunch Mr Churchill was i Nelson.

and play bagatelle. He played we would 20

token into neighbouring offices to a a cur-by

for the

conference. I stayed But sometimes the inspira as if the game were of the ut range, where, he would prove tion of the Nelson touch was most importance and

courtyard, and so was made hlaself a first-class shot with in the lacking in the shown. One careful note of every score

when on his Mannlicher rifle, bis 45 on hand

a hysterical evening, at the time when the piece of paper which was Colt automatie and a service woman tried to hit Mr Chur-

38 Japanese

always kept by the bond. were sweeping

Webley.

most chill os he left the meeting. I He was Suddenly through Burma

he and had cap

stop deadly with the Colt.

brushed her aside, would fred Mandalay, Mr Churchill playing and begin an animatcil Later in the war he instructed Winston Churchill came out Into the Great Parlour conterence with. some of his me to flut a place in the with Reynaud, ari both of for a film as the loud-speaker verds. And, Invariably after grounds of Chequers where he them had tears in their eyes blared out the tune "The Road the guests had retired, his own could have revolver practice. I when they said good-bye. As to Mandaloy."

ollice work went on until the picked a spot and he had a the Prime Minister was get- small hours.

range made there.

ting into his car another wanan Mr Churchill was always rushed up, but this time it was, ready to looks after his stait Mme., Tabouls, the famous Cabinet and staff meetings at even when it was not a matter French Journalist

of life or Chequers Rowe, named after a most amusing incidents 1 recall few minutes before we left for

were held in the

or denth. One of the

He chaited with her for a number of the family which was at Chertwell on a summer the aerodrome, On our flight

evening, *12*c{

when he had opened Chequers for 350 the windows wide to die back, after leaving the French years. This chamber, decorated

cool night air

coast, our plane dived suddenly with

portraits several

of

He was

and flew low over the sea. low the Great Parlour, and it dry and was oblivious to every- the Bawtrey family,

dictating to a Was

thing

Als haunt of Mr thought. He was a favourite

except

train of #l not notice Churchil

The pilot returned a smooth the

the bat which low In

Into the answer and the Old Man was carly days I did not

satisfied. consider that the Prime Minis

apparently ter had

it was enough protection at

not until afterwards that I dis- Chequers.

covered that & remember once

Heinkel had when a German bomber passed

been spotted. house, over tim

turned and saio sessiona Some of these

made several runs from dif- to the radiograin were certainly ferent

angles. I asked Mr But she found it difficult to helping him to make plans or Churchlit wwhdther he would concentrate on typing with the salve broblems. I have entered take shelter. "1 think This

i bat swooping over her. the Great Hall to find him ab- bomber is trying to locate the solutely absorbed,

house, sir," I told him. "Flares He would be dressed in his were dropped and it has been blue siren suit or vivid dress hovering around

for nearly 20

Music Was Mr Churchill's other relaxation.

Mostly hly inte: were simple. He would jul military barid

recards or popular songs on the

radiogram and march up and down the Great Hull to the rhythm.

His favourite

in the

Sangs

early days of the war includes "Keep Right Op to the End of the Road," which I think was perhaps an inspiration for him.

Others were. "Run, Rim," "Pobr Old Joe" "Home. Sweet Home."

Rabbit. and

1024

I

ing gown-looking rather like the Old Man grunted.

a feridy bear his hands thrust deep into his pockets and his

"Well, tell me when they bombs," he and went back to his

work.

secre-

room, zoomed around the ceil- n. and then began power diving over Its secretary's

head.

"What is the matter?" Mc Churchill asked irritably, when the lost her concentration dur ing another swoop of the bat.

The secretary explained.

"you are not

"Surely," said Mr Churchill, afraid of a bat, are you?"

"Why did we do that?" asked Mr Churchill,

WO

As

dived the Heinke? attacked a French, fishing boat,

and apparently did not notice us. Neither did Mr Churchill notice the Hoinkel.

Not that he would have been vorried. For on that trip he knew he was up against per- sonal danger, and that it would be difficult even to get in and out of France in the last days of that country's resistance.

Before we left he said to me, suddenly: Thompson,

bring

head bent forward. He hummed start dropping the tune as he marked time, marched across the hall, did

She said. apologetically, that smart about turn, marked time Later anti-aircraft guns were his grandest manner. "I'll pro- she was. Churchill replied in again. ther

the posted in the repeated

neighbourhood, tect you! Go manoeuvre.

rrot-spotters were placed on

on with your ine my revolver." As the radiogram had an the icada

And when 1 brought him his work" Chequers, and automatic record-changer

near by. this just in case of the arrival of Pramiership

Colt But in the early days of his favourite

45 automatie, march would often last u

"One never knows. con- paratroops, Bren gun carriers

had to cope he added:

I dificult MOTC

do not intend to be taken problems of safety. In his alive."

efforts to prevent

BERNARD Wicksteed mourn S a strange friend

you remember Iola, the lioness who bit me on the behind? She caught me bending in Darkest Africa siderable time. I would watch were stationed last year just as I was getting into the bath.

•Do

Well, she is dead. She was shot fn mistake by a man who saw her coming up his garden path and didn't know who she was.

-Kenya may now be a safer place for reporters to the in, but the news has left me sad. Every African traveller has a lion story.and Iola was the heroine of mine. Most lion stories end with the death of the lion, but up to now mine didn't. That's why it was such a nice story. I lived to sit "down and Tola lived to become the most photographed lion- ess in Kenya and appear in a film, yet to be shown, called "No Vultures Fly."

il

Iola was brought up by

game called the National

warden

"Tabs" at

Tsavo

Park. He fed her on

she'd finished he

Iola takes an, interest in my work.

the bottle and when

would put her over his

parents when

Abandoned CHE had been abandoned by

her

only a day or two old, They didn't put her on anyone's doorstep or leave a note with her, but an African tracker heard her cry- ing with hunger like a baby.

She was so small you could holdt her in one hand, and if the African hadn't found her she would probably have been calen by a leopard.

I had already planned touching reunion

backwards and recognised me. 520 her

She escaped

of Andro-

the scrious look on Mr Chur- chill's face while parade.

Suddenly he

he did his

would become

aware of my presence, 100k up, and smile one of those charm Ing, boyish smiles so familiar to those who know him well.

He had another trick of seem ing to relax when there was a problem on his mind.

I have

of

rother

We

His desperate

Jaw jutted, and the old, Who falt of France he few flerce gleam came into his eye. The small

forve men posted

of police several times

From that time the DerDES

onwards, on around Chequers Channel, and on June 13, 1940, to keep out truders was re- we were actually Tying blind thesis-revolver-rs-al- every trip he took throughout inforced by a military when the P.M.

guard waiting for instructions as to ways handy. Was in resi- whore we could And the French dence. Mr Churchill appeared Cabinet. to object to this at first.

We landed

eventually He hated a fuss over protec- Tours. The roads were choked tion, believing he was quite with refugees, but we arrived

NEXT SATURDAY:

at

No. 10 Downing Street was a Doath Trap

LIFE IS INDEED HARD ON THE

WORLD'S LONELIEST ISLAND

PRISTAN da Cunha, the

TRIST

British Empire's lonc- liest outpost, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, has

-

By DONALD McCORMICK

Tristan

*

ore

•

that was

It was through the Navy may not sound the answer to a Tristan's first newspaper Tristan maiden's prayer for started. Tho Tristan honest timber instead of god- Times" cost three potatoes a den wreckage, But these cray- сору, and was sold by news fish tails are considered boys who carried sacks for luxury in the U.S.A. and they

will earn dollars.

South

more

Hiding Place