1952-05-31 — Page 5

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COMMENT OF THE DAY

The TB Menace

AUBERCULOSIS in Hong-

T

kong is on the increase, This disconcerting fact is all too plainly revented in the annual report

of the

tho

It

Anti-TB Association, which ឍអច notes the heavy mortality rate during Inst year.

Moreover, Association finds impossible to strike any very optimistic note about the future outlook, "The continued overcrowded con--

ons must be considered principal contributing

in the inercase i observes th

To successfully continue its work, the Hongkong Anti-Tuberculosis Association needs $800,000 to carry out the current programme..

GIVE

THAT

THEY

MAY

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 81, 1952.

Now told for the first time

HOW SIX

MEN AT A TEA-PARTY

SHRANK

THE WORLD

by Wg. Comdr, ARTHUR BRENARD

de Havilland himself

A few minutes after a quarter past three one afternoon in wartime a tall, lean man in his late fifties sat on the edge of his office desk sipping a cup of ten.'

At their case around him-álav sipping tea-were. five other mon. None of the six can now remember who spoke first.

But whoever it was said: "These new jet en- gines we are putting into our fighter planes. Don't you think there is a future for them in passenger- carrying planes when the war is over?";

Two of the six produced pocket silde-rules. The others fished old envelopes and scraps of paper from their jacket pockets.

They all began sketching and calculating ablivious to the sullen roar of the machines produc- ing war planes which

drummed against the STUDY THESE

office window.

At that moment

FACES.

the year was 1943- TOGETHER they repre- the all-British world- sent an assembly of talent hepting

Comet was which has given Britain a born.

five-year jump ahead in commercial airline vision.

1. lean man was Sir Geoffrey de Havilland.

H's five Beutenants

hig

were

Charles Walker, his chief en- gineer, Ronald Bishop, his chief designer, Major Frank Halford, his jet-engine designer, Richard Clarkson,

mathematical wizard, and the man who con- Wired finance, trolled the Nixon, the managing director of the de Havilland enterprises.

Six-year Lead

THESE six men-all but pae still almost unknown-have shaken the world.

have

Between

them they fathered and seen into the air an airliner which has dumbfounded the air

experts of the world and Elven Britain a five to six year lead over all other commercial airfaring nations.

How did Bliain, facing what looked like cconomic disaster so quictly and

160

CLARKSON.

The wizard with a.

slide-rule.

THE No. I'MAN

WALKER

The company's chief engineer,

Ronald Blahop, the chief designer, sketched on the back of old envelopes.

Richard three jet engines and twin tail devastatingly, add the then 37-year-old

boorns. miles per hour to the airline Clarkson, produced his.

In a tiny cabin was room for time schedules of the world? Nothing pleased Sir Geoffrey

which mail his than when

chief 1,000lb of

It all began at that tea-party more

..men

its

at 500 miles

at flatfeld, in Hert ordshire. designer Ronald Bishop Who orginators hoped would cross the

Alongside the office tens of joined de Havillands as an 13- Atlantic non-stop

and women year-old apprentice in 1921, got per hour.. thousands of

the versatile that far-away look in his eyes This original making were

Clarkson an abandoned. LIVE Mosquito, which struck such as Walker and

began to shape nounced the results of some, of vision terror Into Germany.

paper a tailies: 25-seater with slide-rule calculations.

four jets and sharply swept-back wings.

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A few drys before, 23-year-old John de Havilland had crashed to his death testing a new Mosquito.

DES

NIXON

The man who con-

trolled the money.

AL this point 60-year-old Wilfred Nixon stepped in.

His job-Sir Geoffrey calls him "my financial watchdog" was to reduce his bige dreams to cold pounds, shillings and pence. The only orders ho had for Idea

was the new wonder machine were Instead these men two from the Ministry of Supply on and 14 from the much impressed

B.O.A.C.

told His

experience financial him that 16 Comets could not pay for the development work Test Model

and the vast production line that would have to be laid down.

But he, too, had faith. After IRECTLY the war was ever

they built a flying model to much thought he approved a test their tailless swept-wing multi-million pound gamble-the therry. That was the D. H, 108, cost of producing 50 Cemets has Sir Geoffrey's eldest son 38- been estimated at £25,000,000. He calculated that 50 Comets year-old Geoffrey was the test would have to be made and pilot when it took the air.

said before the company could

Another regular member of the party was Major Frank Halford, ex-racing motorist and chief jet Carried On engine designer of the company, Sometimes he arrived straight his suit lest-bench grief, John's from the ESPITE his

the

unmistakable father, Sir Geoffrey, carried carrying on as usual as technical director paraffu dmell which is the hall of the vast enterprise he had mark of the let engine man.

He was sometimes jokingly an aviation-crazy begun youth.

accused of favouring To his ground-floor, simply with paraffin, furnished office at 3.15 every On the backs of old envelopes afternoon Sir Geoffrey brought and scraps of paper these old the veteran aeroplane designer, his stop executives and technicians associates scribbled and sketched. to take tea with him and to forget the war for a few minutes.

DS

His chief engineer, now 72- year-old Charles Walker, would produce his slide-rule and nod

the lea

In His Pockets

Then trugedy came again, to show a profit.

the Over

Thames estuary the Like all Ideas Comet Geoffrey dived the D. H. 108- started as a pipe dream... and

perished. The original Comet design

Again

Sir Geoffrey had to "TE is tho looked very strange.

conquer his grief. cruel price we have to pay for

he said,

It never got beyond the rough

In all things...

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Havilland sold the 50th ELGIN DComet the other day.

Then 67-year-old Sir Geoffrey went to a secret cottage in the country, for a rest.

with approval when his assistent, drawing slago but it was to have progres Walker recalls a tear anvelopes with drawings which

Hope Is Reborn

In bis pocket there are old

party about that time...

remember telling my the rival air experts all over the

colleagues that the swept-wing world would dearly, love to see. They are the rough designs of TOKE MANDEVILLE is all of them have now left. In Ides would cost 13 pay-load," he

the idea was the Comet's successor which should be flying before the first a small world, lying in many cases they have married said to me. So.

and are earning a living as pre-bandoned.

Then the plans for the Comer American jet transport plane quiet, green country between dislon Instrument makers, clock-

tulces to the air. Aylesbury and Amersham,

lawyers, were: shaped. or shorthand- There is nothing spectacular accountants,

makers,

engravers,

to see but a large, spreading typlats. unit of one-o'creyed buildings The highest casualty rate at standing among flower-beds. Stoke Mandeville is due to mor- It is clearly a hospital of riage. For the miracle of love me kind.

also blooms among the other But Stoke Mandeville is

wonders there. place where a miracle happens almost every day.

some

H

This is world is known as the Ministry of Pensions Spinal Injuries Centre.

"The loss of nurses due to their falling in love with the patients is and leaving to get married terrible," said one of the doctors. The Eccret of the treatment

Dr L. Gulimarn. the nerve surgeon who has been in charge Hos, among other things, in the

V/03

of the Spiral Centre since it development of the arm and hip

set

up. In

1944, told me: muscles, which by constant exer

attention to "Bring us the paralysed patient cise and caretul

of his immediately and in most cases health and diet can be made he will be out of here, indepen serve the patient Instead dont ped earning his own useless legs. live within nine". orton

In the gymnasium the instruc tora

and physiotherapists show. To put paralysed men and patients' how to walk". ugain, women on their feet again using a a Conga-like movement. was considered a fantastic. Im- Sitting In wheel-chairs they

netball persibility only a

together, or take # 18 archery, bowls and

month

27

250

few

yents

play

The doctors' at Stoke Mande et ZENVO trdale

But new therapy and

vifia are proud of the fact that ment are only part of the reason cut of the 600 paraplegien (people paralysed in both legs for the miracle that is Stoke through spindl-cord injury) Mandeville. The doctors/om- decated since 1944,74 percent phasise that a large part of the are now employed treatment is psychological.

Of these, 300 were casuafilem

Olga Franklin from the last war and nearly

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