1955-07-16 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, -· SATURDAY, JULY: : 16, 1955.

I'll do the same for

you

CURIOUS aspect of being brought up in a small town is that

one develops an un- conventional social outlook. By everyday standards, even under the come-day-go-day ethics of the twentieth cen- tury, "Smut" Cleary was

one day!

DID IT HAPPEN?

could be FICTION

At that moment I heard vehicle approuching from

the right and being driven, at break-neck speed, down the! brunch road from the valley to the junction. I way positioned to look down a straight stretch of this road and at once a Jeep came in sight, with a men It it.

single

observant

kitus-

my

FLIGHT TO... GLORY:" Second · Instalment:

Page

CONTACT! AND THE GREAT MOMENT CAME

A

GRAHAM WALLACE continues his story of Alcock and Brown

OF

LCOCK and

Brown aerodrome for the Vimy. This arvived in St John's, proved to be a hopeless task. Newfoundland, on the The land around St John's

either 100 rocky It was night of May 13, 1919. was bitterly cold, raining covered with forest or swamp, or it was already sown with hard, and snow still lay crops. thick on the ground,

Tho American flying-ponts

I am not a very person, but my present tion must have upgraded

roaring. the vision a point, or two. I noticed at once that the driver was wear-

Did

problem is yours to decide. this story really happen? The answer will appear on Monday,

wuster, ne'er-do-well, and it could be FACT and it no fit familiar for growing boys, yet, back home, every was on affec- boy in town tionate, terms with him.

Smut was about 10 years my senior, and the thing I most remember about him in those days was his blue jowls. Had he moved in a circle that favoured smooth chins, he would have been obliged to shave at least twice a day. As it was, he used a razor but three times ú week, and his dark, gleaming stubble always put me in mind of Long John Silver's description of Cap- tain Flint.

Hot on his trail

I never recall Smut follow- ing any other regular occupation than that of poucher, and so I wasn't surprised an hour be- fore dawn on a frosty morning in 1934, to see him urgently

ftagging me from the edge of a coppice near Monk's Cross.

Monk's Woods were leased to Mr Crawley, a "foreigner" from Birmingham, and

guessed,

ing the bowl-shaped steel hol-

met und before the Jeep bad #dvanced another ten yards

was out in the road and waving

my cap like an Arsenal fan,

The slowdown, my jump aboard and our takeof occupied about four cands,

rightly, as it happened, that his lordes swung round minlons

the bend. were hat Un Sinuts The hamlet, it seemed, was

for the trail.

poln The bulge in Smut's collecting haversack, as he vaulted into Wehrmacht,

the back of my tourer Austin

Seven, told me they had every

reason to be.

*

It was indeed tucky for Smut

rur over

to

Small-arms

The Jeep was travelling at auch a speed that it was on me that in a flash and it was in split second thi

that } regretted my impulsive action. It seemed impossible that the driver would be idiot enough to stop, even supposing he noticed me ut all. He did though, skidding along the gritty surface for n distance of 20 yards, and taking one hand from the steering wheel to jere a thumb over his should-

on that occasion that the Dally I seemed to me that the best Express, with its characteristic thing to du,avas to lie in the hustle, had couxed me put of bushes unti-i ever the colonel and his real soldiers pushed forward and winkled me This should certainly out, have done if i had been allowed to, but I wasn't, for within five minutes I heard small-arms fire on the crest of the hill behind

an

bed in order to Bletchford Bay for a story and pictures at a landslide, As we 35 began to build up a steady. miles

hour two keepers plunged out of the coppice and Unrel about the highway, bellowing and fist-shaking.

We got away with it on that occasion. I dropped Smut out- side his cottagė, on the out- altiris of the town, and when I firmly refused his offer of one of the pheasants, he grinned his doothless grin and gald: "No fee? Okay, I'll do the same for you one day!".

Ten years later

uway

Ten years rolled

and people whistled "Pass the Am- munition" Inslend of "Little Man You've had a Busy Day." The next part of the story is

Bet in а Nor-

Mkeu

Low 1, on the

as. "Chu- pelle le - Some-

map

thing."

are

50

There many

in

Chapelles Northwestern France that can remember no more than that,

The infantry

colonel, to whom

1

a

reported 05

roving RAF

me.

in the

Wriggling round in a half circle I ลมพ German trooper widely dashing about spaced trees near the top, and down the obviously retreating

I had trodden, How path missed them or they me is still on the open Ble. Perhaps they hud approached suddenly tron the valley on the immediate right, through which Tun -third-class unsurfaced road, joining up with the main road about 10 yards from where crouched.

Their presence muddled my wishful thinking. Up to moment of seeing them had boen praying for our

Blde to

By R. F. Delderfield

the

Public Relations Officer, was openly sceptical of my mission He was a regular and had nover

reconciled to become modern necessity of sharing war with the public.

"You my AM. sent you to interview some people who belped your types get away?" he grunted. "Well, suppose they did, can't it wait a day?"

38 Worms Eye View-hia record-" bracking comedy et life in the RAFAR. Deiderfield chose d target of which he himself had o Bird's eye view as o wal-time PRO. Born in London 43 years ago, he is also ou talk with 'Devon,” where

he worked for many wIFE 03 0 fournalist and still lives with his wife and two chlidien, concocting novels, plays and film scripti. The Queen Come Oy—biz Victorian shop dramo-was recualty a600 on television.

CT.

The slow-down, my jum

our and

take-off aboard, occupied, I should say, aboul four seconds. There was another burst of ring from the wood and, at the some moment, two lorry drivers doubled round the bond from the homlet and reached the crossronds.

From the wood

1 do not even know whether they loosed off at us, or whether the Bring from the wood was directed at the Jeep or

the colonel's man lower down the

hill. only remember how far my jaw sagged when we came to a screeching halt behind the some buildings in

the street

ak the town from which I had set out, and the blue jowls of Corporal Smut Cleary, HASC, swung round on me from the driver's seat,

I

tob

advance, and quickly. Now,

It would be rather reasoned, safer for Jerry to advance be fore he walked over me on the way back. 10 his lorries. This I was wasn't the sort of war used to, being altogether like war in the story books. I realised, after swallowing once or twice, that these were the first German soldiers I had ever "Got to go where I'm told, acen if you overlooked all those dir," I replied, probing his soft "Walls Have Ears" security

the spot

on posters

"Naturally!" he sriapped, wails.

rather too bleakly I folt, "birt

you'll have to foot it

"Do the same for me some-

he said, day chum!"

and I that he hadn't

realised

recognised me.

even

your

I ask

"I wonder if they got licence number Smut?" him. It seemed to me the best

way of rounding it off.

WORLD COPYRIGHT RESERVED

DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?

YES

NO

Put your tick in the spaen phoya and keto this panel by you until Mond op

when the aanwer Wellf be giren...wish

another story in this series by .

John Creasey

• Did yesterday's story--The Putha's Cigarette, by William Deegian Home

The answer -actually happen ?

Air Ministry

TIS

The Wehrmacht HOLMES HAS MOVED

and

I got general directions began footing it. My destination a email village about six

was

kilometres to the southeast and could be reached, I was told, by Crossing the main road and threading my way through wood that grew both sides of a rounded hill,

No

one

At that time the papers had got it right-it 'really WDS a war of movement. seemed quite. sure who was whero and where whe what but, apart from some inter- mittent firing over on my left,

the walk was very pastoral mill I arrived at the edge of the on the far side of the

.. Here I was brought up short by the creak of heavy transport The passage of traffic didn't reghter. until I aimoet walked straight out in front of a Ger- roun, pixewboeler, towingt an minti-aircraft gun.

THE

By JOHN DESMOND ·

the

Fed up and miserable, were the Oral to leave. With they made their way to the all four engines one and only good hotel, the three Curtiss machines thunder- Cochrane, where they had a

od out of Trepassey Harbour on May 10, flying through the great reunion with their night towards the Azores.

Below them, stretched in a friends and rivals-Harry Hawker and Mackenzie bridge across the Atlantic, was whole chain of destroyers Grieve, pilot and navigator ready to rescue them if forced of the Sopwith "Atlantic," down.

EL

and Freddy Raynham and Only one flying-bout arrived Morgan of the Martinsyde intact at the Azores. Ten days later, after a long delay caused "Raymor."

by bad weather, it flew on to Lisbon.

weather.

Too rocky

the Good chance

DAD luck dogged the attempts

Atlantic flight.

make a

ED

the 19th of last Working under appalling con- Preparing for the take-off at here on

month." <titions the Vickers team had

St. John's

But he was unlucky in his test- Vimy complete and flown in 13 days, This would

As the weather became ambition. The Vimy was ready test-fown, the Handley HEY soon learned the worst.

have been record in the

warmer, inquisitive sightseers and It was just as they had fear-

Vickers works at home-in

walked out from St John's to Page had not yet left, but bad weather and some minor ed. Both rivats had their of Hawker and Raynhium Newfoundland It was a miracle pester the Vickers team,

set-backs delayed machines already assembled and who took off two days after the

At las: Alcock found what he mechanical off at the first dying-boats. Raynham crashed

Everything had to be done in had been searching for ready to take

their departure until June 14,

When the

moment favourable

great break in

with no the his heavily inden machine be the open,

hangar or desperately--a plece of ground fore ho Was airborne, and workshop to shelter them from that would

passable come, they left without face- Mackenzie-Grieve the rain and ley sicel. Their With their Vimy still aboard Hawker and

They said goodbye to their A freighter

on the Atlantic, were forced down with engine fires were scattered by Atlante runway for the take-off on the well speeches or mock herates. friends and climbed up into Alcock and Brown fell they trouble only 500 miles short of gales and it becure Impossible to keep even #soldering Irou

the, cockpit, Someone passed didn't stand a chance. To add Ireland.

Half-frozen and numb With two of their rivals, out hot.

up a bottle of whisky. to their misery Hawker and

correspondent told

of them that

the

Alcock race, Raynham

and with exhaustion, they tailed an OR two days he und Brown, Dally Moll

helped by 30 volunteers, Alcock a sprig of white heather. giant, four-engined Handley Brown stood a good chance of from dawn till dusk.

Alcock Alcock

at worked like maniacs.

the star- "Contact" First was everywhere Page

on board was being assembled at winning the prize if they could

then the port engine Harbour Grace, some

sixty manage to be ready before the once, roaming the countryside was determined to leave

Into 11fo. Alcock to And a

a field long enough for Friday July 13. miles from St John's, and that Hundley Page.

"Number" 13 has a charm for throttled back and yelled out would soon

The freighter carrying the the final tako-off of the Vimy be ready for a

mechanics: "Gaodbye, Vimy arrived on first test flight.

May 20 and with a full lond aboard, dash this machine," he told the Dally to the

to Mall correspondent. to Quidi Vidi However, Alcock and Brown they

began ing hack of the machine on encourage the mechanics, and the 13th of its type turned out refused to be downhearted for assembly

former airfield

to from the works; there are 13 on even cooking their meals long and they started searching Raynham's

our party and we arrived Save precious time. the outskirts of St John's. for a suitable field to use as un

immediately

in

Rush job

"It was all. See you in London.”

Next Saturday:

"Tho

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