1959-07-21 — Page 4

Page 4.

FOUR HOURS TO DESTINY

REAL-LIFE FEARS OF THE UNWILLING CAST ABOARD

FLIGHT 102 TO LONDON

by

Ronald Singleton

THE SCENE: The interior of a London-bound Jet-liner. THE TIME: Late on a rainy Saturday night above cloud- hidden New York.

THE LEAD PLAYERS: Lahrener Harvey, actor; Preminger, producer; ilanald West, Skellefd cutler. CAST: 110 extras-passengers and crew. TITLE: "Four Hours to Destiny."

Otto

PADE-IN Hour One-the jet is in the air and already the Amell of rooled dinner drifts along the aisle,

PEOPLE chat, releas ing their seat-belts,

A mother lifts a child on

to her lap. Some passen.

gers stroll to the lounge.

THE CHINA MAIL,

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 1959.

Cumminsor

PREMINGER: 'Coming

sir."

WEST: "Sandwiches?"

J101.

PREMINGER (bellowing) "Sandwiches. Certainly Caviar, niet mignon. No drluka, however."

HARVEY: It's all right, madam, everything's under con- trol." (The woman has given i little screants of terror-two huury of circling has dually pierced her nerve.)

They Bnish Inner makes some braver. refuse

and this

But may

dinner. A Spaniard

Angers a rosury. An elderly

woninn, about 80, calmly reads

a prayer book with

tassels bookmark.

shall meet you up there gargle and chuckle (points heavenwards),”

趨 red-

htt

A u boy pads up the aisle. Some are happy to see

among the

kthaw passengers. He doesn't

only Preminger: "Ach! I have what is happening. It Fot the slightest doubt, my trays others' nerves,

dear young Laurie, that we

MINGER (n snatch of conver-

shal land perfectly safely HOUR THREE PRE- There comes the sud-, and that we shall have a den, calm anouncement rood breakfast of

of a serious emergency. "We shall have to come down again and it will be a difficult operation skidding on foam."

PROMINGER fraising eyebrows. laying down a film script): "Ach, Ach!"

D

HARVEY (going home to make film) swallows, faras grey, and looks across at Preminger,

(30.

HILL

TC=

1C

DIFFERENT UNIFORMS-SAME FACE

'It's written all

London.

RECENTLY 700 silent

West Indians arrived waffles sation about his new m) Alat Paddington Station

3 wanl Is the Kiri freedom ... and vanished into the

expression London night..

PREMINGER HARVEY

sad syrup at the drug coun- ter. Anyway, what makes you think we shall meet in that direction, eh?" WEST

nurried,

(brightening Harvey withe

skimming through a list of Sheffield smiling): "I shall be as gay knives export orders): "That I can." (Goes from sent can't beat it, lad, eh?"

;L Sun.

to seat talking to nervous passengers, crucking sharp English jokes, making them laugh).

HARVEY (listed on the passenger sheet as Harvey

WEST Omitating e broad Lawrence) rises, pale: " yorkshire tone): "All opes tha's say, Otto, old son, I think I not worrti, lass?** (To

CAPTAIN SOMMERS-AT THE TOP THE STEPA TO SAFETY

40

Coldo

Even the slightest cold

is to be feared

Do not let it spread]

Defeat it from the start

by taking 1 or 2 'CAFASPINS

FASPIN BER

American

with rear. She understanda

*

smiles

WEST

Karanteed

everyone

else

so that I can motion make pictures with- cul

censor-

ship."

HARVEY Chappy ut be- ing recognised by two yozing American girl be sits on the arm of their seat and describes how he liked making" am a Camera"); " nope you Room at the Top.

Saw

THE GIRLS: 'Oh, yes. Bat wonderful Lancashire novel."

WEST: "Wonderful Lonca- shire what? What's wonder-

Lancashire? Does tha know difference between Lan- on* Yorkshire, bass? cashire Thu were a war once between em-- Yorkshire won, of course." (Jolly Laughter.)

woman frozen HOUR FOUR

but ten- sions are mounting and Captain Sommers calmly explains this big plane is to make an emer- reney landing with landlung-gater problems on a mlie-long sheet of Are-resistant rubber foam,

finlly.)

HOUR

TWO

The captain's A few

There are one or two screams, incans. An ridderly "We couple, on holiday, clasp hands, voice: have to me up r the woman puts her head As much fuel as against her husband's breast.

The Destiler." possibility that

The plane flies lower and

Jower. The Yorkshireman The take plane silent. Preminger frowns, puts might meet, a

end his head in his hands. Harvey, fiery

the with a well-tightened seat-belt, sweeps

fingers an airline man. Jounge armi down the aisles.

DACHAU

London Expresa Service.

all over me

-I'm Black!"

And yet, every year, thousands mure come in. Why?

Mark Stanley explains; "Those who want to go home often can't afford. But if you offered them the fare, many won't returi, That would mean loss of face at home. So even when they write home they tend to play down af just one fuse polni. COLOUR. the dimeuilles they face. And A self-imposed iron- slumbering monster of raclul jects, enjoying the benefits

that hatred. Scared

it might Commonwealth membership in Colour which causes uneasine, that attracts others to come. curtain of secrecy sur- spark off the resentful tub pence and the privilege of light- resentment, suspicion und "Even they do write homo

Latred. ing and dying for it in war.

And hatred breeds for the truth, nobody will before rounded them

Face these other facts:

Make no mistake, In many them, so great is the afterllon

coloured for the British In JOBS: Are they a threat to areas in Britain, the

the West the security of employment? man

with walka

fear; the Indies.. The total number of all shadow of violence looms over coloured people in Brifast is still him.

thumping tolk.

believe

Talk like this: "Why should they come here, taking Jobs, marrying our women, drawing National Assistance, setting up slums, pulting we mrn on the streets and living less then one half per eunt of This is whill ons 770----- of vice?"

the population. Five times as trained Joritory resistant Yes, that's why they stayed many Europeana have been ab working as a labourer--told me

Because the silent.

they were sorbed in this country since the about te Anit be frightened

when that war.

"Every time my wife goes to knows he will have happens in Britain, it is time for SLUMS: They don't establish the stop, every time my little with accommodation and Jobs,

sams, even if they may straight talking.

in girl goes to school wonder bremuse of limited qualifications or because of prejudice. Ite

they were swallowed up in the tatty tenements that house Britain's ever swelling coloured communities.

They refused to talk

· Ther refused Press. photographed.

Reporters who tried to speak to them were hustled wwny by waiting groups of their country- 21105. Why?

tu

Fear stopped their tongues. They were scared

to talk. Seared that pubiicity, an ill- considered remark, a "slanted" report might re-sur the uneasily

And these are the facts.

The West Indians ARE bere ....120,000 of them mako up Britain's largest coloured com- munity. They come at the rate of about 15,000 a year.

And they are ENTITLED to be here. They are British sub

Fighting? - It's their national

HIS

sport.

•

in Notting

By RON EVANS

1

21.

The

Difficulty

average

immigrant

difficulty

knows that, and he is prepared to secopt that.

"But what he don't know and can't understand ly the atlitude of the British people.

tensify them. They herd into about them, man. I wonder if That is what breaks his heart existing "bad" areas like Notting they'll come back."

HA! because there is nowhere else they can go.

The shadow

spoko quietly,

NATIONAL ASSISTANCE.. Wet Indiana, unused to a systur cf National Assistance,

pply for it only as a last resort emotionally. In most cases. They come to England to work.

Want work

and his spirit."

The question of limiting Im- matter for migration is Governments to settle. So are

other questions such as de- portation for persistent law- unbreakers, or the setting up of code of conduct rule; which they I take walk down the road, must ebay.

was stopped

I see a crew of fellers at the If Immigration

I start tomorrow, it would not solve the Corner. Straight away myself thinking. Good bars or problem of the West Indians bad boys: I think to myself "Do already here. more these,

CRIME There is no erime among West Indians than any other section of the ecm minity. True, there are colour

10 wulk on these streetsy Cardiff's Tiger Day has proved 6 call-girls und street walker Should I craw myself up and this. In the last point of Lon-

coloured

vice walk past them? No, man, that's don it ins worked in Brixton- lords who wall in their flashy

That's making for with the country's highest pro- and

sugid ico cers ut the airports

treble. So what do I do? I portfonate coloured population harbours to pick up hand-picked press the street to the other so why shouldn't It Work in immigrant girls who are pre fide."

boy's metn trouble? Integration-word that Bri- Should I turn back? No. That'o tain thought belonged only to stupid. man. You've got a right Dixie-is possible. For years

IS family do not know that he was wounded in True, there are

action.

He does not want them By

to know because the Royal

*11

1959, and he TOM POCOCK

Air Force is not officially at war in July thinks they might worry.

sor of thump," reeled the fighter pilot,

The bullet, fired 800 ft. be- Jow, had track the jet fighter on the port side, smashed some

was u

They bounce. They arc WEST : down. At first it is a pleasant "Where's the rocking movement. Krub?"

HARVEY looks out at the cockpit controls and nicked the wing. I begins to skim the pilot's arm.

thinks: If runway lights. He the wing hits them I'll be right, Otto'll be wrong.

ANY FIRM USING THE NAME APPLIED TO OUR

"ZORIC"

DRYCLEANING SYSTEM HAS NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER WITH THE, UNDERMENTIONED CO.

PLEASE TELEPHONE DIRECT TO

59195

FOR COLLECTIONS AND DELIVERIES

THE STEAM LAUNDRY CO.

No. 1, Kwong Wa Street, Kowloon.

WEST looks from the win- dow. There is a sudden heart- chilling Tumble and grating. shuddering and swaying."Sparks nte flames. le murmurs: "Oh, Lord!"

Ambush risk

on

the

pared to work for them. True, there are coloured racketsers and exploiters.

He led a sad smile: "All the time I am walking to- wards these beys that is what I am thinking. And believe me man, that's an awful way to have to walk along a strect, It's an awful way to be liv- Ing."

Notting Hill7

Remember!

These people are entitled to And they'll keep on coming. If time that Britain faced up to thal.

Because it's an indictment that

of 700 British rabicots should feet

There are white ones, too. Do not

West 120,000 condemn Indies because of the minority,

come here. Face the facts. The aveTIC The Yemen, which_Is_only_50 | West Indian is no better, no worse than the average Briton, miles away, claims Aden. The

Why then, this problem? .... Yemen hat bron penclicted by

Fear and disillusion. Listen both the Communists and by "Man, Fl tell you why," said to Mark Storley, president Nasser's United Arab Republic, one Wen Indian. "Prople keep the United Kingdom Coloured it necessary to segregate them-

Associatica so unless we want to risk get-telling us we get the same treat- Citizens"

and solves like a leper colony when artillery Ling hostile

the ment as any other British sub- co-pted murder of the Britishy they arrive in this country, and formed then weep off into the darkness Aden frontier, commanding theject, that we're no different to Ceribbean Association,

M.P's: of the greatest empital in the whole colony, we must have

any other Briton. But there is by a group of Britt

nabody's janë difference, man.

Hvery Wal Indio I know in world and hoppe, that Now the wound was healed buffer state."

"IT'S "So we have made treaties

WRITTEN ALL this country wants to go home." really noticed they are here. and he could use his arm to dy with the Arab rulers in what is OVER MY FACE AND MY

Remember these words: The Every year 2,000 of them, who his Venom and to wipe the

their have sliked

Lature on only difference, man, between ealed the Western Aden Protec

BODY, I'M BLACK." sweat off his face as we talked, torate atad we support them with Face the fact. When all the making good in Britain de re- me and any other British subject because the temperature on the ball guns and money."

do turn, most of them with their is written all over my face and talk is over, it's nothing to | airfield was 142 degrees.

Last year the Yemen invader with jobs or slums. There

my body. I'm black." is dream unfulfilled. Later that day I saw him the Prolectorule. There was a After mile is all over again. The came whipping over short, shing comption and the Otto was right, The first two the camel them in is Venom, invaders were thrown back into neople are out-a pilot aad Els cannon leaded with mixed the Yemen. Laurence Harvey, who, shoe-armi-ten'cur-piercing an ex- The treble did not end there. ters, has pulled long socks over pio dve shells. The Army officer Nuwheie is the Yomea frontier his trouser uoltoms. They slip beside me in the Land Rover dirty, delined and there has down a heller skelter emergency

into a

ambushing speaking rapkily

Boen sniping ladder and sink in mattress-ilke

microphone. "Ironsides and along its 300 miles between the form.

Foxhounds close up." he was Red Sea and the Empty Quartzr Wase. the saying. The is batl Ambush desert of Arbis. They are there to help cut | céuntry.”

Yemen has armed the dissidont

passengers.

Ironsides. and -Foxhounds tribes of the Protectorate itself, were cette

The first two, old ladies, weep and cannot face it. Harvey warms up the ladder and cnim ly, gently, furces them down,

WEST: "Only like Blackpool, "this" (and with a bump he sprawls laughing in a ma5S of white foam).

They all clamber through and wal to afrport busas.

They are all grouped there

Was

names for armour An the Life

and Infantry Guards' armoured cars and the Warwickshire infantrymen

and

Big game

This does not me that the

British. "We're just big gamm with a nicker of cocking to them," a British colonel siti, handles as three dozen pairs of pointing at two armed tribes- dust-sore eyes raked the ridge men high above us cn auck, Above 15.

silhouetted against the hard blue It was bad ambush country, sky. "Fighting is their national Already that afternoon we had oport." heard the sny of rifle fire.

It was a British officer, once of "Just like the films," someone the Indian Army, who remarked "But this is enthusiastically:

North-west Iko the exactly Lives of a Bengal Lancer. lol."

Frontier" and I wandered if this These actividas are taking half-war was just the dying plore in a wild and largely un- spasms of a milton Imperiat- of south-west Arabla. explored place: the highlands kan.

closed up into battle formation tribesmen necessarily hate the

walling for the bus: actor, pro-sald. "Beau Geste. Wells Fargo

ducer, cutler. Spaniard with rosary old Indy with prayer bobit. child in arms-roun them fire engines, ambulances, police, cars, television squads, reporters with yellow tlekcets their hats.

Final dialogue: "Get in 1 bus lass."

Final close-up: the baby be- gine to cry; she can't have her, mother's carring.

FADE OUT with this shot....

The

I put it to a diplomat, an On the one side are Brish Arabist of experience. He and soldiers

and alrmen and Arab "I have given up prophesying levies operating in support of but I will state a fact. It may sultans cmirs mx1 sheikhs not be saying much but the bound. to Britain by treaty. On British poilton in the Middle the other are regular and fr East is now stronger then. It has

ular, soldiers of the Yemen been for 10 years,

Copyright-EVENING STAN- and tribesmen rebelling chainst established arder in the Western DARD COMPANY LIMITED, Aden Protectorate.

1950.

RÉ BUSKERS UNITE

BEHAN

MUST GO

Beben

BEGOARNIA A NAUGHTY

BRENDANS

B

MUST

GO

Thank you.

tha ORIGINAL FRED SPOON

We got ter stop it nah Arry

HOSTAGE

It'll be Noel Coward next."

London Kaurais dérelos.