1939-12-11 — Page 24

That's a

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THE

MODERN

Monday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

December 11, 1939.

GRIN AND I

BEAR IT

By Lichty

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W

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by

J. E.

Convoy SWELL

In the London "Daily Telegraph"

I have been shaken from sleep by the grating roar of exploding depth-charges a mile away, and watched from the bridge for pectful awe a quiet but passionate "unknown aircraft believed to speech delivered to the night sky by our first officer when our predecessor bo hostile" when our escort slipped out of his place without sig- warned us that they might be naling, and either went aground on approaching. The captain of a shoal or anchored, for some reason the vessel in which I was travel best known to himself, ling described the trip as

the quietest he had known since the beginning of the war,

Trivial as such an incident may seem to the landsman, the safety of the whole convoy had been jeopar dised. To live for days with a convoy It is at night that the full strain is to achieve a new understand-Voices on the bridge drop to a of convoy work is most apparent,

REPRESENTATIVE ongkong Telegraph.

Thongkong Telegraphing of the mechanism which whisper. A masked stern light only

of the

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Monday, December 11, 1939. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 26615

THE press "Special to the Telegraph is used by the "Hongkong Telegraph to under are wind 6 surely copriu! cation Urdinance, 136, Buch news a

the United Press Associations. Whore Hongkong on the date of publication by

either wholly or in part without previous

under the provisions of the Telecommunal.

bears the indicatión “UP” is received in

· serve all rights and forbid republication,

arrangement,

The Neutral Front

Italian

the Russo-

ensures, during war-time, that is permissible, and when visibility is the ordinary life of Great Bri-poor the task of keeping formation tain shall continue with the almost insuperable or

would minimum disturbance. It is not seem to be. Actually, when daylight broke, it was usually not long before just a matter of essential food the fleet had taken up its correct supplica-the "beef, pork and formation again. The mistakes in mutton, eggs, apples and cheese" the darkness had been few and small. that Kipling wrote about. Mase-

coaster" DEPTH-CHARGES-AT with her firewood, ironware and field's "dirty British

cheap tin trays must be pro- tected as well.

VIGILANCE OF AIR

+

LEAST A MILE AWAY

I sampled the middle watch on the bridge and found the eye-strain, even without the sense of responsibility, considerable. I had gone comfort- ably to sicep that early morning, AND NAVAL ESCORTS

when we received our first overt warning of the danger from which Perhaps "mechanism" is the wrong we were being protected. Three

It sounds Impersonal and inevitable and, on board, one has a word.

rather than grinding thuds, feit heard, awake the passengers' and vivid sense of dependence on the brought them tumbling up on deck eyes and cam of certain human in various stages of undress. My beings to

awn impression was that the ship had been in collision-the rasping shudder which she gave suggested impacts with some heavy object.

ink

we

more

Normally the escort held its set already stations about us, creeping along at The convoy's plans had been discussed at the conference of our miserably few knots with the masters ashore. Each ship know her courteous tolerance of a schoolboy. number and position, but the final conducting his elderly ount acroSA instructions were given at the an- the road. Several times, however, I chorage by a fussy little Admiralty saw them show their speed. They tug. At the secret sailing-time we would suddenly danh away on an sometimes slipped away to the open sea-* errand of their own, company of over a score of vessels steaming through the convoy. Unobstrusively our escort joined us and the voyage had begun.

CAREFULLY STEAMING WHEN "THE FELLOW

B

"I soe Slug Pastromi's gone south oarly this year--it says hore ho's oponed the old Plushbile mansion af Palm Beach."

OF ESPECIAL INTEREST

TO THE PANIC MONGERS

I prefer

gas

-by⋅

J.B.S. Haldane, F.R.S.

H

ITLER has promised

not to use gas, as he

promised not to bomb -civilians, and will pre- sumably break the promise about gas when he wants to, as he has broken the other.

I must say that if he drops anything in my neighbourhood I hope it will be gas. The actual casualties caused by gas dropped on a British town would be much less than by the same weight of explosives; but he may hope to cause a panic.

I certainly shall not give way to panic. On the contrary, I shall be de- lighted if I hear the Wardens using their rattles

People are frightened of gas for several reasona Mainly because they don't understand it, and it is more mysterious than explosives Partly because it causes frightful casualties among unprotected people in the open, such as the Canadian troops in Franco in March, 1918, and the Abyssinians ini 2030,

B

UT we know what to ¡expect, and we have the double protection Of buildings - and shelters on the one hand-and-masks, on the other.

through the neark. If things don't happen that way in real life. In May, 1928, a tank containing 11 tons of phosgene, the most poisonous of the non-persistent gasés. Eurst in the dooks of Hamburg. The gas formed a cloud which rolled over the suburbs of Ham- burg aid injured people six miles.

away.

But only ten people were killed, and 900 taken to hospital, although there-' was no warning and there were no respiratorn

I don't personally believe thING A BOIS-~ persistent or cloud-forming, gaa like this will be dropped on Britiah ofiles. I think we may get “mustard gas" or Lowlaite, which are not gases, but Hquida whose vapours are poisonous. when breathed, and which also attack: the eyes and skin. *..

F

"JORTUNATELY, our re- Ispirators give complete- protection to the lungs and eyes. And though the blisters on: the skin are painful, they have never been known to kill anyone.

In 1918 only one in 13 of the British casualties from mustard gas died, nil. from lung injuries, and another one in. 13 was ill for over six months.

Some of the sujokes which cause- sneezing will go through elvliian res- pirators when "present" in, very large- amounts. They are most unlikeis to klit you, but they may make you take your respirator "off." However, that won't maiter unless there is gas about at the same time. This la, however,. most unlikely.

It is technically very difficult' to: make a combined 'gsö, and smoke bomb, and our fighters, balloons, and guns will certainly stop the Nazis from alming. carefully, and first dropping: gus, and then 'amoke' bomba, in the same place.

To the numerous 'unusual aspects of the war in Europe add the fact that it is being fought by neutrals as well on by belligerents. Both Russia and Italy call themselves neutrals, But in the Balkans their interests

In talk with the oficers ong are crystallising into a sharp Russo-realises that they in turn depend on Italian rivalry.

the smooth working of a complex ad hoc shore organisation, as well as on Each of these States is trying to

We stood on deck, straining our the ceaseless vigilance of the naval

hopelessly organise a Balkan bloc in which it and air escorts. Each

convoy that eyes into the blackness, would be the supreme

dashed our influence, arrives in port is a separate triumph trying to read its mystery. The cop-

of co-operative human effort. On tali eventually The Anglo-French-Turkish pact was the consistent recurrence

The depth- of these dramatic speculations.

charges, he say. But it was cer- had exploded at a temporary setback for Russian in- triumphs hàngs our very existence. least a mile fluence in that this treaty kept the So much emphasis on the dramatic tain that our escorting vessels had door wide for the Influence of the importance of the convoy's journey in "got wind of something" and were excusable. A happy convoy has no dealing with it in their fashion. What Western Powers doors that Stalin drama, and ours was a business trip that something was we shall probably. had tried to close. The pact renewed In truth, it was a drab-looking feet never know; but 40 minutes later, which joined at the part of as when we were wondering whether it hopes of re-establishing

sembly somewhere in the south of was worth while going back to bed, Italy's place in the Balkans which England. On our way we had passed there was yet another distant ex- Evidently the escorting a dozen smart neutrals, publicis plosion, had been in a large measure lost to half their immunity in huge letters warships were still unsatisfied. No Germany in the good old Rome- and painted emblems. Our own paint more was heard, but I, for one, shail Berlir Axis days and was further and red ensign looked dingy beside believe that a U-boat searching for threatened by the re-entry of Russia their gaudy superiority, and we knew our convey that night received some

that once we were in convoy we telling discouragement. into the international feld.

should be shunned by them. With the signing of German non-aggression pact, Russia showed at once that its new position would be used to extend Russian Influence west and east. Now from most of the capitals of Southeastern Europe come indications of energetic Italian counter-moves to organise a Balkan bloc which will face toward

ACROSS A MINEFIELD Rome. Some of the same problems

IN FRONT" WANDERS Perhaps a straggler needed round- which faced Russia and which Russin

ing-up, or some Indication had been mistakenly attempted to force to One of the first qualities required received by the detectors which solution when the Turkish Foreign of those who soil in convoys is warranted further investigation. We

patience.

speed, never heard the results of these Minister was in Moscow now face naturally, is restricted to that of its manoeuvrer. News of any

kind Italy. One of these is the reconcilla slowest member. For days on end nowadays, at sea, is hard to come tion of the territorial disputes be the faster ships must endure the sort by. No merchant ship may transmit of thing wife happens to fast messages except when it is gravely tween Huranta and Hungary and sports cars, when they get caught up necessary, and our smoke-room re- in Bank Holiday queues, with the ceiving set was disconnected for the Bulgaria.

Whether Italy can better handle important, differance that there are duration on the first day of war.

no alternative routes and no oppor- such problems, and whether Turkey,tunities for "cutting in." -

There was little communication between escort and convoy. What with visits from German reconnais- usually suspicious of Italian designs, "Keeping station." I have been told, there was depended on flags and sance alrernft, our eyes turned sky- will help. 270 questions whose is often a most difficult problem for ashes, during daylight only. Our ward more often. Sure enough, the answers depend on the ability of the these sturdy Individualist skippers wireless cabin received one reminder signal was at last Gagged by our es lesser Powers in Europe to appraise many of whom until a few weeks of the U-boat menacean 505 from cort, telling us to be on the alert for

*XE · charcoal : "Of experience of a ship in the Bay of Biscay, being known aircraft, believed to be

respirátora ́ stops heavy the common danger which threatens had had no

chased and shelled by a submarino, hostile,

'gases regardless of their them all.

Again, as on our arterial roads, itThat drama, too, remained unfinished

of her.

No passenger went below, unless composition. tio, as my respirator fis, It was to fetch his camera. But thei, don't expect anything worse than the war of 1939 is whether the wrong. I shall remember with res- Day followed day of

gress. At intervals our escort would forced to conclude, in the end, that panie, shred other things are needed.

But to make us all safe and to svojd: Balkans are to become German

be supplemented by an aeroplane the raider had either turned back or First of all helmets for all babies late colonies, or a blog of independent, and

word from the shore, skimming at low air changed his plans. economically stable states,

have given', rise to

and then

in vulnerable-drdal,” and instructions. They have beentitude over the convoy. "Meln - Kamp!" mak cs plata "Balkanization."

fying higher above us.

The voyage ended as unobstrusive for as many adulta es donibles bor enough Herr Hitler's dream of turn- fostered by great powers-as-France We passed through the carefully ly as it had begun. Our escort left testing respirators: Bome of them".

to use them. Becond; à pomlhillky of ing German energy from overseas fostered divisions among the small swept channel of a minefield, and us in safe waters, and we proceeded don't it, and none will last for ever.

last to our Every borough should have a room colonisation-possible only if Ger- German states. Diverse and aspiring watched for drifting mines with the-at our own speed

any early naval-rating on board, in charge of destination. The captain, who had where respirators can be teased at least many controlled the sea or had the nationalams preclude

spent the greater part of the voyage) twice a year in an atmosphere of tear friendship of those who did-into the amalgamation. But Balkan destiny our Lewis run.

One morning we glimpsed on the bridge, was tired but content gas At least one has, mich a room: taking of new lands adjoining ficris in unity; the progress of railway, majestic procession of warships ed. It had been a better trip, than nirendra few riks would be found

stealing along the horizon and out, average, he said.

and corrected: MANA many on the East. What has hap-motor cars, airplanes and radio may

of sight. On another afternoon, we!

Finally, we want the right mort ́ of- pened in Czechoslovakia and Poland speed that development...

Soon there would The Balkans, offer potential saw the white superstructure and!

a

be more con, propaganda... Don't let's pretend that, shows the dream in process ofJul- filment. And no one who has-alud-counter-weight to German domina- but funnels of the 11,000-ton Danish ferences of masters, a now course, e a fully proof room can be made in led the development: of National tion of the Continent. Can Britain steamer Canada, lying in shallow fresh rendezvous. The hours of un-every house, or that our respirators.

water after an explosion had wrecked remitting vigilance would begin are ideal pa Sociallam expects the process to stop economale and cultural union which

and France-promote among them anher.

again in the meantime, the coopers But let us realise that an ordinary at this stage unless halled by would make them effective in that SKIES EMPTY OF

and chemists and grocers of Scotland coom will keep nine-tenths of the: would continute to serve their clients outside, and an ordinary rukolistor external force.

In the House of Commons the Minis andths of what gets lufo the room.

nine hundred : und'émisstymine; thou». The divisions among the Balkan should be one of the decisive factors

rolet The answer to that question.

ter would again be able to reassure If these things are done, there wil states are so well known that they

As we steamed northward, Into an freiful back-benchers. Supplies and be no danger, either of teala, de DRDİOKS In the present war and its aftermath. area so far particularly favoured distribution are being maintained.

convoys.

The

convoy's

•

Panto-mongero have spread fantastic stories about gue. We are told that a ton of gaa could kill a hundred thou sand people. So it could if they were crowded together without respirators in a closed space,

in the same way, for all I know, a toa of bullets could ki a hundred thousand. men if each one was shot

There are people who speak of now, and horrible gases which will penetrate | respirators. I don't believe in such things for a moment, Mustard gua was had been made by 1918.9 first made in 1880, and nothing worse

But if something still more poisonous, Is made, it will almost certainly be stopped by our respirators. The reason is simple, The respirators do not stop light gases such as the carbon mon- oxide in coal-gas ***

None of these is very poisonous. The lethal concentration of carbon mon- oxide, is one part in two thousand of

· air, as compared witir one to’a milliar or 20 for mustard gas. And all the possible light gunes have been made.

T

OUT-

One of the basic political issues in is always the fellow in front who is we heard nomor patient pro akles remained empty, and we were] bilsters, whatever gas is dropped on me...

ENEMY 'PLANEST

in the event of A-SM TIPPU