PRECAUTIONARY MOVE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 71, 6 January 1936, Page 5

PRECAUTIONARY MOVE

LINER AS TROOPSHIP.

FIRST SINCE THE GREAT WAR. BRITISH TROOPS FOR EGYPT. (United Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) ,':.'•; LONDON, January s'. The Atlantic steamer Scythia has been converted into a transport to carry troops, tanks and armaments to Alexandria. She will sail from Southampton on Wednesday under War Of- ' fice orders, says the. "Sunday Dispatch." This is the first requisition of a passenger liner since the Great War. It is believed that other ships will be requisitioned shortly. BOMBING OF RED CROSS. DELIBERATE ACTION ALLEGED. DR. HYLANDER'S ACCOUNT. ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 4. An aeroplane brought from Do o Dr. Hylander, and his assistant, Vr. Lundstrom, and mauy of those wounded in the Italian air raid on the Swedish. Red Cross ambulance unit tneieDr. Lundstrom was severely wounded and died en route to hospital. Dr. inlander gave a graphic account ot tne bombing. • ~, , ~ ■ "It was an utterly deliberate act, he said. "The Italians for several days previously machine-gunned all round the ambulance unit, I was in the operating tent on the morning ot the bombing. Suddenly a perfect tornado of bombs and bullets rained down. J ~ ~ "I had just time to see two lines ot three aeroplanes each enfilading the ambulance unit, when I was wounded and lost consciousness. When I awoke it was to see the most terrible scene of carnage imaginable. Scores of dead, dyin<*, and wounded men were around me. '1 heard shrieks and groans amid the crackle of blazing tents. "There must have been more than 200 bombs, and thousands of rounds fired from the machine-guns. Dr. Lundstrom, although severely wounded, kept on crying, "I must attend the wounded.' Ras Desta's men hurried up immediately, and began to transport, the wounded to cover. "There was absolutely no excuse for the raid, and the Red Cross emblems were prominently displayed. The Italian allegation that Abyssinian chiefs and soldiers were taking refuge with the ambulance unit is completely baseless. My assistants say that the Italians flew very low, knowing that they were immune from fire from us. There was no place for the staff and the patients to shelter in. We had no guns and could only wave white flags. "It was wholesale murder. Bods containing wounded men were blown 30 feet in the air, and two patients on the operating table were killed instantaneously. Many wounded men were'half buried by earth and stones. Dr. Lundstrom had part of his face blown away.' "After the bombing, in which two ambulances were blown up, the aeroplanes circled and returned with a machine-gun unit." The transport of the wounded men from Dolo was a wonderful feat on the part of Baron von Rossen, a Swede, who piloted a Fokker ambulance aeroplane over unknown and difficult country.

ANOTHER ATTACK REPORTED. EGYPTIAN RED CROSS UNIT. TWO ENGLISH MISSIONARIES. HARAR, January 4. Italian aeroplanes are reported to have bombed an Egyptian Red Cross unit at Dagabur, more than a mile from the encampments of troops. It is not known whether there were any casualties. Two English missionaries, 3>r. D. Stokes and Dr. H. Dawkins, are stated to be attached to the Red Cross unit. RAS GOUGSA IMPRISONED. SEVERAL ETHIOPIANS EXECUTED REVOLT BEHIND ITALIAN LINES. LONDON, Jan. 4. The "Sun-Herald"- News Service says that it is unofficially reported from Rome that Ras Gougsa has been arrested and imprisoned at Tigre, allegedly for organising a revolt behind the Italian lines, and that several Abyssinians, presumably chieftains, were executed on a charge of assisting Has Gougsa. The authorities at Rome subsequently stated that nothing was known of the matter. A revolt against, the continuance of the war occurred at Romagna. It is reported to have been suppressed. A message from Dessie says that more Askari officers and soldiers have deserted to the Abyssinians. Eleven Greek officers are going to Abyssinia to man /the tanks captured from the Italians. Officials in Rome are obviously not concerned about the lack of progress. It seems that a harsher t>hase of the war is rapidly approaching.