PREPARING FOR WAR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 16, 30 October 1940, Page 5

PREPARING FOR WAR.

THE KING ASSUMES COMMAND. QUICK ACTION AGAINST TRAITORS. LONDON, October 28. The King of Greece has assumed command of all the armed forces.

General Papagos, Chief of the General Staff, has been appointed generalissimo. He sent a message to the Army expressing confidence in Greece’s complete victory. The Government has ordered the newspapers not to publish news from Rome or Berlin. M. Politis, the Greek Minister in Romo, has been recalled. The people of Athens, like the people of London, are. now in the front line. Lorries and tractors have been commandeered by the authorities, the people have boon advised to store water, hospitals are moving out the loss serious cases to make way for casualties, nurses have been mobilised, and firstaid posts are springing up everywhere. Thousands of citizens are moving out to safer places in the country. The Greeks have taken speedy action to deal with fifth-columnists. All Ital ‘ians and Germans have becin arrested, and in Athens anti - Italian demonstrators, bearing Greek, British and Turkish flage, refused to disperse even when enemy bombers came over the city.

A special announcement has been made to Greek shipmasters on the instructions of the Greek Government. Greek vessels in the Pacific, bound for America, will proceed, and those bound for Asia will proceed to British, Dutch, or United States-controlled ports. Westbound vessels in the* Atlantic will proceed, and east-bound vessels will go to a British port. No Greek vessels are to proceed to France or to French possessions.