DANCER IN PRISON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 245, 15 October 1940, Page 5

DANCER IN PRISON.

HEARS R.A.F. BOMBS. | i "I ENJOYED THAT AIR RAID." > (By Air.) LONDON*. August 31. j The wail of sirens was music to the i-are of an English girl. Hearing the sounds of bombs droppir.s when she was ] iii an Italian prison she knew that the R.A.F. wan busy. Mk-e Catherine Dunne, safely home! with her parents at Whitstahie,"after n (light across France, told this week how, ivith other English girl dancers >*hc was thrown intoan Italian gaol as apolitical suspect. For five months Mis* Dunne liad been touring Italy. She was leader of a troupe of dancers from the FolicsBergere. Detectives went to their hotel,.

I arrested her and two other girl®, an j confiscated their money. As far a* Mi* ! Dunne could make out. they wet accused of being concerned with gin i running to Greece. I "Our cell wa.« verminous." she sn>< I "We were in gaol for nine day* and th ! food made me ill. One .lune" 10. almu •'• p.m. we beard cheering. I could hu t'iano s|H>aking over tin? radio. An later we could hear Mussolini* voir | shouting. Then I heard the lliico >ayin I that they were at war with England an ; France. His voice was drowned I cheering. ! "It was on the nest night thai. Hi I air raid came. I don't like air raid jhcre. but I thoroughly enjoyed Slut on. The din in the prison was tcrrilk-. j "On June 12 we were taken !o th police station mid told ire shouh! h repatriated and some sort of a|io]og; was offered. We were given two hour to pack, but could get none of our l«c longings from the theatre. We leant* the R.A.F. had caught the Italians ijuit unprepared for raids. The whole tow .was in a panic."