A Dental Drama

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 114, 16 May 1942, Page 9

A Dental Drama

J)OBBY" was extremely proud of his dental plate, and although at times the vicissitudes of army . m ade it rather difficult, usually managed to look 8 er that plate with loving However, during the show in mosTnf t'h D ° bby V in conimon with thp mic! t members of our unit, had tu ne to lose all his nerpossibflffv' r f F ° r he - time bein § the as tnll hhr? replacing such things remote S f eS . etc " was verv durine'thp » ♦ quiet moments week<? " two or lhre e hectic would h? = « y T ould tell us th at some d t^.cl^ng a gea r he only bad By 21475 eventually landed on Crete had m^ hm ,? few most of us a tomh h k becom e possessed of between haff h ' a an f l a tube of Piriu L f a dozen men or so h,arly one morning "Dobbv" anrl r S' y , st ? rted off with Sir newly tooth'brnf" m " l " stl 'eam wielding denlv th!f so . me Purpose. Sudy there was the sound of low-

flying aircraft approaching. Our view was obscured by the surrounding hills, but we decided that the noise was from Hurricanes returning to the aerodrome from an early morning patrol. As we watched for their appearance, "Dobby's" hands were still engaged with, the beloved plate and brush. Soon two planes came into view. They were tighters all right, but not Hurricanes. We suddenly realised that they were black with white crosses on the wings, and when we heard the familiar "crackle" of aircraft machine-guns we made a dive for the nearest bushes.

The planes passed over, and after making sure that they weren't coming back, we came out of our retreat and set about removing thorns, prickles, etc., from sundry parts of our respective naked persons. This was going on with much verbal abuse to all German airmen, when "Dobby" remembered his teeth. In the excitement of our dash through the stream to cover, he had dropped his dental plate and brush. We looked in the bushes which we hadjust evacuated and along our line ot night, but no teeth or brush. We groped blindly in the swiftly-run-ning and now muddy water, with the same result. Those teeth and the brush could not be found. Very reluctantly "Dobby" had to admit defeat, but I am certain that thuse Hun airmen could not have been all he called them at that moment.