LONDON AND WAR

Evening Star, Issue 23724, 4 November 1940, Page 11

LONDON AND WAR

VICHY PUPPETS UNHAPPY HITLER’S FIRST CHECK [Fbom Oun Correspondent] September 12. 'All is not well with the Vichy GoTernment. Already there have been two reconstructions* and the signs are beginning to point to something muon more violent. The defeatists are not seeing eye to eye. In fact, some ot them, including Laval, are reported as now doubting whether, in surrendering, they backed the right horse and are accordingly hedging. The AngloAmerican deal was a great shock to them, because of its inevitable effect on French opinion and the thoughts it induces regarding the future of the war. They had also wholly underestimated the strength of the de Gaulle movement. Viewing the situation as a whole, they are reported to fear that events will prove them to be not the patriots they would like to be pictured, hut the traitors that they really are. In' that case they may well envisage ah early revolution, and for them a revolutionary fate at the hands or their betrayed fellow-countrymen. KINSMEN. Fundamentally, Hitler’s European successes, such as they are, have been achieved by exploiting the Caesarean policy of “ divide and rule. Had Europe combined in arms-as well as in ■academic theory, even a rearmed Germany would never have been able to run amok. The agreement between Britain and America, whereby we exchange western ocean bases for ou urgently-needed destroyers, is signal evidence that similar policy will not avail against kinsmen of the AngloSaxon tongue. Though these U.S. destroyers are old-type flush-deck ships, which did yeoman service in the last war hunting down U-boats from Brest and Queenstown naval bases—unfortunately now denied us—they will release our more modern craft for other duties than convoying, and will relievo us of anxiety during the interval before our now destroyer programme matures. It is a fact few now remember that when the TJ.S.A. and Spain were at war we gave America possession of a battleship as well as other important naval vessels intended for the Royal Navy. In fact, the entente between British and American naval men is strong and dates far back. THEY ALSO SERVE. It is right that the nation’s homage should go first to those brave hearts, in the air and on the sea, who bear the formidable brunt of this life-and-deatli struggle. But for_ their devoted and selfless heroism, their indomitable efficiency and resource, all our efforts would not avail to avert disaster. But honour is also due to the unknown and unseen brains and hands behind the actual fighting ranks that are keeping the latter constantly supplied with better and better equipment for their heroic tasks. Ably indeed are pur expert mechanical brains supporting the fighting men of the Empire. Hitler’s secret weapon, the magnetic mine, was countered in a few days, as in the last war was the German poison gas. Improved types of war planes and war ships are also being devised. In tank and ’anti-tank armament our latest equipment is ahead of anything known before. Germany will find that there is nothing decadent about Britain's engineering brains. The latest addition to our armament is a gun that tells the dive-bomber exactly and literally where he gets off the bus. At a recent demonstration an enemy air raid furnished an unpremeditated opportunity to show how this deadly weapon can be used against high-flying aircraft.

L “UNWRITTEN HISTORY. Lord Horae’s death recalls one of the political tragedies of Whitehall. Mr Baldwin was forming his 1924 Administration, and invited Sir Robert, as he then was, to forgo the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, to which he was considered to have first claim, and to take for the time being a lesser post, so that Mr Churchill mmht be included in the Cabinet. Sir Robert refused in anger, and was never again offered office. The refusal was the more inexcusable, in that when Sir Robert, after the war—then a poor man—decided to go into the City to make a modest capital sum which allowed him afterwards to devote himself to politics, his chief obtained for him directorships worth many thousands a year, among them the vice-chairmanship of (Baldwins, said of itself to be worth more than £5,000 a year. The breach thus piade was never healed. It heightens the tragedy, that in time Mr Churchill and Mr Baldwin also agreed to differ. If these three men had been in political partnership, much recent history might have had a different reading. Lord Horne was one of the best raconteurs and most popular social figures in London; but he was also deeply versed in philosophy, and one of the most brilliant philosophical students at Glasgow University at a time when the school of philosophy was very strong. Among his contemporaries was fi. N. B-railsford, still more brilliant, who, like Horne, deserted the groves of learning for the affairs of the world. Another, although junior, contemporary was John Buchan, and still others the late W. M. (R. Pringle, the expert on House of Commons procedure, and Maccallom Scott, wham Horne met again as fellow members of Parliament. It will be surprising if Lord Horne has not died a wealthy man ; yet at the Scottish Bar he never made more than £1,200 a year. This would suggest that there is less competition’ to be met by ability in the City than in the professions, HIGH JINKS. Many Scottish schoolboy's have been having the time of their lives. During the school holidays hundreds have been drafted to the Highlands to help the Newfoundland lumberjacks in felling the forests. That in itself is romantic enough to excite any normal schoolboy. But, in addition, they have been turned on to the moors to shoot the game, and so help to add to the national pot. Some of the ghillics have been brought back temporarily from tlio services to supervise the work. They act in the role of sergeant-majors, training their young and equally temporary recruits. Needless to say, the shooting discipline is very strict. In addition, if there he a - river in the neighbourhood, the voungsters are given free fishing rights.feut here their methods are mrjv unorthodox than on the moors, for they have not the same instruction, unless a fishing dad happens on the scene. REALISM. This authentic A.R.P. story was told to me out of school. It seems much too good to be suppressed. It was a rehearsal, and devoted V.A.D.s were tend-

ing imaginary cases of injury. One victim, supposed to have a badly fractured arm, was a hale and hearty City man, who gallantly volunteered for the role.

When two or three energetic Y.A.D.’s rushed to render first aid, however, the steel hat of one lady fell off as she knelt beside the supposed fracture case, andl rather badly cut his nose with its edge. The cut nose was attended to, with apologias, along with the imaginary arm fracture. The next performance was putting the injured case on a stretcher and l into an ambulance car to be taken to hospital. Unfortunately in the darkness or the flurry the V.A.D.s put the stretcher in feet instead of head first, with the result that when the door was banged to the “ case ” sustained concussion, and spent two weeks in hospital as a very genuine case. Let it be added that such a mischance is absolutely out of the normal, and that V.A.D. administrations are usually most skilful. CAMOUFLAGE. One would perhaps expect a politician to be expert at all forms of camouflage. And one of our present M.P.s, Sir John Graham Kerr, was actually the ‘‘ inventor ” of the adopted naval variety. But he produced his designs before ho became an M.P., and whilst he was just plain Professor Kerr, regius professor of zoology at Glasgow University. Ho sent his suggestions to the Admiralty by letter in September, 1914, which was ipretty quick going in those days, and at first the Lords of Admiralty were only mildly interested. What puzzled them was how a professor of zoology could imagine that he could offer expert advice on camouflaging warships to the naval professors. But zoology embraces the study of the animal world, and animals have used protective colouring—i,e., camouflage— before mankind emerged from the primeval more-or-less-dinosaur-proof shelter. Naval officers were given permission to apply Sir John’s camouflage ideas at their own discretion, but by 1917 the expert naturalist’s methods were in general adoption officially. Taking things by and with, as they say at sea, probably university professors helped to win the last war for ns to an extent not rivalled by any other single category of occupation. MAGICIANS TO THE RESCUE. Joseph Dunninger, a famous American. magician, claims that our R.A.F. is using a secret concoction of his own invention for rendering their planes invisible in searchlight. How far this story is true it is inadvisable to say, but if it were true it would not be the first time a stage magician has come to the rescue of our professional fighting services. In the Battle of Jutland it was found that our gunners were often rather, severely burned by the back-flash of their big guns. So, having a far more catholic outlook than the Army, the Royal Navy took into their confidence no less a person than Mr Maskelyne, of Queen’s Hall celebrity. They knew that Mr Maskelyne handled lire during some of his stage performances, and it occurred to them that he might have some secret method of counteract-

ing flame effects. This proved to be so. He used a special preparation which when applied to the skin prevented any ill-effects from burning. Tho Admiralty was sufficiently impressed by his statement to adopt the secret formula, and it proved an entire success in naval practice.