“BOMBER FOR BREAKFAST”

Evening Star, Issue 23744, 27 November 1940, Page 8

“BOMBER FOR BREAKFAST”

MINESWEEPER DESTROYS RAIDER SIDELIGHTS ON A PERILOUS JOB (British Official Wireless.) Press Association —By Telegraph —Copyright RUGBY, November 26. (Received November 27, at 11.25 a.m.) A senior naval officer told a Press representative in London to-day something of the dogged and unremitting devotion to duty of the officers and crews of the trawlers, fleet sweepers, and paddle minesweepers in fighting the peril of German mines round Britain’s coasts. The work, ho said, continued day and night. The task was also complicated by air attack. The officer recounted how he went with a sweeper flotilla to clear a channel for a convoy, when a Messerschmitt swooped down, dropping bombs. “ The whole flotilla opened fire. We turned her away at 2,000 ft, but not before she dropped two bombs so close that we saw them coming down,”

Another danger lay in hitting mines on the sea bed while pitching in. shallow water. The officer told a dramatic story of threo trawlers—the Cord, the Berberis, and the Fleming—which set out on a sweeping mission. The captain of the base makes a practice of personally bidding Godspeed to the sweepers, and said; “ The Fleming was attacked by two Dorniers and received a direct hit and sank. The skipper went to the bottom in the wheelhouse, smashed the glass, and came up. Twenty-four hours after the rescue he was back on duty. The Berberis held her fire until one Dornier was very close and Vthen blew it to smithereens. The crew were able to salvage only a collapsible boat, which they tied up and put on the captain’s doorstep the next morning with a card: “ For the captain’s breakfast, with the compliments of the officers and crew of the Berberis.” The speaker made the interesting point that the man who shot down the Dornier was a wild fowler in civilian life, and stated that such men should be encouraged for anti-aircraft squadrons.

APPOINTED TO ROME AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE NEW YORK, November 26. (Received November 27, at 1.30 p.m.) Mr Alexander Kirk, former Charge d’Affaires in Berlin, left in the Clipper for Rome to become Charge d’Affaires with Ministerial rank. AUSTRALIAN BEER INCREASE IN PRICES MELBOURNE, November 27. (Received November 27, at 9.15 a.m.) As a result of a conference of representatives of brewing and hotel interests with the Prices Commissioner concerning the increase in the Excise duty on beer and spirits under the wartime Budget, increases in the retail prices of bottled and draught beer will be announced to-day from Canberra. It is understood that an extra Id will be charged for a large glass of beer and an extra 2d for bottled beer. BRITISH BY-ELEGTIOM CANDIDATE RETURNED UNOPPOSED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 26. (Recevied Wovembor 27, at 11.2 a.m.) Captain Oliver Lyttelton ■ was returned unopposed as Conservative M.P. for the Aldershot district at the by-election which followed the elevation of Lord Wolmer to the peerage.

Such of the cable news in this issue as is so headed has appeared in * The Times,’ and is sent to this paper by special permission. It should be that the opinions are not those of ‘ The Times ’ unless expressly stated to be so.