SETTLING DOWN

Evening Star, Issue 24917, 15 July 1943, Page 6

SETTLING DOWN

NEW RULE IN LAMPEDUSA FASCIST SIGHS PAINTED OUT RUGBY, July 13. Lampedusa is settling down under its new rule, and one of the first things the inhabitants did after the surrender of the island was to paint out all Fascist signs all over the town, states the Air Ministry news service. "The people seemed genuinely pleased to be under the new rule, and adopted this method of displaying their disgust of the old order," commented Wing-commander J. B. Bisdee, D.F.C., the 27-year-old ace fighter pilot who was recently appointed military governor of the island. Wing-commander Bisdee, who regards his work as a fascinating experiment in practical post-war reconstruction, holds court every morning to deal with the islanders' problems. The garrison • consisted of about'4,ooo Italians, and the new Governor kept about 400 who are Lampedusians. These are now employed rebuilding the town, filling bomb craters, and repairing the fishing fleet. "The people certainly have nothing for which to thank Fascism and Mussolini," Wing-commander Bisdee said. " I have reopened the schools closed by the Italians months ago, and I am doing my best for the local people, particularly children, for whom I 'have arranged a daily distribution of milk and orange juice."