CHARGE RENEWED
CLOSING OF HOSPITAL CRITICISM OF DE GAULLE LADY SPEARS’ ANSWER (10 a.m.) LONDON, June 29. Lady Spears, in a letter to General de Gaulle regarding the closing of the Hadfield-Spears hospital unit, renewed her allegation that the action iiad been taken because the general was displeased at seeing the hospital cars flying the British flag in a French parade. “I must remind you that, at the request of the medical authorities, T agreed to take my unit to the Far East with your expeditionary force,” stated Lady Spears. “We reopened our hospital in the area of the First Free French Division and were looking after 100 patients when we received an order, dated June 19, clbsing the hospital on June 22, which decision you say was taken on June 6. It was a brutal order to evacuate these patients and close down in two days, which was a physical impossibility and an unheard of procedure.”
General de Gaulle Displeased
Lady Spears declared that when she requested an explanation the Minister of War sent a letter to the divisional commander explaining that General de Gaulle was displeased at seeing the British flag flying in an all-French parade and accusing the unit of unfurling the Union Jack as it passed the saluting stand and shouting: “Vive Spears, les Anglais!” Lady Spears says: “We did not unfurl the British flag. The shout, ‘Vive Spears,’ came spontaneously from a group of our patients.” Earlier, General de Gaulle, in a personal letter to Lady Spears, denied that he had disbanded her ambulance unit because of alleged incidents in an army parade in Paris. He stated, that the Hadfield-Spears unit was disbanded' with six other volunteer ambulance units under orders given on June 6. General de Gaulle said: •‘On numerous occasions I, myself, and French authorities with whom you are attached have publicly recognised the value of the. services rendered by your unit. Once again, I have pleasure in recording the importance and quality of your services.”
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21753, 30 June 1945, Page 5
Word Count
333CHARGE RENEWED Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21753, 30 June 1945, Page 5
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