AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE

Grey River Argus, 28 April 1942, Page 5

AUSTRALIA’S DEFENCE

DARWIN ELATED At Enemy Aircraft Reverse IN SATURDAY’S RAIDS. (Rec 10.45.) SYDNEY, April 27. The Sydney “Sun’s” troops respondent says: The D iij ec i air are elated at the splendid Allied air victory on Saturday, when g of twenty-four Japanese homoms, Sml'X” out ol nine Japanese Zeio fighters were shot down. Allied This air battle, 1 P ul wln £.’' th t h e A bidlosses were negligible was the onet vet fought over Australian tei ritor? The enemy bombers came o„, r) 'i„ formations of seven I and nine The fierceness of the aj tied Seers', attack, -IM Z aev of the “ackack guns fleeted in the fact that the ene ™-' b bombing was again wild. No bomo or bullets fell upon Warwin. Most of them fell in the bush some miles aV lt y so happened that Al . liad formations were taking t a m various directions wnen the alarm wSs sounded, while troops were on £ road, and the whole area was busv 'But, in accordance with ie cent’ orders, all of the personnel eWher stood fast, or carried on without regard to the raid, except where the prospect of danger was immiiient. The bombs were of vai.cd size’s, from “daisy cutters” to five hundred-lb. ones. Many were dro P‘ ped simultaneously, after which .the Japanese aircraft hurriedly streamed away to sea, with our fighters in close pursuit. They were flying so high that one scarcely was able to see them, but heavy machine-gun lire indicated that dog-lights were in progress.

Queensland Defence GREAT PREPARATIONS.

SYDNEY, April 27. “Preparations for the defence of Queensland are proceeding satisfactorily. Australia’s strength in that State has increased very greatly over the past few months,” said Mr Forde, Army Minister (who is a Queensland M.H.Rj), on his return from a tour of inspection. “There can be no doubt that our position has improved enormously, but we are not yet out of the woods. We must not drift into a state of complacency. American units are throwing themselves into preparations to protect the country, and to take the offensive. The Americans are well-equip-ped and efficient. Our own troops are nearly ready for anything, and are increasing their efficiency every day.”

Air Liner Missing

IN NORTH AUSTRALIA. MELBOURNE, April 27. Hope is abandoned for the safety of the New Guinea Airways Lockheed akl.ner, which has been missing in Northern Australia since last Tuesday. The ’plane carried ten passengers and a crew of two. WAR TIME FASHIONS. CHANGES IN~SYDNEY. WELLINGTON, April 27. Mrs. Charles Callis, a former newspaperwoman who, as Elsie de Tourret, worked in Australia for many years with Associated Newspapers and on the staff of “Woman,” has just returned to Wellington. She describes a great change that nad taken place in Sydney even in the comparatively short time that she was there. When she arrived she had found the shop windows filled with gay clothes and ingenious displays; when she left the gaiety was gone l , the plate glass had bc m removed from the windows, and tlie spaces boarded up except for peepholes two feet square. Even these i were netted and at night were covered wtih shutters. Sydney wore a different air. Many girls were .in uniform. They bore themselves seriously and gave the impression of having a job to de and that they were doing it. A number of women journalists had left their newspaper offices to do essentia] war work, she said, and among those wno had given up journalism was Miss .Violet Roche, a newspaperwoman with many friends in New Zealand. Miss .Roche is working in an aircraft ■f n pf,OT*V Asked whether she had returned to New Zealand with a large supply of silk stockings, Mrs. Callis answered that she had left Sydney with only a few pairs. The hosiery shelves in many shops were compl e Y cleared and only the sheerest ami most expensive brands seemeci to Be displayed. Fashions, she said, were inspired by the Allied nations, such shades as porcelain Pestels a Mina blue (representing China), colours (the United States) spring hark brown (Australia),.blue orch d (the Netherlands East Indies), tulip tones (Holland), Banyan blue (in dial, and brown (Egypt), were very popular. One big store had devoted its entire window front^ e t u° a w e- e play of these colours, and they wc.e carried out in women’s clothes and against appropriate been reh*wk orounds» Russia had peon SesSd" by the reproduction ot » laughing Cossack girl,. and „the play of materials in ’ “T ibre” black had been chosen ■_ France and had been earned out * Chantilly lace.