COURTED WITH DEATH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 24 August 1925, Page 5

COURTED WITH DEATH.

RETREAT FROM BELGRADE. LADY JOURNALIST’S EXPERIENCE.'; ... Among the delegatee to the annual conference of the Empire Press Union is Mrs A. W. Moore, whose experiences in journalism have been unique. The war gave her her first chance, and it developed in a marvellous manner. Early in 1915 she went to Serbia as secretary of the British Farmers’ Hospital, holding also a commission to write a series of articles on Serbian life for the London Daily Chronicle. W ithin a very short space of time came oiie of the most terrible disasters of the war in the German capture of Belgrade and the horrors of a mid-winter retreat to Salonika. For two months she walked on foot with other unfortunates through frozen country, half-starved, weary, with death and famine hovering ever very near. ■...■• . . “Wasn’t it a frightful .experience?” asked an interviewer. “W r ell, it was a bit thin,” admitted this intrepid little lady, tapping her cigarette nonchalantly into, an ash tray. “But, as you can imagine, the Daily Chronicle got a series of articles that neither of us bargained on getting when I left England.” At the close of the war, Mrs Moore rejoined her husband and accompanied him to Persia, where he held the position of Middle East correspondent for the London Times, with headquarters at Teheran. Then ch.anee knocked once again at the door and gave Mrs- Moo re her second priceless opportunity.'While her husband was far away in Mesopotamia, the revolution of 1921 broke out. Riza Khan, the revolutionary leader, happened to be a friend of the family, so to speak, Air Aloore having made his acquaintance during a former stay in Teheran. It was a bloodless revolution, but things were quite exciting during the neriod in* which Riza marched on the Shah’s Palace, had all the aristo racy arrested, and himself declared Dictator of the Realm. Meantime all mountain passes eh route to Mesopotamia were blocked with snow, and for three months Airs Aloore acted for her husband and sent to The Times despatches that kept England advised as to the progress of events. “Then the Ah ah diplomatically : retired to Paris for a change of air : lie is still enjoying it,” interpolated Airs Aloore. This adventurous lady and her husband returned via the Caucasus and Armenia to Constantinople, and so to England. Airs Aloore then accepted the assistant-editorship to T.P.’s Wteeklv.