BRIDGE STREET

Inangahua Times, 21 April 1932, Page 4

BRIDGE STREET

Fight for Souvenirs Boys Save Banneers The story behind the disappearance of the Australian flag and the Union Jack from the arch of the Sydney Hatbour Budge has now bteu disclosed. Francis A. James, a pupil of the Fort Street High School, told how he and a companion, Harry English, had obtained permission to climb the arch. “We 'cached the top of the arch just before m'dnighf,” he said. 1 “ We were a ked to keep an eye on It! p flags lor a few minutes. A | little later, about 20 men and three woman, who were in evening dress, came up the arch, and some of the men called out, “ Let’s souvenir the flags.” “ We didn’t have much trouble in keeping them back, as no one would be game to start a struggle at that height English pu'led down the Australian flag, which was on his side of the arch, and put in a manhole in a girder. On mv side of ’he arch the men were more de rmined but a Bov Scout and I managed to to keep them away for a while- “ A TUG OF WAR ”

“ Tbpy kept gptting closer, however, and soon it was a tug-of-war for the Union Jack, which tore from its rope. We grabbed the flag and put it in another manhole. The men were still trying to get the flags, but about half past one o’clock we managed to take the flags from the girdets, dodge the souvenir hunters, and escape down the southern side of the arch.

“ When we reached the bridge roadway we had to fight for the flags again, as some people in the crowd tried to take them from us. After a bit of dodging, we managed to get the flags to the toll office on the southern approach, where we left them.”

An official at the toll station said that the two flags were certainly in the office on the following morning, but he had not heard bow they got there.