FOR VALOUR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 13 September 1941, Page 7

FOR VALOUR

j “HEROES ALL,” BY COLLIE KNOX CHRONICLE OF BRAVE DELI) When the Nazis introduced their much-advertised “secret weapon.” the magnetic mine, the Admiralty were at first unable to counter it because of the difficulty of obtaining a specimen. However one night last j November a German aviator carelessly dropped a mine on a mud-flat in the Thames estuary instead of in the water. Lieutenant-Commander J. D. G. Ouvry, of the Portsmouth Mining and Torpedo School, was sent down with four men to examine it. Ordering his squad to a safe dis-; tance, Ouvry proceeded methodically! to dissect the mine, knowing, ofj course, that a single mistake would, mean death. At each step he an-; nounced in a loud clear voice exact- j ly what he was doing, so that if the 1 bomb exploded, the next cxperimen- j ter would know where the danger spot was. Fortune favoured him, and after several hours of painstak-l ing work he reached the detonator and withdrew it. H.is men closed, round and began to help him. Sud- 1 denly there was a shout, as one of them pointed to a second detonator,; whose existence had never been suspected. It too was withdrawn, and in a few minutes the bomb lay harmless in the mud. Its secrets were re-] vealed and in a few weeks a counter; had been devised. This is one of the hundred or more] tales of this war included in Mr, Knox’s book. He gives the Army. • Navy, and Air Force each one-fourth of his space, and divides the rest; among bomb disposal squads, women ' in warfare and civilians. It need | hardly be said that some of the most; thrilling stories are in these last, smaller sections. The first eighteen months of the war are comprehen-; sively covered, and a good balance is struck between deeds already famous, like Commander Warburton- 1 Lee’s attack on the German destroyers at Narvik and Lieutenant Davies' removal of the time-bomb near St. Paul’s Cathedral, and other exploits that have not hitherto been known to the public. One of the most remarkable stories is that of an R.A.F. wireless operator called Hannah, whose plane caught fire over Holland. The navigator and rear gunner, quite justifiably, took to their parachutes, but Hannah fought the flames, which at one time were actually scorching the pilot’s neck, and subdued them. When they reached home most of the fuselage was burnt away. There is another thrilling tale of a lance-cor-poral referred to as Brown, who, after being twice taken prisoner in France and twice escaping, bought a bicycle with an imaginary promissory note in Northern France, and cycled without money to Paris and Marseilles, where he bluffed his way on to a ship bound for England. Mr Knox saw service in the Army and Air Force during and after the last war, and was for some years on the staff of the “Daily Mail” and “Daily Express.” He is thus well qualified to write on his subject. It is unfortunate that he has succumbed to the temptation to it. The best comment on deeds of valour is in the reader’s own imagination, and it is wisest to set down the facts and let them tell their own story. Far too often Mr Knox’s attempts to underline the indisputable courage of his heroes leads to platitudes, mannerisms, and straining after effect. Nevertheless his book is welcome, for it meets a very definite need. Most of the deeds narrated have so far appeared only in the newspapers. Many people will like to recall them in more permanent form. To them “Heroes All” (which is a Hodder and Stoughton publication) can be recommended as a full and comprehensive book of its kind.