GAY SPIRIT

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23392, 26 December 1945, Page 5

GAY SPIRIT

Britain’s Festive Season

Railways Crowded

By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Ccpyr ght (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 23.

Christmas in the United Kingdom, in spite oi me prolonging' or wartime controls, promises to oe the gayest and most varied since 1908. 'trains uirougnout the week-end pullea out jammed to the doors with thousands oi passengers and sacks of mails and parcels, leaving many more lucKiess passengers stranded, waiting lor later trains. It is the greatest Christinas rush since 1938, with long-distance trains running three or more hours late. There is a spirit or gaiety tnroughout the country at this, the first peace Christmas. Most householders are contriving somehow to get hold of turkeys or a bird of some sort, spirits, wines and toys which, although in very short supply, are not as difficult to obtain as expected. Carol singers during the week-end have been making the traditional rounds. There is everything but snow for a white Christmas. Rain is at present falling over most parts or the United Kingdom with continued showers. Relatively high temperatures are forecast for Christmas Day. A crowd resembling those in pre-war days gathered at Sandringham to watcli the Royal family make their way to church to-day. The Royal family the previous night visited the West Newton Church, where a special Christmas carol service was held with tableaux depicting carols sung by the children. Britain's biggest liners, the Queen Elizabeth, taking 12,000 Canadian troops home, and the Queen Mary exchanged Christmas greetings with lamps at they passed each other off Bishop's Rock, Land’s End. Passengers crammed the rails cheering. Floodlights illuminated the funnels as the sister ships turned on all available lighting. The Queen Mary shortly afterwards docked at Southampton with 1500 passengers, including 200 exprisoners of war from the Pacific, just home in time for Christmas.

Servicemen Disappointed Five thousand servicemen from India, hoping to spend their first Christmas with the family for many years, were greatly disappointed when the Atlantic gale slowed down the troopship Georgic, which lost a vital day and is not docking at Liverpool until late on Christmas Day. Street hawkers in Eastbourne did a roaring trade in attractive bouquets and large, coloured berries lor decorations. Purchasers found the berries, when put in vases, gave off a strange aroma. They turned out to be painted onions.

German prisoners of war at a camp near Leicester turned over to the local authorities 200 toys for children, which they made by hand from waste. Great crowds to-day packed the famous Petticoat Lane in a last-minute search for presents. The rush on the railways died down to-night, when the great exodus from London was nearly completed. Many families concelled plans for spending Christmas at the seaside, as further Channel gales Increased the mine menace to South Coast towns. The weather late to-day was even stormier in the Strait of Dover, with a strong inshore wind blowing. Many more mines drifted close inshore during the week-end. Ships in the Deal roadstead are keeping a double watch for mines, training searchlights ov-r the hows. Hythe (Kent) spent a week-end of alarm. Six mines were washed ashore. One mine to-day reached within 20 yards of the centre of the Marine Parade. The police aroused seafront residents and ordered them to evacuate their homes. Large numbers of inhabitants all day watched from a distance mines scattered along' the beach. Other mines exploded at Storeham, Bexhill and Folkestone.