FOUR MUSKETEERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 244, 16 October 1940, Page 7

FOUR MUSKETEERS

“DIGGERS’ IN LONDON ORGAN GRINDERS PRO. TEM. “We had London leave. Free transport and three to five pounds was me draw,’’ writes George, of the Second Echelon. “Four of us booked in at a rather good hotel with all the best ntentions, but at the end of two days we were very low in cash and certainly had no chance of meeting our account. “We were on the top floor—not too good a spot if temptation had assailed us. It did not, and anyway the proprietor did not look the kind one could get by with. Up in the room we were having a heavy conference, only one of many, I might say, when an organ grinder started playing his old show down below. We all rushed to the window to see the novelty. We even tossed him an odd coin. “I rushed downstairs, the lift being too slow. They thought I had recognised a relative. “I had a yarn with the ‘dago’ and asked him how much a day he took. He said, ‘About half a crown.’ So 1 bought his organ for two and sixpence for the rest of the day. It was a mother-of-pearl affair and it played seven tunes, including ‘Dolly Grey,’ ‘The Old Bull and Bush.’ and ‘Rule Britannia.’ “He said: ‘You no get me into trouble.’ I soqn talked him out of that and told him the deal was settled. He could not get the money quick enough. “I called the other three down, and with a few bottles of Bass aboard the City of London v»as ours. I turned the handle, one of the others acted the ‘menk,’ and the last two sang songs and gave hakas. Twice the traffic was blocked. Policemen, goodnaturedly, moved us on. Every window on both sides of the street, which had buildiigs of five and six storeys, was open and crowded, and we had half a mile of audience. “In four hours we collected £7 18s and that was probably only half what was thrown to us. We gave the dago another five bob. He was mad and said ‘Loose da licence,’ ‘Spoil da organ,’ etc. But it fell on deaf ears. We were in pocket. We paid our: hotel bill, did a show—‘Black Velvet’ it was—and came out a winner. Our