Daily Post - 09.09.1941, Side 2

2
DAILY FOST
HOME TOWN NEWS
r ; •'
♦
(Speclal to uÐaily Post”)
ÐAILY POST
is published by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors; S. Benediktsson.
Sgt. J. I. McGhie.
Office: 12, Austurstræti, Tel.
3715, Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmið j an.
Tuesday Sept. 9, 1941.
Battle for Lenlngrad
In diverting his maiiln foiroe
fnom the thmst on Mosww for
á'drive instead on Leningnad Hit-
ler is trying to . avoid the
prir'cipal erno*r in Napoleon’s
caimpaign against Ruissia iin 1812,
the diisaistnoujs campaign which
mone than anything else bnought
about his defeat at . Waterloo
thnee yea'ts later. The Ruissians
then used Leningrad (in tbose
days called St. Petersburg) as
a base fnom which to run out a
series of vefy suicctessful harrafes-
ing attacks on the long dra-wn
out lines of oommuniiclation the
French had left in their <swift
paissage fo Moscow, and it was
this strategic use of Leningnad
wh’ch fo’xíed Napoleon to retÍTie,
finst fnoqn Moscow itself, then
fnom Smolensk, then out of
Ruissia altiogether.
It followts then that if Hitler
oan talke Leningrad n>ov\- before
tbe hard wúnter of the North
sets in he will have forestalled a
pnec;,se nepetition of the sanne
diisastter that befel Napoleon. But
ait the sairne time it < must be
nemembered both that he is pay-
Sng an iimmenise prioe for his
NioTÖiwafd thnuíst and that he is
dangenously shorteníng the time
avai’lable for the oompletiion of
his Eastern advanoe befone the
gneat plaiins wihich lie thene be-
fone hiim ane c'.ogged with sniow.
Finally, if he failis to take Lenin-
grad wirth his present thrust he
must inevitably face the wánter
sitandstill wiitbourt the suibstautial
gainis, wiithiou't the complete con-
quesrt which he has rashly pro-
mised his people as a reward for
íheir desperately heavy sacrifices.
i
Roosevelfs Speech
Postponed.
Presiident Roosevelt’s speech
has been postponed to Thursday.
He wiill then speak at 9 p. m.
(Washinígton time).
Ameri'can newispapers thinik this
indioates the President wólll take
a stronger line tovards Germany.
BIRMIN GHAM.
Birmingham had a thrilling
time when the city was the
centre of a mock invasion car-
ried out in a most realistic
manner.
Late in the evening Birming-
ham was supposed to have been
blitzed with such ferocity by
hundreds of aircraft that dis-
organisation of almost every
public service would pave a
relatively easy path for “in-
vaders.” All the Civil Defence
Services worked at full throttle
on “incidents” all over the city
and after the raid began an at-
tack was made by “enemy
parachutists” from all direc-
tions. Among the important
buildings supposedly knocked
out were the Central Fire Sta-
tion, the General Hospital, and
the Central Police Station,
while casualties supposedly
amounted to 1,000 dead and
3,000 wounded.
To make things worse for the
civil defence people the pre-
sence of paratroops made it
impossible to obtain aid from
neighbouring towns.
Defending the city against
the attack were the Home
Guard, fully mobilised for the
occasion.
The nearest points the at-
tackers reached to what Mr.
Neville Chamberlain called
“the dear old dirty face of
Birmingham” were Erdington
and Accock’s Green.
The city centre would not
have seen anything of the “in-
vasion” at all, if a few bright
young lads who had been
through Dunkirk had not
smuggled themselves into New
Street Station in a lorry.
One of the umpires said after
the exercise that he thought
Birmingham could feel happy
about the city’s defences.
PORTSMOUTH.
Portsmouth and Gosport are
agog with discussions about
what has become to be known
as the “Kearney Tunnel.” —
This is a proposal by one Mr.
Kearney that a tunnel should
be constructed under Ports-
mouth Harbour Mouth to link
Portsmouth with Gosport by a
light railway.
—........♦
The Royal Marines, playing
on their home ground at East-
ney Barracks, thoroughly
trounced the RNAS by getting
them all out for 4 runs and by
making 61 runs themselves. On
the same day, Gosport RAF
met a combined team of the
Eastleigh A.C. and Portsmouth
City Police AC in an athletic
match at Gosport. The result
finally depended upon the last
event, 4x110 yards relay, which
was ultimately won by East-
leigh. The result was Eastleigh
47 points, Gosport 45.
MANCHESTER.
It’s the Young family which
has been amusing Manchester
this week.
There are eighteen in the
family, plus a son-in-law, mak-
ing nineteen who could not all
crowd into one of Newton-le-
Willows Council’s houses.
So the Council very obliging-
ly knocked two Council houses
into one to accommodate them
all.
Mrs. Young, mother of the
family, has just had her eigh-
teenth child.
When she retums from hos-
pital with the baby in a few
days time she will be greeted
at home by her fortnight-old
child of the elder daughter.
So the grandson will meet its
uncle who is fourteen days
younger than he is.
MCAVOY’S DIVORCE.
Remember Jock McAvoy,
the British middle-weight cham
pion.
He has figured in the news
at Manchester Assizes where
his second wife secured a di-
vorce from him.
The co-respondent was Mc-
Avoy’s fírst wife.
And his second wife wás the
co-respondent when McAvoy’s
first wife divorced him.
McAvoy has been out of the
ring for several months, but he
will soon have to defend his
title. His opponent will be
Ginger Sadd of Norwich, or
Dave McCleave, of London.
The preliminary of the
British Speedway Individual
Championship at Belle Vue re-
sulted in Ron Johnson of New
Cross securing first place with
15 points. OE Chitty (West
Ham) the holder of the chato'
pionship shared third piace
with Vasey (Belle Vue), with
11 points each.
SCOTLAND.
Jacky Peterson, the British
Fly-Weight and Empire Chato'
pion is working as a hammer'
man on a war job. Jacky WaS
offered a lighter task at more
money, but elected to remai11
with his pals with whom he is-
on the best of terms. He say®
that hammerwork keeps him 111
good training. Aged 21 Jacky
has made a little money and
when peace arrives, he pr°'
poses to build a cottage for his-
parents outside the City.
The Scottish Summer Cup
has been won by Hibernians-
who beat Rangers 3—2 after
being two goals down. Th&'
victory was deserved, and as it
brought a national cup
Edinburgh after 36 years.
was the occasion of rejoicing
in the East. The Hibs front lin®
were lightq(r than| the íbro5C
vanguard, but lasted the pac^
much better. The game waS1
witnessed by 37,500.
Gracie Fields is back in
Scotland after 15 month’s ab-
sence. She is giving concerts to
workers in munition factories,-
and to the Services. Her last
Scottish appearance was
Greenock when she sang to the-
sailors.
The audience included offi'
cers and ratings from the Hood.
A Clydeside drama on air,
raids is to be produced in NeW
York in the autumn. It has
been written by Paul V. Car-
roll. the teacher playwright,
who has already had tW°
American successes with play^
on the sorrows of Ireland- —
Some of the scenes in his neW
play have been suggested hy
evacuees from Clydebank to
whom he gave hospitality.
“You people. in Britain havo
released more minds from feaT
tban you can possibly imagioo-
That was the first act of libera^
tion that you performed for th&
woxld. And in doing that y°u
defeated Hitleron the firstround."
— Mfss Dorothy Thompson*