Sunday Post - 15.12.1940, Blaðsíða 2

2
SUNDAY POST
SUNDAY POST
is issued by S. Benediktsson
publisher of Daily Post.
Office: AlbySuprentsmiSjan
h.t. Teleph. 4905. Reykjavik.
Sunday, Dec. 15th, 1940
IT has bsen 'Officially denied
in Rome that Hitler and
Mustoiini intended to meet with-
in short time. Rome states that
all rumours to that effect are
without foundation.
But those rumours have oome
from reliable circles, and there
is no doubt that Mussolini would
like very much to see his friend
Herr Hitler and ask him privat-
ely for the help which Italy now
needs so urgently.
The slump in Axis propaganda
has indeed been world wide. The
Axis loss of prestige has been
felt as far as the Far East where
soldiers of the Nanking puppet
government are deserting in h'und
reds and thousands to join their
countrymen fighting for China.
The Turkish press points out
that the British victory in Libya
will give France free hands in
Africa, and just now there is news
from Vichy that Monsieur Laval
has been dismissed. Monsieur
Flandin has been appointed in
his place.
Reuters reports state signifio-
ally that already Spain is breath-
ing more freely, and news from
Jugo-SIavia tell us that the fri-
endship pact between Hungary
and Jugo-S'avJa will soon be sign
ed without any mentioning of
the so called new order.
There are reports of riots in
Italian towns and without doubt
the Italian nation knows what
is going on in spite of strict
censorship and boastful Italian
communiques. Mussolini ought to
know what questions are being
whispered among his people. He
must ask for'help from his ally.
In Germany and German occup-
ied countries there are signs of
growing resistance against the
Nazis. It becomes more and more
difficult for the Germans to ma-
intain control in the occupied
territories. This was c'early
shown yesterday by a broadcast
call on recruits for Gestapo ag-
ents both in Germany and the
occupied countries, — or why
else should they need more sec-
ret police?
Matstofan
9 ASalstrseti
Coffee, Tea, Meals,
Beer, Cigarettes and
Sveets.
Music all the day.
Despite German bombing Brit-
ish workers carry on as usual
Today London and the other
big cities are bearing the brunt
of the German attack, hearing
the drone of planes overhead,
taking to shelters for an uncom-
fortable night in foul air and
emerging the. next day to get
on, though homes may be
wrecked and friends may be
dead.
The extraordinary efficiency,
coolness and courage of the Air
Raid Precautions Workers, fire-
men and wardens have caused
recognition of the new front-
line heroes by the creation of
the George Cross and the
George Medal, which will rank
respectively With the Victoria
Cross and the Military Medal.
They will go to the unmilitary
heroes, the men of the bomb-
disposal squads and demolition
squads and the firemen who,
perhaps, are displaying a finer
kind of courage even than that
of soldiers.
These men — and women,
too, for nurses and lather wo-
men are in the front line —
carry out their jobs of salvage,
fire fighting and first aid und-
er German bombs in the black-
out and with the flames at-
tracting more raiders. And, be
it noted, with never a chance
of hitting back.
But What of the ordinary
little man? He has not even the
consolation of a job to do. When
there are German planes about
overhead, when the crump of
bombs can be heard in the dis-
tance, the person who has a
job of work to do is lucky —
because he can become ab-
sorbed in it. He can lose him-
self in the blessed technique.
The average person engaged
in the passive defense is a high-
ly trained expert. The fireman
is interested in putting out the
fire;, the nurse or doctor is in-
terested in the case; the demo-
lition Worker is interested in
the problem of the best way of
tunneling through the debris.
The anti-aircraft gunner has his
target; the disposal squad has
its bomb, and although that job
probably requires the coldest
blooded courage of any in this
war, still it has its technical
interest that absorbs the techni-
cian.
But what of the taxi driver
who goes on through an air
raid, though he knows perfectly
well a bomb may kill him at
any moment? What of the bus
drivers and conductors — some
of them have been killed —
who continue to roar through
the darkened streets? What- of
the waiter who brings food to
your room, though the building
may be rocking and the guns
swearing just outside? What of
the men and women bending
over their lathes until the roof
spotter sends them down, and
even then in many cases con-
tinuing their jobs?
For that matter, what about
the roof spotters themselves?
They are nothing special. They
are just ordinary people drawn
from both workers and manage-
ment who spend nights on the
roofs watching the searchlights
and anti-aircraft fire and trying
to guess whether the planes are
in the vicinity. When shell frag-
ments rain down sometimes the
spotters have to duck behind
chimney or parapet as the
whistle comes uncomfortably
close.
And in the morning people
find house or shop wrecked and
every homey little thing that
had been built up over years
gone in a night. Then they hang
out the Union Jack and set to
work salvaging what they can
out of the wreck.
The other day a bomb blew
out all the windows of a little
Defenders of British
Homeland.

©
A swift reply will meet any
attempt at the invasion of
Britain, as intensive training
has made the British Home
Guard a formidable force. Here
is seen a Home Guard prac-
ticing''hand-grenade throwing.
teashop. The owner hung out a
sign, “Open as usual.” A com-
petitor three doors away, whose
windows also were blown out,
hung up a sign, “More open
than usual.”
There could hardly be a bet-
ter example of the way the air
attack is affecting London, of
the humor and courage with
which it is being met.
A friend of the writer re-
cently was thrdiwn out of a bus
British Girls as Bus Conductors.
Replacing men who have been called to the services, girl bus-
conductors are now serving in England, a patriotic innovation
which produces friendly smiles in this London bus.