The Midnight Sun - 17.08.1940, Page 3

THE MIDNIGHT SUN
3
and public hygienists. He was
58.
Kingston. —- Bill Cook, one
of Canada’s greatest riglit wing
hockeyites, now manager of
Cleveland Barons, has enlisted
in the Non-Permanent Militia.
Ottawa. — Wednesdaj was
21st anniversary of Mackenzie
King’s selection as leader of the
Liberal Party.
Vancouver. — Gracie Fields
sang during the week to thous-
ands of enthusiastic Canadians
and told them, that in spite of
criticisms of herself in London
the would continue her „War
Work tour“.
*
New York. — Alice Marble
beat Helen Jacobs 6/1, 6/0 in
Womens singles at Eastern
Grass Courts Lawn Tennis
Championship.
MY DEAB DUCE.
Inview of the tension in the
Near East it is of interest to
note an open letter sent recent-
ly by the Editor of an Egyp-
tian newspaper to Mussolini.
”It Would be unwise for you
to let Egypt figure in your
plans.....If certain Western
countries are apt to look on
treaties as scraps of paper,
Eastern nations are n’t in tlie
habit of repudiating oblig'-
ations, nor of stabbing a friend
in the back. Be sure, my dear
Duce, any idea of disloyalty
towards Britain lias never
crossed our minds. . . . Bome
promises liappiness only to
tliose submitting to Fascist
rule.“
The matter of this is notable.
The manner in which the mess-
age reached us provides a good
example of cable-ese.
“Editor writes colon quote
twould unwise proyou let eg-
ypt infigure your plans . .. if
certain western countries apt
onlook treaties as scraps paper
eastern nations aren’t h'abit-
wise repudiating obligations
stop instabbing friend back
stop be sure my dear duce idea
disloyalty britainwards never
crossed our minds stop rome
promises happiness those-
wards submitting facists rule-
wards.”
AIR BLITZKRIEG?
On Thursday August 8, be-
ginning before dawn, the Ger-
mans made continuous attacks
on shipping in the English
channel in which they wrecked
3 out of 20 small ships. In the
second stage of their attack
they had about 400 planes in
EGGS,
„The shooting, snaring and
the collecting of eggs of any
wild fowl is strictly forbidden
to all ranlts.“ Routine Order
No. 152.
It must be understood from
the outset that this is not
written in any critical spirit.
Discipline is discipline, if one
may coin a phrase, and if the
General Staff consider that the
eggs of wildfowl should be
allowed to wander free, doing
wliat damage they may, doubt-
less there is some good and
sufficient reason for a decision
that superficially appears
hasty and precipitate.
Rather it is intended to
suggest that the whole question
needs further investigation. At
the outset, as one can well
appreciate, otlier matters con-
nected with tlie possible
appearance of enemy aliens
needed attention and the sub-
ject of mobile eg'gs was no
doubt superficially dealt with
and quietly shelved. The time
has come to un-earth it. After
all, these eggs are not a
action. They lost 60 aircraft
against our 16.
On the following Sunday a
strong attack was made on
Portsmouth in which soine
damage was done. 66 enemy
planes wrere destroyed while we
lost 26.
On Monday and Tuesday the
South-east coast and the Tham-
es estuary were specially attack-
ed. At midday on Monday the
sky was black with some 500
german planes in action. 79
were brought down.
Out of 79 aircraft destroved
during air battles along English
Coast on Tuesday 29 were
brought down during two hours
sliarp fighting in afternoon.
At one time, enemy bombers
and fig'hters were falling out of
the sky at the rate of one a min-
ute. In all about five hundred
enemy aircraft believed to have
l)een engaged. T^iey camie in
three wraves directed at South-
ampton area and Kentish Coast.
They wrere tackled hy patrols of
Spitfires and Hurricanes of R.
A. F. Fighter Command as well
as hy A. A. fire.
In Southampton area alone
fighter patrols destroyed 22 of
enemy.
Since June 18, 454 enemy
planes have been destroyed to
our 107.
MOBILE.
commonplace of nature. In the
absence of Wliitakers Alman-
ack or other text-books, it is
impossible to verify if they are
extinct in the British Isles but
certainly they are not fre-
quently encountered. Nor it is
easy to glean information as
to their habits here. They have
been occasionally seen near
tlie Hotel Borg late at night,
usually accompanied by a
couple of pink elephants and
a small squad of leering hob-
goblins, but not one has been
actually captured. In short
wliat are the habits of these
predatory objects?
Nor is that the only point.
Identification is easy. Any
moving egg is, one supposes, to
be assumed to be hostile. Pres-
umably it is not expected to
give the usual responses to the
challenges of sentries and all
ranks are being issued with
Amendment No. 237, to the
Standing Orders for Guards.
Nor does snaring present any
difficulties. Those men who
have experience of that rely
upon the old fashioned noose,
and clearly no noose will be
effective on an egg, particul-
arly once it starts to struggle.
But instructions are needed
on what defensive steps are
permissible. No information
has been given as to the size
of egg one may expect to meet.
What action can one take if
one finds a largish egg, say
about the size of a football,
snapping fiercely at one’s
ankles, particularly if one
happens to be without Anklets,
Web (in eamps and with the
C.O’s. permission, of course) ?
May one act in selfdefence and
if a well-placed kick fails, as
a last resort may one not fire,
say, one warning shot over its
head (or upper section, to be
accurate) ?
The question of attack has
been raised. What if any egg
voluntarily gives itself up? Is
it to he ignored, or handed
over to the guard, the military
l^olice, the quartermaster or
the sanitary orderly? What
steps should be taken with eggs
which, while not attacking
humans, are destroying govern-
ment property? Can they be
arrested or just driven away
with non-lethal weapons. And
finally to put an end to this
menace, cannot the Icelandic
Government be requested to
remove or intern all wildfowl
wlio permit their eggs to
wander in tliis careless way.
There may be Fifth Columnist
even tliere.
It is respectfully submitted
that the surface of tliis subject
has been no more than scratch-
ed, an abviously ineffective
way of dealing witli an egg.
Nothing' short of an exhaustive
enquiry will meet tlie situation,
and if all units were ordered
to submit tlieir recommend-
ations by lst April 1941 the
danger that faces us next year
will be well on tlie way to
complete liquidation.
OMLI
RIIIOIIBN
The Medical Corps has been
refused permission to hang
dirty washing on the wireless
masts.
*
Near the harbour yesterday
we saw a soldier salute a naval
officer.
*
A local resident told us he
thought the Duke of Welling-
tons were a chain of public
houses.
The O.C. has expressed the
opinion that squihs, not rock-
ets, would make for more effi-
ciency in a General Alarm.
*
It is quite true that Colonel
McBride mended the sump of
his car with cheese and blan-
ket, when it broke down in the
desert, but there is no truth in
the rumour that the R.A.S.C.
Officers’ Mess had Welsh Rare-
bit on his return.
-k
The chaplain who was arr-
ested by the Military Police for
not being recognisable as such
has been ordered to wear an
Elizabethan ruff like a Luther-
an pastor.
*
The Salvation Army has
been placed out of bounds.
Verse.
Unna Skollogrunnnssondottir
Thought the Heebejees had
got lier
Yet t’was only
Soldier lonely
Trying to sing: „I got
a motter“.
G. R. S-G.