GENERAL WAR ITEMS

Levin Daily Chronicle, 9 May 1918, Page 1

GENERAL WAR ITEMS

FRENCHWOMEN'S PRISONERS. Three peasant women of ' the neighbourhood of Pau, meeting four escaped German prisoners, stopped them and held them until the arrival of reinforcements. The prisoners were then taken to the gendarmerie. BRIGADIER-GENERAL ASQTXITH. Mr Asquith took back from France at the end of Januaiy an encouraging report of the progress made by his son, Brigadier-General Arthur Asquith, who suffered amputation of the foot. The symptoms of fever had subsided, and the patient was progressing as satisfactory as could be expected. THE NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL. Mr Munro, Secretary for Scotland, •said recently that the question of a-na-tional war memorial in Scotland had been brought before the Government in connection with, a larger scheme for the creation of an Imperial War Museum in London. The War Cabinet had indicated (general approval of the proposal to dedicate Edinburgh Castle to the purpose. FATHER AND SON D.S.O. Among the recipients of the D.S.O. at a recent investiture by the King at Buckingham Palace wore Lieut.-Col-onel William Oates, Sherwood Foresters attached Royal Sussex Regiment, and his son, Majo#»John Oates, also of the Sherwood Foresters. The King arrang- . Ed that father and son should be admitted and decorated together. COURSES FOR OFFICERS. As an experimental scheme a limited number of officers in hospital, who, in the opinion of a medical board, will be unfit for military duty for not less than border. We stopped at several places four months, are to be allowed to attend short courses of instruction at Oxford University. Preference will be given to those who, in all probability, will be discharged from the service without rejoining. HOTEL CECIL'S £55,000 CLAIM. The War Losses Commission recently ordered an immediate payment of £38,000 to the Hotel Cecil, which was taken over for the Air Board. The claim is for £55,203 a year, with an additional amount to cover rent and retaining fee to staffs, but the decision was adjourned, for a point of law as to the contract, between the Constituional Club, which occupies part of the building, and the company to be argued. A QUEEN BESS WANTED. Miss Christabel Pankhurst, speaking in London ( said that the average woman had ten thousand times . more statesmanship in her than Lord Laflsdowne. Women would have to be consulted on the management of the war and the terms of peace. '' Sometimes,'' said Miss Pankhurst, "I wish that Queen Elizabeth could some back to earth and be included in the War Cabinet. She might even have proved a valuable accession to the War Council at Versailles." GOING TO BED IN THE DARK. A domestic servant was summoned at Scarborough for failing to screen a candle light in a bedroom. . The defence was that her mistress had not put blinds up. The Mayor, dismissing the case, said the magistrates thought it unreasonable to expect anybpdy to go to bed in the dark, and suggested that the mistress should be summoned. The chief constable said many people went to bed in the dark, and he had done so since the war began. OFFICER'S TRAGIC END. A wing occupied by officers at Kinmcl Park, England, was burned to the ground. Among the debris were found the charred remains of Lieut. Arthur Lloyd, of Birkenhoad, attached to the 53rd Battalion Manchesters. By his side were the remains of a little dog the regimental mascot. Lieut. Lloyd was 29 years of age. He was the first to discover the fire, and escaped. Then, remembering the dog was behind, he returned into the burning building, and was overcome. Several officers had narrow escapes. NINTH SON FOR THI} ARMY. The application of Robert Redvers JDundonald Lovegrove for exemption before the Windsor rural , tribunal was supported by Lieutenant-Colonel Archer Shee, M.P. The applicant, whose eighteenth birthday it was, is the ninth son of Mr and Mrs Lovegrove, of Sunninghill, who already have given eight sons to the army. Three of these have been killed and three others have been wounded, two of them three times. Robert is the youngest son, and, as ho is only in "Category 111., the tribunal granted conditional exemption on his undertaking work of national importance. GERMAN TRAP THAT FAILED. The German naval authorities had an ulterior motive for a recent bombardment of Yarmouth. I am told, writes the London correspondent of the Daily Dispatch, that it was afterwards discovered that numerous mines were laid by the raiders in the hope that ouK ships would give chase and rush to their l own destruction. But our naval officers were quite wideawake—although it was. night—and did not fall into the trap. This incident may indicate to the public why we sometimes "allow the raidprs to escave." .QUEEN MARY AND THE TROOPS. Since its formation the Queen Mary's Needlework Guild has scr.t to the troops no fewer than 7,736,911 gifts. The Queen takes a most active interest in . the guild, and by her command is furnished weekly with a list"of the goods sent away, and is always consulted on matters referring to the despatch of parcels. Hearing from Lady Plumer that the troops under General Plumer's command in Italy were in great need of warm comforts, the Queen instantly commanded that all the branches of the guild be made acquainted with the needs of the men in Italy, with the result that in six weeks 24,000 gifts of sent to Italy.