LONDON LIGHTS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 254, 3 November 1939, Page 1

LONDON LIGHTS

BLACK-OUT ORDERS

WEJRD EXPERIENCES

■CREEPING LIKE SNAILS”

CITY’S COUNTRY LANES

Queer sights in - the blackness of London streets in the early stages of the war are recounted in a letter received from a Gisborne resident touring in England.

The tourist- was experiencing his first London black-out-, and he.) was impressed with the complete arrangements li i a die against air attack. .

h i ‘London certainly did the show /•veil.” tiie Gisbornite writes. “The hlack-out began at 7 p.m., when all advertising signs and sti'eet lights were * extinguished. In our hotel which has 1500 bedrooms, notices were loft for each guest 'requesting that all bedroom curtains be completely drawn after* dark so that no light whatever would be visible outside the building.---The notice also mentioned that infringement may involve 'heavy penalties.

“On going down to dinner we noticed a big staff busily engaged painting windows black and hanging dark curtains in halls and lounges, and exit doors to the street were all well screened. To, cheer 11s up, each floor had broad red arrows painted! on the walls, and big notices advised guests to follow arrows to the basement in case of air raids and at all times to carry gas masks. Cas Masks Fitted “This morning the hotel manager gave us each an ord'crTor*"#-gas liiakkr and on presentation, at the Westminster City Hall wo were, fitted out. “After dinner last night, 1 took a stroll into. Piccadilly Circus, and what a queer sight! Gone were all the bright lights and signs which represent the London night. The. City was in ink.v darkness, and the- mighty stream of traffic was creeping along with dimmed lights. Famous streets Ijke Piccadilly'Circus looked like dark country lanes. “To-night again, the lights are out, and it looks as if black-outs have conn* to stay until further notice. It was -,\ jolr getting hack to the hotel. Collisions were many, hut the crowd was most good-natured. Barrage Balloons “This morning on looking from our window into the sky. we were amazed to sec all the barrage .balloons were up. and I can assure you many people found some comfort in seeing this weird-looking curtain protectng old London City. How many balloons wore-.up I cannot say; I should guess there were some hundreds, as we could count 20 from our window, and we had only a limited! skv space to view.” Reference was made to the evacuation of the children a lew days previously." the operation going oil swiftly und quietly, and tlio writer added that 17 tube railways had closed temporarily while protective measures wore being carried out. ■ It. was a strange sight to see tli©> sand-bagged buildings with their “business. as usual” signs up. M any simp windows had criss-cross pa pec strips pastcdl on them, to prevent splinters' - of glass Hying in the event of‘bombs being dropped in the vivinity.. In numerous places arrows pointed the way to air-raid shelters-.. Amazing Transformation; “It is. amazing the transformation that has taken, place in the City during the past few days,” the writer adds, “and signs of preparedness are in evidence- everywhere. There are great scenes of activity in London parks many soldiers attending to barrage balloons, anti-aircraft guns, andl other duties, and lorries move at a quick pace filled with tree branches for camouflage purposes. “England appears to have its many organisations well in hand, for we notice in the streets large numbers of men, women and girls in various uniforms representing many branches of service. The street musicians including the barrel organs, are playing patriotic airs, and last evening we heard passing soldiers-singing “it’s a Long .Way to Tipperary’,”

(Continued from Page 3). would not he interfered with if liis tribesmen dief not show opposiion. He sent hack the reply: “Only a baboon or a Hottentot can live in the Richtersveld • your horses and men will all die.” I had Ironside's map with me, and alsd two Bastaikl guides, wiioni J did not trust very far, as they were both also namcdl Clocte. It proved fortunate that wo had a limp and a prismatic compass, for on two occasions these guides tried to mislead,,us. ~^) Precious Information The information contained in the map proved to hi* absolutely accurate, the water holes exactly as Ironside had placed! them, and the marginal notes laying down how many animals could be watered at each, worked out to within a few gallons. The dastards ' remembered Ironside well, although 14 years had elapsed since bis trek. They called him the “Boer Spurns,” as he had posed as a trader up there. General Botha made use of .Ironside's maps in the SouthWest, campaign, and it was "a continual wonder to us how Ironside had obtained such Full information while working as a special service officer. •‘'The stories of his adventures in South-West -during the Hereto campaign are well worth telling. Some lie told me himself, some I learned from other sources. ii appears that the British Government wore* very concerned a.t the reports which reached them of the number of troops-and the amount, of wa* material that the Germans'. w\\re pouring into South-West Africa.. The frontier was elosedl and .guarded, and very little information allowed to leak out. Ironside volunteered to get into South-West Africa and obtain the necessary facts. He received the usual warning that, if discovered, his fate would be in his own hands., fie grew a beard, dressed in farm clothes, purchased a span of oxen and a,: waggon, and trekked to- the German border. There lie posed as a Transvaal Boer; who knew no English and wished to ride transport for the German troops. Flo was duly hired and attached to a. column, operating in the disturbed area. / But even a clever man may make mistakes in this kiiuj; of work. After a fortnight- with the Gormans he made a startling discovery. He had brought with him from 'Pretoria a mongrel tliog to which ho was very attached', and sitting at the ' camp fire one evening lie found to In’s horror that ho had forgotten to remove its collar, which bore a small, brass plate engraved, “Captain Ironside, Royal Horse- Artillery.” Fortunately, it was a rough-haired dog and'fiohody appeared to have noticed the inscription. Placed) Under/ Arrest He carried on his work for sojno months, but then lie began to realise that the Germans were getting suspicions' of him. One night a German sergeant woke*him suddenly and fired! at him a question in English. Fortunately lie). kept his nerve and replied in Afrikaans, and then in broken 'German, that he could not understand. Later on an officer tried the same trick, and again Ironside came through the test satisfactorily. lie.could not imdersiandl who or what, had given him away, hut he saw that it was time to think of escaping. He was too late. The very next day an officer placed him under arrest on

a charge of being a spy. That night he was tied to a waggon wheel and a

sentry placed over him. B!ut during the night tho sentry slept', and a Hottentot whom Ironside had befriended crept under the waggon andi cut Icoso his bonds. He procured a haversack of food and a water bottle, and set a course for Rietfontein, a police post on the Union border. Ironside would never say much about bis trek, except that “it was rather rough.” If ho found it tough,’ to the average man it would have meant death. The next news of him was a, helio message flashed down the line of police posts from Rietfontein: ‘'European arrived here in exhausted! state, alleges name is Ironside, imperial officer employed on special service, please verify and instruct.” At last the Hereto campaign came to an end. A party of German officers, on tlioir way back to Germany, arrived at Capetown. At the same time Ironside arrived here on sonic duty connected with the Castle. He was invited to dine at and when lie took his tho,. table lie found sitting opposite,;€o him the German officeV who had. placed him under arrest. Much-puzzled German. A? After dinner the German officer cnnje up to hill) and said, “I think, captain, that we have met somewhere before?” Ironside replied, “I: am sorry,. L'-Alo not recollect the pleasure of having met you before.” “Oil, perhaps you were at one time' an attache!-at tho Embassy in Berlin?” “No,” replied Ironside, “I wasyngver an attache in Berlin, sq it coijjcl not have been there.” He could see that the German was • not. satisfied!, and for tho resto-of the evening kept looking at him, evidently most puzzled. At the beginning of the Great War, Ironside, on account of his knowledge-,;; of languages, was appointed to Genera! French’s staff. He himself became a general and was appointed to, com- j mand tho Army in North Russia, lighting the Bolsheviks. He had a strange . mixture of troops under his command, including a number of White Russians. Some of his troopsmutinied, killed their officers, and joined the Red's. Eater, a number of them were captured by Ironside’s army. He tried., them by court-martial, and shot the lot. . Taking Risks. He is an iron disciplinarian, but soon gains the confidence’ of the troops under his command. Later on he commanded the troops in Persia* and Irak, where he horrified his staff by the risks he took in going among the rebellious, tribesmen without an escort* Later again, when the risk of war breaking out in the Mediterranean became acute, he was sent out as Governor and Commandler-iu-Chief at Gibraltar. It is an open secret now that the defences of the Rock had been neglected, and that Ironside forced the Government to repair this neglect at once. He handed over ho defences in perfect order when lie loft Gibraltar a short while ago to take over the duties of Inspector-General of British Overseas Forces. It was a happy choice tiie British Government made when they sent him to Poandl for staff talks 'with Polish headquarters. Polish is one of tlie many languages he speaks well, and lie was thus able to address the Polish troops in’their own language.