Four Boys Who Read a Book—

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 880, 25 January 1930, Page 18

Four Boys Who Read a Book—

And Started for the South Sea Islands TOUR OVER AT SOUTHEND! E read a book about schoolboys’ adventures in the South Sea Islands. “So we thought we would go and do the same. “But we only got to Southend.” At any rate,, there was a south in it! That, in brief, is the story of four boys whose adventure, ending in rain, darkness and hunger, and finally the police station at Southend, was told to a newspaper man at Walthamstow. Their names are: George Edward Owen (14) Gerald Nicholas Waters (14) Douglas Cooper (13) Herbert Silverthorne (13), all of Walthamstow. “First of all, we planned to go to Southampton and then to America,” said Silverthorne. “Three of us were to ride bicycles, and the boy Cooper was going to use his - roller skates. “We then decided that instead we would go to Southend, try and get a boat to France and then w'alk round the coast line and so to Australia, where I have an uncle on a sheep farm." The hoys entered in red ink in a diary the things they would require. The essentials were underlined. These were: Food Money Torches Lamps One or two motor-launches. But, in spite of such careful consideration of the necessities, the boys left Walthamstow without any of them. Young Owen had a small attache case. It contained extra underclothing and also a bathing costume. Sleeping in Shelter “We all met at six o'clock,” Silverthorne said, “and when we got as far as Gidea Park we stopped a motorist, who took us to within five miles of Southend. Then we stopped another car and the chauffeur took us to High Street, Southend. “We walked about and eventually got on to the cliffs and, finding that the tide was out, we decided to sleep. At 1 a.m. we got into the bandstand shelter, where we slept until five o’clock. We then -went to see if we could get home by train, as we were fed up, but we could not, so we went to the police station, where we were given a hot dinner and tea.”