KING’S INTEREST

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20992, 20 December 1939, Page 7

KING’S INTEREST

MESSAGE TO AIRMEN PLEASURE OF INSPECTION NAVAL MEN DECORATED ' (Official Wireless) (Received Dec. 20, 1 p.m.) RUGBY, Dec. 19 Following his recent visit of inspection the King has sent the following signal to Air Vice-Marshal H. L. Playfair, Air Officer Commanding the Royal Air Force in France:— “ Please assure all ranks of the Royal Air Force units in France of the pleasure which it gave me to pay them a visit last week and to gain an insight into some of their activities. I was greatly impressed as well as interested by all I saw and 1 shall be glad if you will convey my best wishes to all ranks of the forces under your command.” Courage Recognised The King to-day decorated five men in recognition of their great courage and skill in rendering safe enemy mines at great risk to their lives. They comprised three young naval officers, a chief petty officer, an able seaman. The decoration, in the presence of 800 naval officers and ratings, took place during a visit by His Majesty to H.M.S. Vernon—the torpedo and mine school at the Portsmouth Command—which formed part of a fourday tour which the King has made of the Portsmouth Command. He has inspected the men from destroyers and mine-sweepers, and also crews of merchant cruisers. His Majesty showed great interest in the mines which were on exhibition, and had the mechanism and the means of rendering them harmless described to him. The Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir William James, also explained to His Majesty the Navy’s latest measures for counteracting the mine menace.

NEWS IN BERLIN

GERMAN PEOPLE PUZZLED SCUTTLING OF GRAF SPEE (United Press assu. —Elec. Tel. Copyrig-nt; LONDON, Dec. 18 Only 11 lines recording the fact that the Admiral Graf Spee was blown up, at Hitler’s orders, appeared in the first afternoon newspaper to-day, states a message from Berlin. The brief radio and news agency announcements have puzzled the German people, who are ignorant of the significance of the event or of the world-wide interest in it. The fact that Hitler ordered the scuttling of the battleship is sufficient to convince many Germans that this was the best course. The average feeling is summed up in the remark oi one German to the correspondent of the British United Press: “1 cannot understand it, but I suppose it is all right.” Government authorities have refused to supplement the news agency’s brevity, and merely remark: ‘‘Nothing can be said.” Italian naval authorities consider that it would have been better to have chosen internment than to condemn a fine ship to ignominious suicide without a fight. GERMANY AND BELGIUM SUSPENSION OF EXPORTS iUnited Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 Germany has suspended the export of coal to Belgium, it is believed, in order to force an increase of Belgian exports to Germany of agricultural and metal products. German exports of coke to Luxembourg have also been suspended.