NAMES AND PLACES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 47, 17 May 1940, Page 2

NAMES AND PLACES

Italy's Stronghold The Dodecanese Islands, a group of twelve, lie at the entrance to the Aegean Sea, between the island of Crete and the coast of Turkey. Italy has held them since 1912, and in recent years has built strong fortifications there. The island of Rhodes, famous in antiquity, and for the prolonged defence by the Knights of St. John from 1309 until 1522, also belongs to Italy, whose standing army there has been greatly increased in recent months, Because the Dodecanese Islands are only a few miles from the coast of Turkey, and because of the Italian submarine base there, they are of extreme importance in the light of recent mesSages concerning Italy’s possible entry into the war. Although the population of these islands is predominantly Greek, the Italians now control them completely. The fortifications on the Island of Rhodes, built originally by the Knights of St. John, have been used by the Italians in the reconstruction of their modern fortresses. The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the wonders of the ancient world, stood on the island for 56 years, and was destroyed by an earthquake in 224 B.C. Descendants of the Dorian Greeks, once a great maritime people, still live on the island. "Bully" Beef Still Good Souvenirs of the last war are still being recovered in France. One Royal Air Force digging party unearthed a set of iron rations which had been buried there, and one tin of "bully" beef was still in excellent condition. Lying with it were some mess tins, a knife and fork, and several rounds of ammunition. The whole of the last war area must still contain great quantities of such thingsas well as shells which buried themselves

deep in the soil. Messages written up by men of the Australian Forces have been discovered on the interior of a pillbox, indicating their determination to hold their posts to the last man. Those pill-boxes were grim little fortresses of concrete ,and steel, from which huge shells sometimes bounced like toys. They dotted the whole countryside, on both sides of the trenches, and were formidable strong-points against attackers. Sheltered behind such strength, machinegunners were able to pour their deadly

bullets into the attacking force. To-day, those "pill-boxes" are being reconditioned for use in emergency. Army Leaders in Norway Major-General Bernard Paget, D.S.O., M.C., who was in command of operations in Southern Norway before the Allied Forces retired, served in the last war, and saw service both in France and Italy. In 1938, until present hostilities broke out, he was commandant of the Imperial Staff College at Camberley. General Paget is a son of the late Bishop of Oxford. Brigadier Charles Philips, D.S.O., M.C. Officer commanding the 146th Infantry Brigade of Britain’s territorials, was also in Norway. He was commissioned in 1909, and when the last war broke out, was with the Jubaland Expedition in Kenya. Then he saw service in German East Africa, where he was wounded. Afterwards, he returned to England, and

commanded various battalions and regiments until he was given a brigade in 1938. His father was killed in Somaliland in 1902. Brigadier H. de R. Morgan, D.S.O., is in command of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Until the outbreak of hostilities, he commanded the Ist and 2nd Battalion of the Brigade, and possibly took this regiment to Norway. Air Chief in the East Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmore, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., who has succeeded Air Chief Marshal Sir William Mitchell as officer commanding the Royal

Air Force in the East, is an Australian. He began his career in the Royal Navy, and rose to the rank of Lieut.-Commander before he joined the Air Force. Sir Arthur had a distinguished career in the last war, serving in France and Italy and in the Battle of Jutland, During the reconstruction period after the war, he was engaged in Royal Air Force work, and has since become one of its best organisers. From 1929 to 1933 he commanded the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell; then he was appointed to command the Inland Area; then the Coastal Command; and then, from 1936 to 1938, he was commandant of the Iniperial Defence College. Sir Arthur Longmore has a host of foreign decorations, including honours conferred on him by the Governments of Belgium, France and Italy. He married in 1913, and has three sons and one daughter. One son is a Flight Lieutenant in the R.A.F,

Malta in the News Malta’s strategic importance is obvious after a glance at a map of the Mediterranean Sea. This small island, with an area of only 91 square miles, commands the passage between Sicily and the coast of Africa, where the Mediterranean is divided into two basins. At the moment, Malta is in the news. It is the headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet, has a huge coaling station, and fortifications which are almost as strong as those of Gibraltar. It became a British dependency in 1814, by the Congress of Vienna, after a long history, which began with the Phoenicians nearly 1000 B.C. Malta was famous in 216 B.C. for its manufactured cotton, its roses and its honey. From then on it was conquered and occupied by the Vandals and the Goths, the Greeks and the Arabs, and almost every other Mediterranean people. In 1530 it was given to the Knights of St. John, who raised stupendous forts and beautified the island. After fighting off the Turks in 1565, the Hospitaliers continued in possession until 1571, when they surrendered to the French. Two years later the British seized it, and have held it ever since. Refuge in Valetta Valetta, the principal town and seaport, was the refuge for several ships of the convoys which took the lst New Zealand Expeditionary Force from Alexandria to Marseilles during the. last war, when they were chased by submarines. The city is rich in old and historical buildings. Eight and a-half miles out is the Cathedral of St. Paul, who is said to have lived in the island for three months. There are no trees, rivers or lakes on Malta, but the soil is wonderfully fertile, and produces rich crops of wheat and potatoes, maize, barley, cotton, clover, figs, grapes, oranges and other fruits, Lace and cigarettes are manufactured in great quantities for export.