MEN YOU HEAR WHEN "Britain Speaks"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 125, 14 November 1941, Page 6

MEN YOU HEAR WHEN "Britain Speaks"

HE COMES FROM WALES RANK OWEN, frequent contributor of the BBC’s "Britain Speaks," isas his voice betrays-a hefty Welshman, an ex-wing three-quarter on the amateur Rugby field, and a hard-boiled pressman who has served that stimulating, if sometimes difficult, taskmaster, "The Beaver "’-otherwise Lord Beaverbrook, now Minister of State, but for many years one of the English Press Lords. Frank Owen was born in 1905, and had a Welsh education at Monmouth Grammar School, from which he won a scholarship in Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge — Oliver Cromwell’s college. He took a First in History and Economics, as well as playing for the Cambridge Rugby Fifteen, though he did not actually secure his Blue. He has also played in the Welsh International Trials, for Newport and the London Welsh. Completely unattracted by the conventional Civil Service career offered to him, Owen pitched himself headlong into the mill of provincial journalism. A chance meeting with Lloyd George led eventually to this up-and-coming young man successfully fighting the Hereford constituency in the Labour interest. That was in 1929 when he became the youngest M.P. in the House. Failing to hold the seat in the election of 1931, Owen went to Fleet Street, and has never looked back. For the News Chronicle he went to Russia-where he saw Stalin — on the Daily Express he was a feporter, leader-writer, and then went to Lord Beaverbrook’s other paper the Evening Standard, first as assistant editor, and now editor. He describes his association with Lord Beaverbrook as "great fun!-an extraordinary fellow, good boss to work forbut a bit uncanny." That refers to "the Beaver’s" combination of insomnia, sudden bright ideas, and invincible flair for " getting his man" on the ‘phone. On one occasion in 1937, Owen was in Spain. Bombed in both Valencia and Barcelona, he travelled, without notice or papers, to Madrid on a troop-train. Arriving in the small hours, he hunted up a colleague, Tom Driberg. Tom woke up, eventually

recognised Owen under several days’ dirt and beard, and said "Oi!-get on the *phone to London. The Beaver was chasing you twenty minutes ago." At one period, before the war, Owen had to write his leaders with "the Beaver" at his elbow, and on another occasion he had the enlivening, if ex- —

L ---- hausting experience, of accompanying his boss on a voyage to South America. His permanent source of stimulation, however, is his wife-née Grace Stewart of Boston, U.S.A., and now his companion throughout the London blitz. MILITARY HISTORIAN (CYRIL FALLS, the man whom listeners frequently hear giving the military commentary in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Empire Service, is an Ulsterman who served with his regiment throughout the last war and has attained a high reputation as a military historian and critic. Captain Cyril Bentham Falls was born in 1888-though he looks much younger -the son of the late Sir Charles Fausset Falls, in County Tyrone, and was educated at Bradfield College, Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, London University, and abroad. During the last war he served with the Inniskilling Fusiliers, and was also on the General Staff of the 36th and 62nd Divisions, was Liaison Officer between the French Army and the Australians, earning the French Croix de Guerre, two citations, and two Mentions in Dispatches. Though now the Military Correspondent of the London Times, since 1923 he has been in the Historical Section (Military Branch) of the Committee of Imperial Defence. He is the author of

many books on military subjects as well as of some dealing with his own Ulster, and of "Rudyard Kipling, a Critical Study." ? When asked about his recreations, this precise, dapper man is apt to reply " yachting, shooting, and riding — now chiefly in recollection." Literature and gardening have largely replaced them. France he knows very well in both war and peace, and loves its people. He is also a friend of General Weygand, as well as being the writer of the biography of Marshal Foch. A MAN OF MANY PARTS DIRECTOR of the Royal Academy of Music, Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Abercorn (Governor of Northern Ireland), composer "of the Irak National Anthem and of the world-famous song "T’ll Walk Beside You," regular soldier -these are some of the roles played by Major Alan Murray who every day gives a five-minute News Commentary on the Empire Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. He is also a regular contributor to the North American and Pacific Newsreel. ‘Alan Murray was born in Guernsey in 1890, educated at Malvern College and Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined his father’s old regiment, the Seaforth Highlanders in India in 1913. During much of the last war, he served in Mesopotamia-now Irak-and Pales- -_ -- we

_ tine. On the latter front, after holding the appointments of Staff Captain and Brigade Major, he was appointed D.A.Q.M.G., on Lord Allenby’s General Headquarters Staff, holding the same appointment later in Cairo. From there he was transferred home and with his regiment went to Dublin

during the " Trouble " and on to Northern Ireland, where he held the appointment of A.D.C. to the Duke of Abercorn" for three years. He was at the same time a member of the BBC station orchestra in Belfast. Murray has thus had plenty of experience of military affairs to make his comments on the war situation of high value, What makes him so interesting to meet, though, is the number and variety of his contacts in other walks of life. Music has always been his special interest. It is characteristic of him that he should have composed the Irak National Anthem, and was also a friend of the late King Feisal. He has beén a violinist in orchestras under such famous conductors as Sir Henry Wood, Sir Edward Elgar, and Sir Adrian Boult. In addition to the many songs he has written, he has composed , several orchestral works, including his © "Suite of Furniture" with its four quaintly named movements "Louis Quinze," "Chippendale," "Rustic" (Garden) and "Modern Tubular Chromiumplate." As a contrast to this, he has played the piano in Ray Noble’s dance band in the Rainbow Room at the top of Radio City, New York. Alan Murray spent a year in Hollywood in 1937-38 where he became great friends with many of the famous film stars. Here, clay-pigeon shooting with Robert Montgomery and Gary Cooper is one of his pleasantest memories. "FERRETS" OF THE PRESS GANG " RERRETS," President of the " Press Gang," is the owner of the voice which BBC listeners often hear speaking on naval matters. "Ferrets" to Fleet Street and the Fleet is Hubert Cecil Ferraby, and the "Press Gang" is the members’ own name for the Association of Naval Correspondents. " Ferrets" is a small man with a shock of grey hair, lively eyes, an irreverent sense of humour, and an inexhaustible interest in what is going on round him, especially in matters naval, with which he has been connected for thirty-seven years. He served with the British and (Continued on next page)

WHEN "BRITAIN SPEAKS" (Continued from previous page)

American Fleets throughout the last war, has been present at every British naval review since the visit of the French Fleet to Portsmouth in 1904 to set the seal on the Entente Cordiale, and covered every Naval Limitation Confer-ence-in the last twenty years. He accompanied George V. on-all the King’s visits to ships and shipyards. He was at the surrender of the German Fleet at the end of the last war, and he was the only journalist to see that fleet before it set the modern German fashion of scuttling itself. "Ferrets " was also the first journalist ever to have his "copy" flown by a naval airplane, That was his description of the surrender of the German Fleet, and it was flown ashore by a ’plane that had to take off from the gun turret — a dangerous evolution in. those days, and was only permitted by the naval authorities on account of the tenportance of his despatch, The young airman who did the job was a worthy predecessor of to-day’s Fleet Air Arm. When‘he arrived at Turnhouse aerodrome, he stole a motor-cycle and roared off to Edinburgh. Arriving, he found himself blocked by the crowds that had assembled to see the King and Queen. Buttonholing a policeman and whispering "Admiralty Despatches" he got through-and led the Royal procession all down Prince’s Street to reach the telegraph office.

That young airman got a gold ciga-rette-case from "Ferrets" paper, the London Daily Express. But sharing the life of the Navy and telling its day-to-day story is not enough for " Ferrets." Naval strategy and tactics have been his study since the early years of the century, when he started as private secretary to the then Naval Correspondent of the London Times. He has collected a unique library on naval warfare, and his personal friends include many who control the Grand Strategy of the ocean war. He lost many close friends when the Hood blew up. "Ferrets" himself is not just a naval specialist, though. He has done very sort of newspaper work, and indeed got his first independent job on the Daily Express because of his mastery of French, German, Spanish, and Italian. From there he went to the old Daily News as Naval Correspondent, criticised and therefore quarrelled with that famous and intolerant Admiral, Jackie Fisher, and was consequently barred from the Admiralty for some years. He was then Naval Correspondent of the Daily Express for a long time, and now holds the same post on the Manchester Guardian, besides doing an ever-increasing amount of broadcasting. In peaceful times " Ferrets’" hobby is the amateur theatre, for which he has written, acted and produced. His ambition, though, is to complete his " History of Naval Warship Names," on which he has been working since 1908,

At his table, they would find themselves eating with their own cutlery-a temporary accommodation arranged by houseboys willing to co-operate to make the visitors feel thoroughly at home. With these they would eat dishes including boiled worms, etcetera. ... The almost-drowned incident occurred in a small sailing vessel somewhere at sea (Mr. Pollard did not have time between rehearsals to go into many details), in a typhoon, or hurricane, as the stronger winds are variously known in those waters. The Pollards were lashed to the deck, continually awash with water. Also awash were the hen coops, containing the poultry on the way to market. To make a wet story dry, the ship came finally into harbour, and the ‘merchants of the town rushed to claim their poultry. Many hens were dead, drowned. Some were nearly dead. With great presence of mind, the merchants seized newspaper, set it burning, and soon revived the still-living fowls by swinging them head downwards through the flames. Mr. Pollard reports that this’ was very effective, and the fowls were rushed off to market, quick and busy, before the cure achieved what the waters had failed to bring about. And So To Australia Between 1921 and 1927, Mr. Pollard lived in Australia. He studied pharmacy at Sydney University, worked in an engineering workshop, on a sheep station, as a photographic model, as an extra for Cinesound, in commercial films used as advertising, and on a feature subject with Captain Frank Hurley,