HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1962-07-26, Page 5White .House Tour for
Armchair Travelers,
Illustrations above rand at right are from the
first official pamphlet concerning the First
Family's residence—the White House, The
132-page "The. White House;: An Historic
Guide ' contains, over 200 illustrations, three-
fourths of them' it color, The President's wife,
Mrs. John Kennedy, is credited with inspiring
the publicution First of a planned series of
official publications on the White House, and
its famous occupants it was prepared by the
White House Historical Association, It will
be available, to tourists at the White House,
or through the association: • Detail' from
steel engraving, top, reproduced in the pam-
phlet, shows. that sheep grazed on the White.
House lawn during the. 1820's. Colonnade at
left was, added during' Thomas Jefferson's
term as president, to, conceal various, out-
buildings. • At right, refurb.;,5hed, Family. Din-
ing, Room in the White. House is. shown.
American, furniture of the Federal` period
mixes with fine, foreign pieces, in the room.
K'
we have inade woo.. eltrldee
wax, too. I guess,
4 ceuld if anyone wanted me:
to, give ill exceiient reeuzumeroi,
aeon for a poly-tinsaturate in
expensive spread, ur however
you say At. It; is wonderful stutfi
I would like to See time drama"
tired, proof on the uetwoelt...
Plate Jackson owns, a little lop
cabin camp up on Webbten
Steam, ;villa, he rents 414
during the summer and fa.4 to
"sports," et' as they are, now
reaiied, reereationiets. It isn't
much of a camp, but the fishing
is good end re,: gets a little
tneume from. it without too
t'a'n work. Every fall, after -
the season is done. Flats goes
up and puts things to divas.
He checks the roof, ties the door
open to keep the bears from
breaking in, and hangs the bed-
ding ea •wirete, And greases [hi
stove.
Tnts stOIN to a little biscuAt.
baker, with a wide hearth for
putting up. of feet, and an oven.
door on each side, It gets damp,
ish along Wobbler. Stream, so.
Fiats always carries in a np.ttIb.
of engine oil and rubs it on the
stove. In the spring, when he
touches off the first fire of the
Season, this oil burns off and,
snakes a stench and smoke' you,
Wouldn't 'believe. But the treat,
went keeps the stove looking
good. So one fall Flats stopped
in and asked me to ride up with
him while he righted up the,
camp,, and I went along, We'd
had some snow, so we had to
walk about, a mile to get to
camp,. and we put up the bed-
ding and arranged. the dishes
and. took down the stovepipe.
and then Flats found, he' had,
forgotten to bring, the bottle eif
oil,.
Well, makingsdo is a: virtue; se
I Said, "How's- about this; stuff?"
It was a pOund. package of the'
inexpensive spread; but not oral
at our new kinds; It' was, the-
old kind that the new ones; are
better than. Some sport had'
brought it in, because it doesn't
need ice to keep it, respectable;
but suppose, with the great
incidence of, salt pork, with the;
fried, trout the. party had found;
no occasion to oPen, it. YOU, put
pork gravy on a biscuit and the;
magnificence, of the inexpensive.
,spreads fades, Anyway, the. ,
package got left, and Flats, anti'
I, broke it open and anointed
the stove- With, it. It worked:
line... It rubbed on "without
crumbling; and it covered well;.
It &ide't give: that slick; sophise,
fleeted, drippy appearance your
get with ordinary lubricantss
but a. relaxed, comfy tone, in
keeping, with. a, wilderness re*
treat,
And 'Flats said that the riett
spring: when he touched her eg
the stove, offered a mellow,
pleasing 'aroma, of high qualify.,
The, difference: was., obvious., He
has never used. an ordinary oil
since, and the stove has' a soft,
velvety texture' that is much
admired by the sports. It, is the
only posiy-tinsaturate. stove' in
Maine, — by John Gould in :the
Christian Science Moniter.
"That steaks? Why dear, i
cost so, much I thought I'de
save, it for a' while."
I8SETE 30 —1962:
ESUSCI-ANNE With his "date" tucked' Under hiS arm,
ed Brockman, Red Cross instructor, hedds toward.Cobtlikt
College, where he has ClOsSes lifersavii4 The life-slia
tubber dummy is' used' t or denionStrating• rriouth-to-mouth
ireSuscitation, external', heart' sindS'idgjit.
Most; A sperate MomQnt O
A Pilot's Thrill-Packed Career
-.=0•10:111:11.1111161111.
and: no longer bothers to enter
flying hours in, his log-book,
"It doesn't, seem worthwhile,"
he: says. "There, seems to be no
purpose' in flying-when there, are
no longer any aircraft to shoot
at or trains and tanks, to fire on
with your rockets!"
THE END,
Adapted from "Ginger' Lacey
— Fighter Pilot," by Richard
Townshend Bickers.
To add to tit e $ e were four
probe.biea and six damaged, and,
in. room, before :Ptinkhk, five.
more destroyed,
On. January 1041, 7004
Sergeant Lacey became Pilot
• Officio: ,J, H. Laeey (MO., On
the last day of his service as
• the Officer C 0 xn.••
mantling No, 501 Squadron an,
tored this: endorsement . in his,
flying log,hook.: "This pilot is.
credited with twenty-three vie-.
tories in, air combat„ and his fIY,
ing 'ability • is. well above the
.e
average."
itre. T was little difference In
status between officers and
N.Q.O. 'pilots, and Lagey had
not been interested in getting, a
commission, The n he realized
that holders of the 11.F.M, were
entitled' to a Cash bonus of £20
on being discharged as airmen
from the Service — which hap-
pens, OA paper, when you re-
enter the R,A.F. as, an. Officer.
So t1.14, 'Yorkshire, lad went; on
leave to be feted by • his,. home
• town of Wetherby. Not long afs
terwards, Lace y began flying
the "newerangl'eci" Spitfires. It
was, now the R.A.F.'s turn to ess
cor t, our bombers in missions
• over France It was a delight to
take the offensive once, more.
• Lacey soon sent en. attacking
Messeraclimitt 1091 into the' sea
in, tiames, His next victim was
a Heinkel. 59, which' was flying
at only 100 ft. when he' gave it
a two-second squirt at fifty'
yards and watched it plough. in-
to the water.
Next, came the task which wan
to provide Lacey with the big
gest scare of his, adventurous,
career. His, squadron had to. pro.
vide high cover for bombers: at-
tacking the German pocket bate
tieittips Scharnhorst and, Gneie.
senate, in. Brest harbour.
And the thirty-gallon,, long-
range petrol tanks, under- the.
Spitfires' wings, made, the planes,
hard to: manoeuvre, — partim-
larly in; turns, to; port.
Five miles. west of Brest,,
heavy' flak started' to burst
around the British fere% Lacey
saw two British' bomberS hit,.
One dissolved in a giant puff-
ball of fragments; the other
dropped vertically with flames"
and thousands Of feet of smoke,
laying a pall, behind its
Then, from -1,000, feet above,
two Messerschmitt 1.09,'s. dived.
on, Lacey in at synchronized' at-:
tads.: One, rushed,' at. hint from.
the, right„ while the other' swept
round. to settle' On' his, tail,
Desperatedly he. turned.. res.
viling, the: tank that hung, train
his, wing and cfragg.ed hint back.
A stream of tracer bullets flash-
ed by, but' some: thudded into'
the.. armour' behind, his: heads
On the verge, of a black-out;
Lacey' held grimly to; his dizzy'
turn, keeping one of his Oppon-
ente intermittently in his. sights
and: shooting whenever' he cou'ld'..
Like aerial leeches, Spitfire
and; Messerschmitts, clung, to'
each: other. Ail last 'Lacey heard
they hiss. of, -compressed air and
felt, the cessation- of his: -gun?'
recoil that. told hlinm, he had used'
up his; ammunition,
He tried to: compress: his' body-
into the smallest' possible speet
as, tracer. thrashed at him' from'
the starboard side , then from,
port .. from starboard again
, then from port once more
ilk Richard : TownShen& Bickers
"I Must, ilaVe been dropping
at about 140 but I didn't
dare to .Open my parachute: iu
eas e it attracted' the German
pilot'' attention,' said. Lacey.
"So I. decided to, Wait until I Was
safely hidden by clouds. before
.peiling the rip-cord,. My Herr',
Cane was spinning • tio w n flat
.And slowly in ,front of mei the
whole of its tali unit completely
shot off.
"My parachute opened ner•-
feCtlY and I came down in a, field once again, very :close •to.
•Leeti: Castle,
"I even got 4 'reeltet" front the
same doctor, who. thought I was
still in the hospital having treat-
ment fur the burns I reeeived
wit= I baled out just three days'
betorer
And so Sergeant -Pilot Lacey
returned once more to his Squee •
dron — and to the Battle, of
Britain. It is some inctieetion of
the price the. A.A..F. was paying.
to record that, dUring four pen,
ticular days at Kenley, the three
other beds in the room where
Lacey slept each had two differ-
ent occupants.
But. Lacey seenne.d to bear a.
charmed life. It was. still early
September. 1910,: when he, added
to his formidable score by get-
ting a Messersclunitt„ at fifty
yards, He hammered a, two-
second, full;-deflection shot into.
the enemy fighter: He. saw it.
crash in a, field.
Not long, afterwards he was,
Awarded a bar to his D.F.M.
The Germans were beginning,
to. lessen, their daylight raids 'lir
favour of night bombing But in
those- crucial sixty-one days of
August and September, British.
righter Command lost 298 pilots,
and .616 aircraft.
Although. Lacey had. several.
‘'probalaies," his next confirmed
success was when, his, Squadron
took On thirty Messersehmitts
which were returning to oc.cu-
pie& France, Lacey e h o. s.e • his,
following it, down.
the sea. and shooting intermit,
lently until it. made a pancake,
landing in the, Channel,: where-,
upon the German pilot climbed
out and began swimming, strong-
ly.
The enemy was. stilt persistent'
and Lacey flew- four times, that..
day.
On September 26,, after rune
ning, Into fifteen. Messerschmitt
109's ten miles, north, of Beachy
Head; Lacey opened fire on, the-
rear machine of a pair just
above cloud. It fell with its rear,
fuselage burning fiercely
Then he, fought. its, partner
until his ammunition 'was ex-
hausted and as his combat re-
port: states, he 'found it expedi-
ant to dive into, dead and es-,
cape."
There was one, more- victory
in, store for Lacey before the
Battle of Britain drew to a
close at the end, of October In-
a last; typically frenzied dogs
fight that wove, condensation
trails; over fifty square miles of
sky,, he shot' do wn Messer-
schrnitt 109' and deMaged an?
other
Lacey's tally of eighteen ene-
my aircraft certainly destroyed
during' that tremendous; battle
So - bravely' won; by "The Few;"'
was the highest. score among. all'
the: pilots: Of Fighter •Command.
public to figura, auy o these
things. out.
I asked him' it he had an
ordinary flyspray, The' kind
that has, no penetration power
and does not work with reel-
dual effect. The kind that does
not seek the bugs out where
they are. He said, he didn't have
that either.
When I asked' him if salt pork'
is' saturate, polysaturate,, or non-
saturate, a. woman happened- to
be. going, by with- a' push-cart
and she heard us talking; It
was kind of interesting. She
came pushing the, cart along in.
full confidence; secure in the
serenity of her convictions, and-
all at once a- doubt crept into
her mind'. It was as if the-
mists had been rolled away. and
Shining Truth stood forth in
splendor. All at once she, real• -
ized that she; to, had no notion
what we were talking about.
You can't get an ordinary
floor wax, either.. I asked, for,
an, ordinary floor wax, and the
clerk said, "What, sir?''' I said:
I wanted the. old-fashioned. kind
that turns, yellow, the, kind, that,
streaks: and, is. sticky, and ,which
won't harden to luster-gloss.
finish that lasts longer. "I have
seen, it advertised; on- television's"
I said. But you can't' get any,
Funny about wax. When' we
built our house., some' years, back
we' had some panels. we, wanted
to pretty;, so, we rubbed: on
some- eld-tashicined; wax them
available, and we beefed it' with:
a• flexible' shaft oft a half-horse:
motor, and wee haven't had to
do tnything with it since We
wipe it with a damp rag, but
some' years we, don't db-, that
He. Finds Brand. X
Is Difficult, To Buy
The other day, some waggish
bent welling up in me beyond
resistance, I' asked my grocer
where he kept his harsh, ordin-
ary, wash-day detergent. You.
know, the, one' that all othens
are better than. It doesn't do
anything; and' you may have
wondered' why it' remains on the
market. Well, it dosent You
can't' buy it. Brand X, I think"
they,. call' it;
IVIY grocer lowered his voice
and told me about the Red
Stripe. He had an. item that
came in a blue box, and one day
the, word went out, that a New
Red Stripe had' been added. The
next shipment' he got was in the
same' blue box; except that, it
had' a+ red stripe, printed' across:
the, front. Since he had' qpite
supply of they stuff in the old'
blue' boxes, he lined them up.
side, by side on the shelves,
and' he, noticed' that the women
took the ones with .the New
Red Stripe on the' package and,
made this wonderfuL American:
elistinctiore between the: same;
thing. He says, there is,. as far
as he sees; no attempt by the.,
•
4
is
the war was drawing to, a close.
For a time he' took change of
No. 155 Squadron white, the-C.O.
was, on, leave: He' flew' several
fighter patrols, but the chances
of combat in the air over' Burma
- were, for him, disappointingly
remote; The: worst days of that
campaign were over.
As the C.O. of No; Squa-
dron, Lacey was mainly cons
c ned with patrolling the
bridgehead's, established' over' the
Irrawaddy by the, Fourteenth:
Army, arid in carrying' out of=
fensive, sweeps against Japanese
troops and positions:
When the RAY. gave close
support to our infantry,. they,
could see' the soldiers charging,
joyfully forward& in the wake of
shells and, bullets from the div-
ing; Spitfires — and the Japs,
streaming; out of their foxholes
and the jungle undergrowth to
go roiling. over and over as fire
from the aircraft swept wither-
ingly' at them.
It; was while on, dawn patrol,
with Warrant Officer Sharkey
that Lacey got his last victim
of the war. The ,two Spitfires
spotted twelve Jap "Oscars," the
Japanese, Army fighters, and at
once dived' on t h em,. gaining,
speed' at about 150' rn.p.h,
L,a c e y touched' off a half-
second' burst with his cannons,
at the, last aircraft. Two, explo-
sive bullets slammed into the
Oscar's starboard' wing; one hit
the fuselage,, one struck the,
hood, which was shattered' into
a glittering; fragments.-
The little fighter rolled; on to
its back and went into a' vertical,
dive, to: hit, the ground with a
streak of flame and, a gout of:
smoke. Lacey, had used, only'
nine. rounds. It. was, the only,
Jap he, ever saw while he: vies.
in the, air!
In, the ship out to India. Lacey
had become, fond' Sheila-y ouey
of the 250, pretty,,' Wrens aboard.;
The war' separated; them; but,
when; his, squadron was; posted'
frost Burma to Malaya, he seize,
ed the chance to meet up with
her again: in-, Ceylon;
Het paid as flying visit: and; on
June- 1', 1945, they got married:
With the fall of JaPari, Lacey
was the first' Man- to, fly a, Spit.
fire, over that country, Then, On
May 6, 19461 he 'said' goodbye
to his .squadrorr and embarked
fbr Singapore on his; Way to
England.
There he flew' jets for a• time,
iettel; later beeeme, a, Plight Cem-
islander arid instructor: teddy'
he is: on fighter 'control duties'
in Yorkshire; Were he' has'
bought a house: Mid, With hie
Wife Sheila and three, daughters;.
Diana, foutteerit eleven,
and Susie, Who, was b dr ti in:
June, 1960; liVea happily' ainOng
his friends = Wino ate mainly
nathboteugh tishothiet.
And' that ends the, ainazing
Stork' Of Ginger Lacey the•
uncOnventinriat pilot
whol learned' to fly Oti. Tiger.
Moths and progressed' to
feta, but, who now 114 the 6p4.
porttinitY' id fit only Chipitatilt4
LIFE At traditional costume, Chinese rricikea her way from' junk fee
junk at, `she visits b'i6ridS reicitivtt. Teeming junks and houseboats rrk k 'up Hotij
Kong's floating s:unis,
His, legs, and, arms were stiff
and, cramped;; his head, was, fog-,
ging, as blood, drained from, his;
brain., In a. frantic. effort,. Lacey,
Pulled, the, stick back and, sent
his Spitfire, leaping, up in, a neare
vertical, climb:
Two: seconds later, a tremen--,
dolls blast of disturbed air'
pummelled hint between, the'
shoulders; a noise like, the crack'
of doom battered at' his ears In
mirror he saw the, two' Mess
sernchrnidtts, collide; hang in the
air locked, together; then swift-
ly begin to fall in a rapidly ins
creasing spin..
Inseparably. welded. by the
force of their, collision. at a. eras-
ing speed of 800 =pais, they,
sent, off a, shower of. sparks that
turned to. fiaMes. One. of the,
German, pilots baled, out„ but
the other,. t one who was,
flown, into, must, have' been
smashed to, pulp..
Lacey found himself' alone in',
the, sky; It was' time, to set
course for base. Half-way across;
the Channel, he overtook a Wel-
lington; bomber' returning: from'
Brest: It, looked like a flying;
bird, cage„ its, frainework. expess,
ed by the fabric: which, had: been;
shot away.
Lacey came alongside to. fly
in formation and the, bomber
pilot made delighted: thumbs-up
gestures; grateful, for the' fighter
escort,
"Little did he know;"- Lacey-
recalls; "that I was' hanging
around there, because' L thOUght
be Might have Some anuriuni-,
tiers left: and eOuld escort, Me
homer
It war a, fitting end to two;
years: yelth 501, Silttacheint, On
August' 1944 Lacey Wan post.,
ed, 'as. an. instructor:, He„, no' Ringer
looked the boy whose appear-
ance: belled hin lethal: astern.
plinittrientas His; features; had
shatP,enedi and there:' were lines
iibitiut hie;eyes' and. cheeks.
After' al* menthe; tacet had
t. brier 44,111 action; With; Nee
602t Sq,uadrein,, but. by- that time
the Germans' hiatd Otte, Feekee
'MALL' 19.0;, Aeletetin could; "walk
away,'' front e Spitfire; With, tie
trouble; at; alL"
Then ,AineriCa; entered the,
war-„ and he prepared for One of
the, ,gOedWill. tours. of. the, States,
Which were. b. ain g: made" to:
arouse; enthusiasm,
At. the last'. Minute; however;,
the Treasury cancelled: his, trip
due to. lack. of dcillare: and;. to.
tigat e: the diskspointment„
Lacey- was prometed: to Acting;
Squadron. Leader and. posted' to:
HQ... No. St Giten# as:
Officer: L.aktier. Veitinitteted
for . roc
,
et. work; et Bestianibt:
DoVirt,
was. hot' the safest oil jtnbs;
beitht the: Wing Cointriariden
and; the Ftyln g. Officer` *ere
killed very soon when their eite.
Peritherital rockets; , went Oft
While still, attached. to, their'
planet
Lacey, was neitt. POW.. to The
dia and engaged' in converting.
'SePtadthrit to' Tirane
Herbatt, acid -*alight wart,
4, tiii:eakelieSteit;