Daily Herald from London, London, England • 1

Pastilles complete the treatment DAILY No. 11800 (D) 35 KILLED Ten children plane lest at Point Calamity HERALD REPORTER KOMI, Sunday A LONDON-BOUND Comet of BO AC plunged into the sea from four miles up today killing all 29 passengers and the crew of six. Among the passengers were a girl of 17, a baby in arms, and nine other children, some of whom were returning to school in England after Christmas visits to parents in the Far East. Adult passengers who died included Mr. Chester Wilmot, the 42-year-old war correspondent and broadcaster, and six BO AC staff members coming back from holiday.

The 36-seater Comet was on the last lap of an extra service from Singapore which it left on Saturday morning, flying via Bangkok, Rangoon, Calcutta, Karachi, the Bahrein Islands and Beirut. DID IT BLOW UP? It left Ciamptno Airport here at 9.31 this morning. Some 30 minutes later It was flying at eight miles a minute high above the island of Elba. At 1949, trailing flames and plumes of smoke, the Comet fell into tbo sea miles off Point Calamity, Elba's southern magi tjp. Jtklian fishermen declare the Jet airliner blew up with a series of explosions before It fell.

But Mr. Davit Craig, who is chief of British European Airways in Italy, said tonight that he doubted the fishermen's report because they also reported seeing parachutes open beneath the plane and there was no parachute aboard. The big mystery is that no distress signal from the Comet was picked up. Weather conditions were good and whatever happened must have occurred suddenly. The last routine message was received shortly before 10 a.m.

HOLIDAY END FOR A FAMILY IMSSENGERS aboard the doomed Comet, in addition to Mr. Chester Wilmot, were: Capt. R. V. Wolfson, one of BOA C's senior men.

who Joined the plane at Beirut. He was general manager of BO AC subsidiaries overseas and a member of the Corporation management panel. Mrs. R. K.

Geldard. who was travelling to London with her two children, a boy and a girl, on holiday. She was the wife of a A man at Beirut. Master J. M.

Bunvan and A. Bun van (both children) and an infant named Bunyan. They were travelling from Bahrein, In the Persian Gulf. Miss R. Khedo- I.

aged 13. and Miss N. Khrdoun, 15 (from Bahrein). BE A PILOT Capt. Charles Livingstone, A pilot, who Joined the plane passenger at Rome.

Miss R. Sawyer-Snelling, aged 14 Bangkok). Miss L. Yateem, aged 17; Mr. B.

Butler; Mr. J. B. Crilly and B. Crllly (a child); and someone named Israel all Irom Bahrein.

Mr. F. J. Greenhouse i Bangkok); Mr. J.

P. Hill (Singapore) A Far East representative; Miss E. Falrbrother. Mr. T.

Moore. Mr. H. E. Schuehmann, Mrs.

D. Baker (all Joined the plane at Karachi). Mr. John tee aged 52. of Redcar, Yorks.

a constructional engineer In Borneo. He served irr-the Scots Guards for 31 years. He was Army welterweight champion for three years. He became boxing Instructor at Harrow School. None of his relatives knew he was on his way home.

Leavet child). Mr. S. F. Naamln.

Mr. E. S. Machtachlan. J.

V. (or J. YJ Ramsden, A. all travelling from Beirut. CREW The six crew were; Captain Alan Gibson.

DF 31. of Highclifle, Hants. Married with two children He went to A from the RAF in 1946. end Joined the Comet fleet last June. He had 5.800 flying hours.

First Officer William John Burv. 33. of Gosport. Hants. He had over 3.000 flying hours Ex- A man who Joined 8 OA in 1947.

Married with two children. Engineer Officer Francis Charles MacDooaM. 27. of Yateley. Hants.

Married with two children Ex-R A man and Joined A 'ast yenr. Radio Officer Lake Patrick MeMahon. 33. of Omagh. Northern Ireland.

Steward Frank Leonard Saunders. 34. of Dover. Stewardess Jean Evelyn Clark, 23. of Huntingdon.

A Stateregistered nurse, she Joined BO A last May. Made her first trip as a stewardess to Rome in August. GUI-BOY ROBS WOMM A boy with a revolver held up Mrs Davey. 50. of Cambridgeroad.

Chiswiclc. last night and stole her handbag in 3raaaie- avenue. East Acton. W. ALL-NIGHT SEARCH From Elba and the nearby island of Monte Crlsto, came a fleet of Italian motor fishing vessels to Join in an ailnight hunt by the searchlights of Italian Naval units, including minesweepers and torpedo-boats, from the ports of La Spezia, Vlareggio and Leghorn.

British, U.S., Italian and French planes also scoured a wide area until dark and reported the positions of wreckage and bodies. A four-nation rescue service which went Into immediate operation has recovered 15 bodies so far. Eight picked up dead by one Italian vessel, the Pericha, were burned. Identification of the bodies was extremely difficult Among them was the stewardess, Miss Jean Evelyn Clark, a young Indian woman and two children. Miss Clark had changed planes with the regular stewardess, Miss Elaine Baker at Karachi because Miss Baker had ear trouble.

Wreckage recovered includes a bag of mall, coats, two life-jackets and a jagged piece of metal bearing the A insignia. Flash from the clouds 15 children, 17-year-old Miss L. Yateem and six men and six brought Into Porto Azzuro, Elba, by local fishermen and carried to the tiny, whitewashed chapel of the cemetery. Tiny fishing boats, painted In faded blues and reds, had lowered flags to half-mast as they arrived In port just after dark with the bodies laid on the foredecks and covered with blankets from the fishermen's bunks says Reuter's Correspondent by radio-telephone from forto Azzuro. A priest came to the quayside and gave a benediction as the bodies, laid on planks, were transferred ashore.

Than the fishermen walked to the candle-lit cemetery chapel where flowers had been placed by village children. At the cemetery gates stands a civic guard of honour. HEARD THREE EXPLOSIONS A fisherman, 59-year-old Giovanni dl llarco. who first reported the crash to the island authorities I was fishing when I'heard the whine of the plane above the iclouds. "Then 1 heard three explosions, one after the other.

CONTINUED ON PAG! TWO UfD Af M2j xV.r\ J-i MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1954 PRICE IP IN COMET CRASH jgUTAOTg achievement in the development of Jet aircraft has become ao outstanding a feature in oar itruffle for industrial leadership that the fortunes of the Comet are inevitably watched by all with Jealous Interest and with pride. Therefore the disaster to the BO A plane over the Mediterranean, with the Joss of so many lives, is a frievous blow. To the relatives and friends of those who died, and to BOAC Itself, the Dotty Herald offers its very leal sympathy. The Wommn Within a generation women have a moat important Motion of oar staff; and the woman eaahier now a well-known member of the ataff at many of oar branches. Customers have leaned that she brings to her work the efficiency which women have displayed in many other activities, as well aa the feminine understanding which so often makes business at once easier and more pleasant.

She is one of staff of 19,000, whose knowledge, experience and goodwill are at the disposal of all who bank with CUBS fIL HE NEARLY CHANGED mSLOW PLANE By Goorgo McCarthy WILMOT nearly changed planes at Rome yesterday. When the Singapore Comet stopped to refuel there he met a group of his friends. I was one of them. We, too, were beading borne to London, but on a slower aircraft. 'We bad heard the Comet arrive, with its own whine and roar, and were delighted and surprised to see Chester walk off.

Out for TV He had been abroad for Australia and Japan material tor a TV programme Than was much news to exchange and wo were eager to bear disster tall his own high talea of peace and war 'and friends at boma and abroad. He seriously considered switching to our aircraft although it would delay Mm throe -a before be could make arrangements the loudspeakers summoned us aboard and ha decided to go back to Ms seat in the Comet due to leave SO minutes later. in the air, we heard that the aalV S.3MEXSS.K bmi htnt fIC Umm colourful stories of the jalgn He was a factual rather quiet reporter, intent on giving the whole picture of the war aa it swayed, paused and advanced. HI ISIIST perhaps. of that campaigned with him often felt that be was underrated by thorn who listened.

If that worn trot, bs found his true place in renown a year ago when Ms book, "The Struggle For Europe." was published tailing with vivid detail the first full and brilliant account of the war in the west Chester Wilmot was bom Melbourne in I9IL Ho Joined the after serving aa war correspondent with the Australian femes in Now Guinea and North Africa. police cars across London last night was due in London Midday yesterday. But i a packet of drugs to G-ALTP, the crashed Comet, with flying log of 3,5 A fflPf VHF aw the life of a boy. hours, had disappeared Into the sea. HUVlidlld fJ jHE AVSffVA i 1 a bomb he was making from a MS chemistry set given to him for 6aS6-UD i i Robert Jesty, of Stonelelgh, Sur- the Back Page of to- rey, became seriously ill to Epsom Imjnlmm day's Daily Herald you Hospital yesterday.

An SOS for liilll nam ZlSranti-tetanus drugs was sent to llwlli I Scotland Yard. ww brightest stories of one of A pouce car collected the packet the most amazing rounds 1 from a Piccadilly all-night chemist yiA in F.A. Cup history. 1 shop and drove to Chelsea Bridge. Kg Read the Back Page and There the packet was lid 111 i you will know why you must i ferred to an Division car and i 1 never Monday's Daily taken to Tooting Broadway.

And AUSTRALIA will relax her HeraUL remaining import controls -jJj- Th drugs arrived 48 minutes In April, Reuter reports from after the SOS went out Total import, ol mort 0( Brltbh I Dny Mn 0 gpfe China, textile and engineering PUT llUs 4 ILwlO exporters will benefit but a degree si i of restriction is expected to stay i IQCQI Wlff HIPAItfIT fiANIIti wrong serum Although details have not yet rnew competition starting in been completed it is estimated 1 the Daily Herald tomorrow VIENNA, serum Britalnwin be allowed to send with a mast be won prise 1 flown across the Atlantic by Australia goods worth £4O million, of CI.SM. American Army planes to save an Dont mitt it. Start to- Austrian boy. was found to be 1 I n.t Oil In am I the loll 006 when lfc reached HH i -1 -XL 1 1 morrow, and fill in an entry Innsbruck. Dun fleaui immmamaeaemmeawei night it was flown across the A MAN reported wl 'f on RIRMIrR Its victims are liable A fotoddwfl nU nWHNUMU to bleed Ao death even from a vesterday in about 15 inches of An MP's daughter, 15-year-old AP.

water in a drainage ditch near Lenetta Bromley-Davenport, re- inMII ass a Si SWON to ransack her top-flat home at The condition of Lord Simon, He was Mr. Russell, ait Westminster-gardens. S.W. 80-year-old former Lord Chan- 5 2 Lieut-Col. Walter Bromley- cellor.

was last night" giving some CHESTER WILMOT, broadcasting as a BBC war corre- of Montague-road. Norm End. Daveni)orti Tory or Kniits- cause for anxiety." it was said at spondent. Below: George MoCarthy of the Dolly Herald, So Inr-irttgattiTy at the spot ford che6hlre l4 out oi London Westminster Hospital who covered the war fronts with Wilmot, tells of their said that the possibility of foul 1 meeting in Borne yesterday. play had not been ruled out rlimti i 1 fwK 1 Jar c' fIHI ann.iM I flfll.