66 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
A look back at how The Sunday Post reported the world through the years. This week: September 12, 1954. Strategic battle for control of China, UK makes atomic bomber show of strength and Scottish summer blues
Nationalists outnumbered 10 to 1 as island on red alert in fight for China
The Sunday Post reports on the continued fallout from the 1949 Chinese Civil War and the battle over the nation’s sovereignty this week in 1954.
The war saw the Communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) seize control of the country as the Nationalist Republic of China (ROC) and its supporters fled to Taiwan and were later backed by the US. But the fight was far from over and The Post
reports how the PRC had massed 320,000 troops around the ROC’S island outpost.
“Lieut-general Liu Yu-chang, commander of the island garrison, told reporters his own forces had been reinforced with heavy artillery and other equipment. The Reds [PRC] are armed mostly with Russian-made equipment.
“The Nationalist Army strength on Quemoy Island is believed to be about
32,000. Liu Yu-chang said: ‘ We are ready for them’.”
The conflict, which came to be known as the First Taiwan Strait Crisis, ended after the US threatened nuclear intervention. Though the fighting ceased, the issues were unresolved, leading to a second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958.
Meanwhile, the PRC, chastened by US nuclear dominance, set about nuclear weapons tests and detonated its first hydrogen bomb in 1967.
Are nukes to blame for bad weather?
It is both a hackneyed cliche and a veritable truism, but that doesn’t stop people complaining about the terrible Scottish summer weather.
Indeed, The Sunday Post reports that an inquiry was ordered into the state of the weather in 1954.
“The world’s weather experts have been bombarded with letters about the awful summer,” read the article.
“They have now ordered an inquiry into whether the bad summer had anything to do with hydrogen or atomic explosions. Dr Gustav Swoboda, director general of the World Meteorological Association, has been instructed to conduct the inquiry, it was learned at Geneva yesterday.
“The organisation’s committee unanimously agreed to institute the inquiry, which they consider would be of great interest to the peoples of the world.”
Licence for gun victim
“Armless Man Passes Driving Test!” screamed the headline.
To the modern reader, the article conveys bemusing surprise at the man’s abilities.
“Mr Henry Wilkinson (39) lost both limbs above the elbows in a shooting accident. Using special steel arms, he manoeuvred his car round Preston for 55 minutes. Mr Wilkinson can undress himself. He can use the phone. He can even pick up a piece of cigarette ash without breaking it!”
Bumper airshow crowd thrilled by RAF bomber acrobatics
Nuclear deterrents were in the news in 1954 and the UK was building an atomic weapons programme, as this headline “New Atom Bomber Thrills The Crowd” shows.
“The crescent-winged ‘ Victor’ bomber – the second of its type – provided a surprise climax for over 100,000 at Farnborough yesterday,” The Post reported.
“Piloted by squadron leader HG Hazelden, it had made its maiden flight earlier that day. It made a series of fast, low circuits to show its manoeuvrability.”
The Handley Page Victor was the last of its type of bomber to be operated by the RAF and was mainly used in a refuelling role during the Cold and Falkland Wars.