Shanghai, Dee. 30.
Taking oficial eave from the Shanghai Defence Force, Lieut-Col. L. Grenier inspected an international guard of honour at the Race Course yesterday morning.—Detachments from all military units at present sta-Moned in Shanghai, including the Russian Regiment, S. V. C., attended, and this impressive parade was a clear indication of the popularity which the commanding officer of the French forces in Shanghai enjoyed among his collogues of other nations.
Lieut. Col. Grenier is about to leave for Indo-China and hopes that from there he will be transferred to France to take up a new command, assumed his post here in March of this year, his superior officers thereby proving the faith they had him, seeing that conditions prevalling in Shanghai at the time were far from favourable.
Very Popular Among the oticers and men of his command, Lieut-Col. Grenier was very popular and he was considered by one and all as a man whose feel-Ing for duty came before anything else, Lieut-Col. Grenier graduated from the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1914 and frst saw acilon at the front as a Second Lieutenant, He was wounded almost immediately after wards, Promoted" Lieutenant October 1915, and Captain less than year afterwards, Lieut.-Col. Grenier was decorated "with the Legion @Honneur and the Croix de Guerre. He was cited for outstanding bravery fon six different occasions and Was again wounded in 1918, Atter the armistice, Lieut -Grenier was sent to Africa and for a number of years thereafter held a command in Indo-China. He was then transferred to the Saint-Maixent Military School where he directed special courses and later joined the French Air Force, where he completed a course as observer.
Meanwhile, he was appointed Battalion commander and assumed his resent rank in September 1934, When he leaves, Lieut.-Col. Grenier will be accompanied by Mme. Grenier and their children, Governmental heads in the wartime capital, while Mr, Wang Ching-wel's newspapers and some of the Chi language Japanese newspapers led articles by the proposed head of the new Central Government of China.
Members of the faction advocating peace with the Japanese were sponsible for the distribution of many leaflets during the holiday orlod, these being handed out from cars in different parts of the two foreign areas. The leaflets, which were issued under the auspices of the "Political Training Bureau of the Purging Committee for Kiangsu, Chekiang and Anhwei," a Wang Ching-wel organization, urged guerillas to forsake Chungking and to return to their farms. The Shanghai Peace Movement Association also issued many pamphlets, Hungjao was very popular with members of the foreign community on New Year's Day. For those fond of riding there was a paper hunt during the afternoon, starting from Minghong Road, and this was well-attended. Others enjoyed the fresh air of the countryside by riding at more leisurely pace, others were abroad on bicycles and there were countless others who enjoyed it all during brisk walks along the country The cinemas reported excellent holiday "business. "These have been crowded since Saturday afternoon and they look like doing a record New Year holiday trade before Thursday arrives and Shanghai goes back work. For the sports lovers there were' plenty of games during the week-end and large crowds were present at the Racecourse and at the Canidrome where the big attraction yesterday was the first meeting this Season between the Seaforth High-Tanders and the unbeaten Lido XI.
The welcome to 1940 was a rousing tone. Shanghai cest off its closh of gloom and took on an air of gaiety. Everywhere there was increased spending. Both the Chinese and foreign communities celebrated Javish style and happiness was everywhere. Although the future is still uncertain everything pointed to a better year than 1939, In contrast with many other larger cities, the New Year celebrations in Shanghai were significant because of the fact that there were very few Jaceldents during the holiday period.
serious mishaps occurred in spite of the heavy traffic and most of the ambulance calls received during the period were to remove sick people to hospital.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.