Guerilla activities in the region of Soochow show no signs of slackening despite the more rigid restrictions enforced by the Japanese troops in the area, as news reached Shanghai yesterday that Chinese guerillas blew up a train of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway near Soochow at about 9 pin. on Saturday and completely wrecked a third class coach and the locomotive.
The number of casualties is unknown as yet, but the damage was of such proportions that the line was blocked for 15 hours and it was not until midday yesterday thet railway communication was restored The wreck of the train took place two miles East of Weitirg, a village East of Soochow on that portion of the line between Taihu and one of the smaller lakes.
Travellers from Nanking brought the news of the destruction to Shanghai and they stated that the railway had been mined in spite of four strands of live wire which had been strung up along the line.
Guerillas in this neighbourhood have been active despite the best efforts of the Japanese and guards belonging to the new regime in Nanking to round them up. They have inflicted damage "chiefly north and east of Soochow.
Lieut-General Percival declared that "it would be wrong" to await the coming period "with a feeling that we shall be engaged merely in defending ourselves from the mighty German onslaughts... It is by aggressive, not defensive, action whereby wars are won and it is through counter-offensives that Britain has always emerged victorious."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.