Singapore, Oct. 2.
Lieut-General A. E. Percival in a radio broadcast last night said that at the beginning of the third year of the war "our position is progressively improving although war has been brought nearer to Malaya than ever before."
Gen. Percival said that forces in Western Mediterranean, Oct. 2. over the the fortified island of Pantellaria lit up the her-hour with their glare like daylight in the early hours of Sunday moming, and for the next tve minutes the harbour, wharves and buildings were an inferno of exploding shells.
British light forces, probably including cruisers which the Italians "sank" during attacks on_a British convoy, were bombarding Pantellaria, and in five minutes they poured a rain of 122 high-explosive shells into the target from quick-firing guns. which was defended with the heaviest guns, "The Italians were taken gompletely by surprise" he said, "and did not reply to our fire until the bomb-erdment was over and we were steaming away in the darkness. None of their shells fell within a mile of a ship. We opened fire at 130 am. with star shells. As they burst we could see clearly the har-hour. It was a furious five minutes, end as we ceased fire, columns of smoke were rising in many places. As we turned away and steamed past, gun flashes could be seen, but the gunners had no chance to get our range."—Reuter.
Asiatics to join local defence forces due to the fact that "in total war there can. be no spectators."—United
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