Pioneers

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7.4.41 [George Orwell]

April 7, 2011 in Abyssinia, Balkans, Battle of Cape Matapan, Belgrade, Benghazi, Germany, Greece, Hitler, Jugo-Slavia, Libya, Liddell Hart, Pioneers, Political, U.S.S.R., War-time, conscription by orwelldiaries

Belgrade bombed yesterday, and the first official announcement this morning that there is a British army in Greece – 150,000 men, so they say. So the mystery of where the British army in Libya had gone to it at last cleared up, though this had been obvious enough when the British retreated from Benghazi. Impossible to say yet whether the treaty of friendship between Jugo-Slavia and the U.S.S.R. means anything or nothing, but it is difficult to believe that it doesn’t point to a worsening of Russo-German relations. One will get another indication of the Russian attitude when and if the Emperor of Abyssinia is restored – i.e., whether the Russian government recognises him and sends an ambassador to his court.

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12.2.41 [George Orwell]

February 12, 2011 in Archangel, Koestler, Lord Ironside, Pioneers, Political, St Paul's, War-time by orwelldiaries

Arthur Koestler [1] is being called up this week and will be drafted into the Pioneers[2], other sections of the forces being barred to him, as a German. What appalling stupidity, when you have a youngish gifted man who speaks I do not know how many languages and really knows something about Europe, especially the European political movements, to be unable to make any use of him except for shovelling bricks.

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13.6.40 [George Orwell]

June 13, 2010 in Blackshirts, Bow, Government, Home Guard, LDV, Lansbury, Local Defence Volunteers, Lord's, MCC, Pioneers, Political, War-time, by-election, communists, pacifists by orwelldiaries

Yesterday to a group conference of the L.D.V.[1], held in the Committee Room at Lord’s…Last time I was at Lord’s must have been at the Eton-Harrow match in 1921. At that time I should have felt that to go into the Pavilion, not being a member of the M.C.C.[2], was on a par with pissing on the altar, and years later would have had some vague idea that it was a legal offence for which you could be prosecuted.

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