Another irritating . sign today is the slowness with which the
military authorities are clearing up barbed wire and opening up coast paths closed for defence purposes. A year before the war I mentioned in' this column a rather ominous " squatter " diversion (now extended) of the path along the- magnificent cliff walk from Cadgwith to the Lizard. At another point this path has been entirely blocked by wire entanglements protecting an R.A.F. installation. No one could object to these protective measures during the war. Since the German defeat there has not been much serious risk of attack. None the less, the path has not been reopened, and there are hundreds of yards of festooned wire along and across it. An anti- aircraft gun under a tarpaulin still stands out against the open Atlantic. So also does an army mangle (this mangle has been there for several years rusting in the winter storms). There are half-empty huts and a half-empty hotel, still requisitioned at the taxpayers' expense, although there is a large half empty aerodrome two miles off and, as an after-thought, a new aerodrome in course of con- struction two or three miles from the first one.
* * * *
Previous page
