The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-22

later that same day, anOtklS with advancing Australian blasted iii the Lebanese eartl
 On the French side was Harold Peters, United Press staff corre- spondent covering the Syrian war from Beirut. on the attacking side was Henry T. Gorrell, United Press staff correspondent covering the Anglo-Free French drive up the Mediterranean coast.
 The had been roonlmates years before in Great Neck. N. Y. They had covered the Spanish civil war together. They had left New York a week apart on separate assign nents in the new war.
 Meet Briefly
 They met again briefly one after noon in June. a year ago, and were parted almost immediately by the vicissitudes of war Gorren to fol- low the fortunes of the British in the Balkan, withdrawing with them through Rgrnania, Bulgaria and Greece, while Peters worked his way from Budapest through Turkey 10 Beirut.
 Each had had his little odyssey and his share of narrow escapes. GorrelI as well as Peters had felt concern for Mrs. Peters and her baby. born in Copenhagen few days before the Germans moved in, and had offered, at a time when 1t appeared the Germans rather than the British would invade Syria, to provide sanctuary for them in Jeru- salem.
 One day the Khaldee front south of Beirut became silent. Cease firing" orders were issued on each side. An armistice had been signde. On July 10 the British marched into Beirut.
 Thirty minutes after the British arrived, Peters and Gorrell, each bent on his reportorial duties, met on a Beirut street. Peters spoke first:
 you're thinner" he said.
 ''Yes," Gorreli replied, I've had malria three times since I left Greece"
 Check on Each Other
 Later, at the Peters home in the mountains after an American meal preceded by sufficient aiquiris, they checked up on each other.
 On that June afternoon year ago there had been little opportu- nity for reminiscing. The scene was Budapest. Gorrell met the plane from Copenhagen. hoisted out a wicker basket in which the infant skipper" was sleeping, helped the weary prents through the customs, said goodbye" and boarded another plane for Bucharest. ] The Russians had just invaded Bessarbi, nd the Balkan tug-of-war was starting. From Bucharest, Cor rell moved south ahead of the Ger mans. He covered the Greek Italian fighting, was with the British in Greece, and finally fled with them by sea.
 While Gorrell was getting straight ened out in new assignments, Peters was with bis family in Budapest, re- porting the news from that Axis partner capital. Subsequently Peters went to Beirut. Gorrell to Jerusalem and when the Syrian campign opened they were reporting 1t from opposite sides.
 Tn emeeting in Beirut was "re- porters' luck" Gorrell had taken a taxicb to the telegraph of1ice to file his story. Peters already had dis patched bulletins on the British arrival and he was returning to the oce with additional takes"
 A column of black French colo nials leaving the city held up Peters taxi on the Rue Weygand, half 8. block from the telegraph office. He got out to watch the parade. Over the heads of the marching soldiers he saw local Lebanese colleague with what appeared to be British officer.
 Stories Filed, They Talked
 Fearing his Lebanese friend had been arrested. Peters went to his aaid and found tha tthe "ofiicer" was Gorrell in his British war cor respondents uniform.
 There was work to be done and they deferred reminiscence until their stories were filed. Then they talked.
 Where were you last Sunday2" Gorrell happened to ask.
 Near Abey, looking down on Khaldee and watching the French pump shells at the British" Peters said. "Where were you?"
 'I was crawling in and out of holes made by those shells" Cor Eell replied.
 From then on for some time 1t WSs one daiquiri after another.