大象传媒

When Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, Hallie Salace was given sanctuary in Britain in a house on the Loudwater Estate just down the road from us. He had a really tall Ethiopian guard, really tall with a long thin face, who looked really fierce. He had a big spear which he used to point at us. I later found out he was an Askari Warrior.

Of course any new face was a magnet to us kids and we would flock down there to peer in through the high railings. Every morning the tall guard would come out and place 5 golden frogs in a straight line along the grass! We kids had never seen anything like it before! Hallie Salace used to come out and inspect the frogs each morning whilst having a fag. Well every Saturday we used to belt down there in time to see this ritual taking place. This one Saturday we were there watching and after Hallie Salace had looked at his frogs he went over to his guard and said something. The guard started to walk over to the gate where we were standing and we started to back away but he beckoned us in! He couldn't speak a word of English. We spent ages in there talking to Hallie Salace and eating fruit cake (which was like gold dust then) and drinking lemonade. He let us play with his frogs and told us about them. They were solid gold and weighed 2LB each! He told us they were family heirlooms. The frogs had perfect green stones for eyes. I would think they were emeralds. He allowed us to go into his home where we sat on a huge horseshoe shaped sofa. It was so huge when Hallie Salace sat back on it his feet didn't touch the floor! He asked us if we liked school and if we were good boys. He had a very long pointy beard. At 4 o'clock we left and the frogs were taken in for another day. We kids were made up and Hallie Salace was a really nice man. After the war he returned to his own country and I know that he was murdered by his own people. I don't know whatever became of those frogs. I know he didn't have any children to pass them on to.

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Jacci Phillips of the CSV Action Desk at 大象传媒 Hereford and Worcester on behalf of Albert George Smith and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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