Grave Scoop

Two precocious young newspapermen are the sons of Britain's Princess Royal, Viscount George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 16, and the Honorable Gerald David Lascelles, 15. Since 1936 these young men have edited and distributed to their subscribers (now 200 at 55. a year) an illustrated monthly called The Harewood News. Heretofore Harewood News has been read chiefly for its illuminating racing tips, supposedly written by the publishers' father, Lord Harewood. But last week Viscount Lascelles and the Honorable Gerald Lascelles made banner headlines in London's newspapers.

Not long ago the Lascelles boys, with a group of fellow Etonians, inspected some antiaircraft guns at Leeds. They used their observations for a 900-word lead story in the August issue of Harewood News, illustrating it with cute pictures of a gun and a bomber. A copy of the News found its way to the Manchester Daily Express, which sent the story to its London office, which sent a reporter to the War Office.

Without revealing the source of the story the Express's, reporter presented it as a hypothetical case. The War Office took a "grave view," pointed out that the story gave the number and location of more than one gun, which constituted the publication of an official secret. This was just what the Express needed for a good story of its own. Next day the London papers picked it up. Headlined the Evening Standard: WAR OFFICE BUYS COPY OF THE HAREWOOD NEWS. Below were pictures of the publishers.

Embarrassed, the War Office confiscated copies of the News from libraries, wrote the young men a letter asking them please to be careful.

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