March opened with Bulgaria joining the Axis. Hitler gives Yugoslavia an ultimatum, and later in the month they too join it, but Turkey's leaders refuse to, defiantly announcing: "it is better to die!"

A British raid on Norway on the 4th destroyed 11 German ships and an explosives factory. Ten Quisling traitors were brought back to London along with 300 Norwegian volunteers who wanted to fight the Germans. In the middle of March, Glasgow suffered it's first severe air raids of the war resulting in 1000 deaths and fires that could be seen 100 miles away.

On the 11th, FDR signed the lend-lease pact with the UK that would keep us supplied with the equipment and armaments needed to continue to fight, while the 15th saw the beginning of the push-back by Rommel's Afrika Korps in North Africa.

Distributed with this issue:

THE GENTLEST ART #5 - ed. Douglas Webster - 4 pages
HELLZAPOPPIN #(-) - ed. Douglas Webster - 4 pages
HE SAID #1 - ed. Ron Holmes - 1 page
TIN TACKS #2 - ed. Don Doughty - 2 pages
ZENITH #1 - ed. Harry Turner - 3 pages
STAR PARADE #1 - ed. Ken Bulmer - 4 pages

We've been at a very low ebb for some months here in Britain, but by now it does appear that we are getting over the worst.

During the last month the almost-unprecedented number of three British fan magazines appeared and yet a fourth is "on the stocks" First the resuscitated Fantast appeared, edited now by CSYoud and JFBurke in conjunction, and due to continue until the call-up of the former. Soon after Gargoyle no.4, dated Jan.'41, came out edited by Dave McIlwain (14 Cotswold St.L'pool 7) Both magazines are nicely up to standard, a high standard too! The third mag is of course your faithful FIDO, and some details of the new arrival appear below. To add to the good work, Arthur Clarke's chain letter Fanmail has been doing very well in reuniting all the scattered Londoners, altho' now Arthur has been called up (beginning of April ) its activities will suffer a partial eclipse. Other signs of the times are, the great increase in inter-fan corresponding now taking place; and the suggestions for various helpful schemes, not to mention the co-operation in the production of Fido, I am so grateful for. All-in-all, it certainly does appear as if fandom has got over the long period of war hypnosis and is determined to carry on to the best of its ability regardless of the hazards which may turn up. OTHER ITEMS A second issue of Messrs Swan publication "Yankee Science Fiction" appeared this month. Unfortunately it is impossible to be enthusiastic about it either in regard to cover, format or contents. A story by Jack Williamson is included. Incidentally, all the stories in Y.S.F. no.1 were actually taken from Science - Fiction Quarterly No. 1. RAFer Roland Forster has now got to the Shetland. Isles, which must surely be one of the most desolate spots possible to maroon a poor science fiction fan.

________________________________________ MORE "DENVENTION" DETAILS. Plans for the 1941 World Science- Fiction Convention to be held at Denver, Colorado next summer, are progressing nicely. Most prominent American fans have now joined the specially formed sponsoring organisation; the Colorado Fantasy Society. Special arrangements have been made to enable British fans to join this organisation and thus help to make the convention a success besides receiving various publications as they are issued. English sf fans can become C.F.S. members by sending back copies of any English sf magazine, professional or fan, to the value of 50 cents (about 2/6) to Lewis Martin, 125 E Race St., Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. 500 copies at least of a souvenir booklet and interested British fans will be able to obtain copies. "Booster stickers" are supplied to all CFS members and some of you will find one stuck on your copy of FIDO. ------------------------------------------------- A NEW BRITISH FAN MAGAZINE: Arthur Williams of 3 Victoria Dwellings, Clerkenwell Rd. London EC1 announces the impending publication of a new fan magazine. Entitled "The Science Fantasy Fan", the first ish will consist of 20 quarto pages and will sell at 3d. The mag is to be hectoed from a hand printed original with copious illustrations. Line-up for No. 1 includes "Browsing", book reviews; "I Meet Wm F Temple" by JE Rennison; Short story by Doughty.' "Evolution of Stf." by JHMason; a series of introductions called "Presenting"; Scienticlassic Review" - No. 1 "The Moon Pool"; and the first of a series of illustrations depicting unorthodox types of spaceships. "Stan" is a welcome addition indeed to the current gaggle of fanmaggery.

Pro-mags. UNKNOWN is on the brink, first it goes bi-monthly, then it rejects subscriptions - looks as though it is on the way out -- deep regrets. FANTASTIC NOVELS and F.F.M. will combine with the June '41 issue, and will continue under the name of F.F.M. Seems "Novels" isn't selling. MARVEL and UNCANNY are back without the sex, I've seen MARVEL and it is pretty good. Rumour has it that there will be a sister mag to COMET. FANTASTIC ADVENTURES still appears in spite of rumours of its fold-up.

Personalities. Bob Tucker has sold a story to Pohl, twill appear in ASTONISHING this spring. Damon Knight has story in first' iss. of STIRRING SCIENCE STORIES. Second iss. of this mag and first of COSMIC contain two of his poems. SaMoskowitz, has story In COMET called "The Way Back". D. B. Thompson sells ASTOUNDING his "Eccentric Orbit". Bok, Forte, Hunt, and Giunta have commenced to illustrate for the pro's. Go to it, boys, if you do good for yourselves - you do good for Fandom, (We hope!!). Bob Tucker has recently become "Daddy" for the second time, nice going pal. A word from Bill Temple, "Joan and Ann are doing fine. The latter now reads, writes, sings and drinks beer. I can't think what's been holding her back." 'Tis truly said that the sins of the fathers'....

Fan mags. Sad news, four fold-ups. Alchemist folds because its editor is so busy with "Denvention" that he has no time for his mag... Pluto closes down because two of the editors are due to be called up; pity, too, I had such a colossal article .... Le Zombie folds for 90 days, cos Bob Tucker expects to be out of work for a while - thus will be too broke to carry on. Deep regrets at the fold-up of "Fido's" pup "Cosmos".

DEATH OF FREDERICK BRITTEN AUSTIN - a brief appreciation by R.G.Medhurst

The recent lamentable death of one of our English fantasy writers obviously calls for some sort of obituary notice in "FIDO". Mr. Austin was primarily known as a magazine short-story writer (in mags of the order of "The Strand": not pulps) and his stories were collected into a number of books, He was, perhaps, rather less known as a novelist.

Of stf, interest are:
"The War-God Walks Again" - London,1926 - stories of future wars, forecasting new techniques and new weapons. Has been justified by recent developments.
"The Red Flag" - London, 1932 - a series of tales of the great revolutions of history, culminating in "The World is Red", describing the fate of the red "World Republic" of 2036.
"Tomorrow" - London, 1930 - a chronological series of tales intended to demonstrate mans' lack of moral progress. The first "Isis of the Stone Age" is set in the prehistoric past.
Also "On the Borderland" comprising a miscellany of tales of psychic & occultist phenomena.

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You are reading FUTURIAN WAR DIGEST; (nicknamed FIDO) an amateur publication dealing with and devoted to fantasy fiction. It Is published monthly by J. Michael Rosenblum from 4 Grange Terrace, Chapeltown, Leads 7; @ 3d. per copy, 2/9 per year, post free. (America 75 cents in stamps or promags.) There are also a number of accompanying sheets produced by fellow-spirits. A special Australian edition on thin paper commences with this issue, we'll be pleased to hear from you Aussies. (Just FIDO proper) Cover by Turner. Apologies for various awkward moments caused by a strained wrist of ye Ed's.

This month brings from the publishers, a story of a "different" kind, but by no means a "new" type, as the same theme has been used before, and like the book "Outward Bound" tries to envisage a journey from this world to the next. The book, "First Port of Call", by Elizabeth Jordan (London 7/6) is based on this theme, one even finds oneself wondering which of the characters will be permitted to return. An American aeroplane with its crew of five and eight ill-sorted passengers is forced down into the sea and after hours of suffering the thirteen find themselves on a mysterious island with all modern comforts. Only one is permitted to return, a rich young woman who comes, to see the error of her foolish ways. Of course it isn't STF, but its darn good fantasy, like its predecessor.

Many will be acquainted with "The Birds" by Frank Baker, those who are will be pleased to hear that he has again given us a taste of his fantasy, of a different type this time, humorous almost to the point of satire. His latest effort is published under the misleading title of "Miss Hargreaves" (Eyre & Spottiswoode 9/-). He seems to have captured the spirit of the Wells we used to know. His "title part" is an 'invention' of two young men, holidaying in Ireland, to try to make an impression on the locals, by claiming 'her' as a close friend of a local celebrity. So far do they carry this 'pretence' that she actually materialises, much to their confusion; to complicate matters she is endowed with strange "powers", such as turning into a swan. Mr Baker succeeds in bringing a delicate situation to a very satisfactory end.

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"JUST A WORD" by the Editor.

I simply must find a corner this month just to give a brief report on progress. With this issue our circulation reaches the 100 mark - about a half being subscribers, a third exchanges, while Leeds SFL members make up the rest with a couple of complimentries and one or two "specimens". After 6 months of successful working I must express sincere thanks to my collaborators, & to all those kind people who have given me encouragement, helpful criticism & suggestions, and last but by no means least, the 'ordinary' subscribers who make the paper possible at all, With a special Thank You to Doug Webster for his unexpected and lovely 'half-birthday' gift to FIDO of two reams of paper.

"Since this war began," says Jack Gibson, of 7 Belmont Road, Parkstone Dorset, "it has become increasingly difficult to get hold of science fiction magazines. Therefore I think it would be a good idea if mags at present lying unused in the possession of fans should become available to other fans who perhaps have not been so fortunate in owning them. To this end I propose setting up a "Science Fiction Exchange" on the following lines - I invite all fans who have magazines to make out a list of them & send it to me. All lists will be combined with my own, (which contains details of 153 mags) and I am willing to send the lists to anyone desirous of borrowing mags. Conditions are as set out below:

1. No more than 5 mags can be borrowed at one time.
2. No mag can be kept longer than 28 (?) days
3. Care must be taken of all books.
4. Borrower must reimburse sender for cost of postage about 2d per mag)

Well there you have Jack Gibson's plan, it's open to criticism and suggestions which you can send to him either direct or through "Fandom's GPO."

Received Recently In all some 19 pieces this month, which includes the two English items mentioned previously. Of the remaining 17, 10 are Australian. For some reason Aussie pubs. are very dear, a 16 page mag averaging 6d, and the contents are still in the adolescent stage. Of course fandom there is still comparatively young and will mature as time goes on. Of the Yanks, outstanding is the second anniversary issue of Tuckers Le Zombie, 18 pages of Pongs inimitable humour and a photo of 12 fans at the "Chicon" adorning the cover. Also arrived is the Dec. . Polaris - the weird fans own, published by Paul Freehafer. A huge issue of Pluto comes from the Literature, Science & Hobbies Club of Decker, Indiana, notable for FJA's interview with HGWells. Two issues of the old-faithful Science Fiction Fan, Nos. 52 & 53, bring Olon Wiggins classy little magazine up to data - Britisher Ken Chapman figures in each, together with assorted gossip and reviews.

PERSONAL COLUMN J.W.Banks,28 Annington Road, Eastbourne, Sussex; wishes to get into touch with pacifist science-fiction fans. For sale, at less than 1/2 pence new in at least fair cond.: post free, "Modern Utopia", Wells 1/-; "Gods of Mars", Burroughs 1/3;"Many Dimensions", Williams 1/-;"Warlords of Mars" Burroughs 1/3 "Time Machine", Wells 10d, "Tales of Space & Time", Wells 10d; "Dr Nikola", Boothby 6d; MAGS. TWS Jun 39, Unk. Jun, July 39; Weird Tales Jul 39, @ 5d each. Amazing Sep 39; last page missing @ 4d, Also 6d books @ 4d eh. "Science in War", "Digging up the Past" -Woolley; Tales of Mystery & Imagin. - Poe. Write before sending money. E.MacDonald,25 Dochfour Drive,Inverness. Wanted. Various '34, 35, 36 Astoundings. List & prices to A.V.Clarke, 16 Wendover Way, Welling, Kent. Some new people to add to the list for "Fandom's GPO" are Marion Eadie, Les Johnson, J.Gibson, A.Salmond, H.K. Bulmer, J.W.Banks, H.S.W,Chibbett, D.W. Gardiner, Rita Pittman, Abe Bloom, E.S. Needham. Wonder if we can run to a full list next month!

1) The 2/6 coin (two shillings and sixpence), known as a half-crown, was also sometimes called "half a dollar" by older people when I was a child. The 50 cents-to-2/6 exchange rate on page 2 makes it clear that a pound was worth 4 dollars during WWII. So that's where that comes from! And while on the subject, I should point out for the benefit of foreigners and the young in re the reference at the bottom of page 3, 'tanner' was the slang name for an old sixpence coin.