No 10229, Wednesday 10 Aug 11, Neyartha

Doggies day today, besides the French connections.
ACROSS

1   - Arms go missing as irate Chamberlain scraps U.K. government department (7,6) - SPECIAL BRANCH (SPECIAL BRANCHarms*)

9   - European's fried potato strips? (6) - FRENCH [CD]

10 - Union leader preparing treacle may develop sores (8) - ULCERATE {U}{LCERATE}

11 - One in the water not thinking clearly (3) - OAR Anno pending

12 - European leader inside old German kingdom's borders ignored by the publisher (6) - ISSUER aISSU{E}Rp <- No reversal indicator

13 - Bishop removing the page's cough drop from the old European prison (8) - BASTILLE {B}{pASTILLE}

14 - Large commercial ship built with reliance on … (5,5) - OCEAN LINER*

17 - … check given as per the auditor's command (4) - REIN (~reign)

18 - Red alert in part of the valley (4) - DALE [T]

19 - I tug O'Neill somehow to the tonsil remover (10) - GUILLOTINE*

21 - Literary Nobelist Andre protecting westbound Rod's counterpart from the massacre (8) - GENOCIDE {G{ENOC<-}IDE}

23 - Get rid of the Yankee for being dishonest (6) - SHIFTY {SHIFT}{Y}

25 - Greek character caught with fish eggs (3) - ROE (~rho)

26 - Model roasted turnips for the meat skewer rotating dog (8) - TURNSPIT {T}{URNSPIT*} That would have been one helluva hot dog!!

27 - Old European coins with the subject mostly sent back (6) - LIVRES  eLIVERS <-

28 - Army officer's encounter with the coordinated work stoppage (7,6) - GENERAL STRIKE {GENERAL} {STRIKE}

DOWN

2   - Family of flowering plants given to the Trojan prince in the capital (5) - PARIS [MD]

3   - Joined Jack aboard the ocean tug at sea (9) - CONJUGATE {CON{J}UGATE*}

4   - Detest article by physicist on inversion of the hydroxyl radical (5) - ABHOR {A}{B(+h)HO(-h)R}

5   - European royal present to take possession of the old city's first building (7) - BOURBON {BO{UR}{B}ON}

6   - Inherited stellar surroundings of the new church (9) - ANCESTRAL {A{N}{CE}STRAL}

7   - Selection of decor given with the Welsh dog (5) - CORGI [T]

8   - Disciple embracing volunteers raising sick horse (8) - STALLION {S{TA}{LLI<-}ON}

15 - Tea given twice to Latin wife in European country houses (8) - CHATEAUX {CHA}{TEA}{UX}

16 - Small gift from a shopkeeper to the customer has an appealing form (9) - LAGNIAPPE*

17 - RV retiree repurposed for the dog (9) - RETRIEVER*

20 - Apathy of itinerant throwing away the books after shredding (7) - INERTIA INERTIAnt*

22 - A pound of theory's worth in common sense (5) - OUNCE [E]

23 - Rings son to dispose of the second-grade hawks (5) - SELLS (-b+s)SELLS

24 - Pull and adjust (5) - TWEAK [DD]

GRID