EPIC OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 221, 17 September 1940, Page 8

EPIC OF WAR.

SUICIDE SQUAD'S FEAT Unexploded Bomb Removed From Near St. Paul's. United Press A RRociatlon.-"—Copyright. (Reed, noon.) liONDON, Sept. 16. With pictures arid prose, the newspapers applaud the courage of the "suicide squads" who, under the more prosaic title of the Bomb Disposal Section of the Royal Engineers, have dealt effectively with many delayed-action bombs. Their removal of the giant bomb which threatened to destroy St. Paul's Cathedral stands among the most remarkable stories of heroism in the Battle for London.

I The magnificent courage of the few men who safely removed the bomb has been warmly praised on all sides, and * there is world-wide relief that Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent master- '■ piece, St. Paul's, escaped undamaged. , In approving the Indian Congress , resolution expressing admiration for the ; bravery and endurance of the British ( people Gandhi said: "Any damage to . St. Paul's would be as keenly felt by i me as would" damage to Benares." , The bomb fell last Thursday in the 1 Dean's Yard, close to the west end of | the Cathedral, and entered the roadway beside the pavement. Immediately a squad of the Bomb Disposal Section, under Lieutenant R. Davies, began to dig for is. .el The amazing story was deseribedjna broadcast by Mr. A. G. Macdonnell:— j "The first thing they found was that a 6in gas pipe had been smashed by the bomb. Three of the engineers were gassed. Then the gas main caught fire, and the Gas Company was summoned to help with the flames. The Gas Company's men arrived, and they struggled to extinguish the lire. Gas Fire Extinguished. "No one, all this time, either of the Gas Company or of the Bomb Disposal Engineers, had any idea how close the flames might be to the bomb—but they went on working. "At last the fire w«s extinguished and the engineers were able to go on digging- They dug down for 27Jft before they came to the bomb, and when they reached it they found that it was a bomb—and no mistake! It was the father and mother of all bombs. It was a king of bombs. It was Bft long and weighed a ton, and it was fitted with fuses which made it deadly dangerous to touch. "Furthermore, its rush through the air and its digging through the soil had given it a high polish which made it slippery and difficult to handle. But it had to be handled, because the whole of St. Paul's Cathedral was threatened by it.

Tracks Haul Out Bomb. "The engineers went on working. They rigged up a special, tackle and they went down into the hole and fitted the tackle to the bomb.*~ "Then two motor trucks were hitched up to the tackle, and very slowly and very carefully they hauled the bomb out of the hole. At any moment it might have exploded—this gigantic monster of high explosive. "The next step was to clear all the streets between St. Paul's and Hackney Marshes, an open space to the east of London several milee from the Cathedral. Then the. 'bomb was hoisted on to the truck and Lieutenant Davies got into the driving seat of the truck and drove it as fast as possible to the marshes. Deposited in Marsh. "The bomb was deposited, and was blown up, by the Bomb Disposal Section on Sunday. It made a crater 100 ft. across, and so it is fairly reasonable to say that if it had been left in position | it would have brought down the whole i of St. Paul's Cathedral—Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece and the seventh ! largest church in Christendom. I think i Lieutenant Davies and his men deserve j the thanks of all Christians." I The Ministry of Home Security states: "Only the courage and tenacity of Lieutenant Dayies and his men pre--1 vented St. Paul's from being levelled to the ground." . i CHINA SUFFERS TOO. FURTHER JAP. AIR RAIDS. (Reed. 11 a.m,) CHUNGKING, Sept. 16. Over 50 Japanese 'planes participated ill two raids on the office and residential districts. - • Casualties were few, but the damage wae gxtensiv*. ,