SINGAPORE ATTACK

Evening Star, Issue 24282, 25 August 1942, Page 3

SINGAPORE ATTACK

ADDRESS TO IRONMASTERS' ASSOCIATION

Experiences in Singapore at the time of the Japanese attack were given by Mr B. de B. Gates, in an address to the Otago Ironmasters’ Association last night. Referring to the scorched earth policy, he said that it had been generally believed that- tho authorities had a definite plan _ to work upon should tlie occasion arise, but when tha time came it was proved that there was no suck plan. Very little actual destruction was carried out, but 1,00 U,« 000 tons of crude oil for uaval purposes were set alight, petrol tanks were destroyed, and the floating dock was sunk.

Mr Gates said that the Japanese bombing was extraordinarily accurate, and they could place a pattern ot bombs about any target they selected. He thought that the accuracy of bomfiing was partly assisted because the weather conditions were almost entirely windless, and bombs could ba dropped from a great height without wind effect having to be taken into account. Most of the bombs dropped appeared to be 250-pounders, and they had long spikes attached which enabled them to explode about a foot above the ground. It was astonishing, Mr Gates remarked, how successful this type of bomb was in creating fires. In a raid, Mr Gates declared, motor vehicles should not be on the streets. His experience had shown that automobiles left on the roads caught alight very easily, often at considerable distances from the point of explosion or outbreak of fire, and they became flaming torches that helped to spread fire and to make the work of E.P.S. organisations very much more difficult,.