TORQUAY RAIDED

Grey River Argus, 1 June 1943, Page 5

TORQUAY RAIDED

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE Children Killed in Church [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Rec. 7.40.) LONDON, May. 31. The bodies of twenty-one children have been recovered from a parish church which German Focke "Wulf planes bombed in a south-west coast town yesterday afternoon. The Berlin, radio says that the town bombed was Torquay. Most of the children were very young. The victims included a number of waifs and strays from an Orphans’ Home.

The church, in which a special service was being held, was practically laid in ruins. Workers late on, Sunday night were still searching the ruins.

Several houses were also destroyed and a number of people were killed. Other people were rendered homeless.

The raid on the town was made by twenty-one planes. One third of the planes were turned back by vigorous anti-aircraft fire.

Other enemy planes machine-gun-ned beaches, causing casualties. These including a father, who was shot dead beside his voung son, who also was shot through the foot. The raiders then indiscriminately bombed the town

Three large hotels and many dwellings were badly damaged. Some shops were demolished. It is believed that live of the raiders were destroyed. The bodies recovered from the church include that of one teacher. There are several teachers and fifteen children missing, but some of them may not have been in the building. Between 40 and 50 children from an infants’ school, were assembled in a nearby parish hall. These escaped injury.

■ If the raid had been made i- en minutes later, it would have endangered a whole gathering at which there usually would have been one hundred children.

East Anglian Towns Bombed

BUILDINGS DAMAGED. (Rec. 7.40.) LONDON, May 31. Twelve German planes, Focke Wulf 190’s attacked two towns hi East Anglia late on Sunday. One was shot down int the sea. Its, crew were rescued by a lifeboat, it is believed that other of the planes were damaged. An empty church was wrecked. A hotel and other buildings were badly damaged. earlier school tragedy. (Rec. 7.40.) LONDON, May 31. ; It has been revealed that thirtynine children and five teachers were killed on January 30 last, when a bomb dropped by dav raiders hit the Catford School in Lewisham. A.A. GUNNERS SUCCESSFUL LONDON, May 30. All light anti-aircraft batteries m the area of south-west England opened tip as German Focke Wulf fighter--1 bombers this afternoon swept in from the sea. Two raiders crashed within seconds. A third raider was shot down by an R.A.F. fighter. The antiaircraft guns shot down three and also claimed hits on additional planes. The Nazis machine-gunned a town, scattering children going to Sunday school. One bomb hit a large private hotel and others fell in the shopping area and damaged properties by blast. The casualties include a number killed. When he landed at his base after shooting down a Focke Wulf over Guernsey, following an 80-mile chase this afternoon, .a Typhoon pilot found he had flown back with a piece of the enemy aircraft cowling lodged in the radiator, says the Air Ministry. The Focke Wulf was one of four destroyed in the raid to-day by 15 Focke Wulfs on a south-west coast town. The other three raiders were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. I Light anti-aircraft gunners on the English coast destroyed at least nine fighter-bombers sent last week to raid the seaside towns, and many more Focke Wulfs were so badly damaged that, they may not have returned to their base.