MEAGRE DAMAGE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 246, 14 September 1940, Page 7

MEAGRE DAMAGE

SURVEY OF RAIDS

NORTHERN IRELAND ATTACKED

(British Official Wireless.) . (Rec. 11.7 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 13. A survey of last night’s and today’s enemy raids on Britain is contained in an Air Ministry communique issued at 9 p.m., which states that further details of the enemy’s attack confirm that no extensive damage was done, though bombs were dropped on many parts of the country.

In two towns in the Midlands and one town on the South Coast houses were damaged. In one of the Midland towns a small number of casualties were caused.

In the London area the number of persons killed and injured in last night’s attack was not heavy. Fuller reports of the previous night’s casualties show that 110 persons were killed and 260 injured in the London area.

Early this morning incendiary bombs were dropped in districts in Northern Ireland and small fires were _started, but were quickly extinguished, and no casualties resulted.

j _ The Ministry of Public Security at Belfast has issued a statement that a single aircraft made an unsuccessful attack on shipping off the coast of Northern Ireland.' Subsequently, a small number of incendiary bombs were dropped on a coastal town. A few fires were eaused, hut were soon under control. The damage was slight, arid there were no casualties. This is the first time bombs are known to have been dropped over Northern Ireland.

At midday to-day, in'addition to the attacks on London, enemy aircraft in small numbers dropped bombs in several districts of South-East England. In a town in Essex considerable damage was done, but no casualties are reported. In several other places houses and cottages were hit, but the genera] damage and casualties are reported to be slight.

Later, enemy aircraft, continuing the method of sudden attack and retreat which characterised their activities throughout the dav, dropped bombs on one district in Central London, in Eastbourne, and some places in Kent, and in one town in Surrey some casualties resulted. In London and in Eastbourne there were also some casualties, most of them slight. An enernv bomber was shot down by our figliters this morning. MORE NAZI LIES. Enemy wireless stations to-night were reporting that the British Government, the Court, and the Diplomatic Corps are on the verge of leaving London. They stated that their authority for this entirely unfounded report was the American Columbia Broadcasting Coy.’s reporter in London. The reporter in question, Mr Edward Murrow, has authorised a statement that the German version of his remarks totally misrepresents his meaning.

The actual words were: “Presumably, plans for the evacuation of London have been ready for more than a year, but I do not believe that serious consideration is being given to such ’a step at the moment. The King n.nd the Government are still in London. and unless the city becomes untenable I believe they will remain.”

The German story, therefore, gives to Mr Morrow’s words a sense exactly the opposite to what he intended.

A further Gorman allegation that the Diplomatic Corps are considering making a demarche to the Foreign Office about leaving the capital is authoritatively stated to be equallv untrue. Allegations of this kind from German and German-controlled sources are not unexpected at this moment, and their repetition may be expected over' the next few days] The German Propaganda Ministry is obviously redoubling its efforts to persuade the world that the British morale is cracking.

WONDERFUL HEROISM

CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICES

LONDON, Sept. 13. After touring the metropolitan districts, Mr W. Mabane (Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Home Security) in a broadcast, paid a striking tribute’to London’s fire defence units. Mr Mabane said blackened men with bloodshot eves were manning hoses among dying flames, scorning relief. Women ambulance drivers wore waiting to take away casualties while fire threatened to cut off their retreat. Men worked on in the presence of a time bomb till it exploded, . causing deflths among them. These things were woven in the tapestry of the country s heroism —men and women working by the light of fire with death at the elbow. . ~ ’ * 1