EYE-WITNESS' STORIES

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 September 1916, Page 5

EYE-WITNESS' STORIES

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

LONBON", Sept. 25. Eye-Witnesses' stories of the raid in [the Eastern counties and London show that the raid was on the biggest scale, and was full of thrilling incidents. . r Public excitement is equally divided between the destruction; in the artisan districts in south-eastern London, the tragic end of the burning Zeppelin and the comic surrender oil the officers and crew of a- first-class Zeppelin to the sleepy inliabitants of a, lonely country village.

Five ZeipjpelAns engaged in the raid in Essex dropped 84 foc-mbs. Thanks 4o the autboriitties' .precautions they failed to discover a town and a populous village, and the chief victims were sheep, poultry and rabbits. The burn/fa Zeppelim, travelling at a terrific spieed, dropped incendiary and high explosive shells ijrii East AngliaJt was greeted with am inferno of shell fire, hoi it seemed to escape from the searchlights. The inhabitants were congratulating themselves that ail was ended, when the Zeppelin returned, flying very high. When the monster fell by a miracle it naau'oiwly 'escaped' two cottages, onily smashing the front windows. A few moments later the crew hammered at the door of a cottage, but the wily labourer inside pretended to 'be asleep. He heard the commander swearing. The labourer put his wife and children in a backroom), escaped by a window, and brought a constable, who met the body of men. They replied to his queries in broken English, saying that the Zeppelin's engine had exploded. "We are prisoners of war" they said.

The German' offered no resistance. They appeared unhappy and dejected, but were quite submissive. They were conveyed to a detention camp. One sad incident is related. A soldieron special leave from the front to see his dying father arrived to find has home in ruins, his father killed and his mother and sister unconscious in hospital. The soldier scrambled over the' ruins, gazed around pitifully, and then Aug himself in the deibris and sobbed unrestrainedly. The artisan districts of London suffered severely, especially in the small working class houses. A number of the injured' are sufferting from, gas poioning, suggesting that asphyxiating Bombs were dropped. ,' Ambulances and fire engines arrived in the stricken districts with splendid prompt'trade, and the public showed fine courage. Ma-ny rushed out half dressed, men with top coats over their •pyjamas, and women in their nightgowns. The children were very brave. , Although they were terribly frightened and some were hurt, they showed wonderful patience. Eye-witnesses record a fine spectacle afforded by several British airmen go- i ing n'ru pursuit of the assassin©, though' the Zeppelins were very high.. The British soon lost the pursuit The crew taken prisoner were most timorous, and seemed to fear that they would be lynched. * The commander: asr serts that -the descent toengine but the chief engineer hotly disputed the statement. '""",.' •<■.-.