LONDON’S ORDEAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24400, 11 September 1940, Page 7

LONDON’S ORDEAL

BARBAROUS ATTACKS INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING ST. PAUL’S ENDANGERED .... ••■--.• ’■ ' ’• . ♦ , . (By Wireless) ■ daventry. sept. 10. : , (Received Sept. ll r at I a.m.) After’a third night of intensive bombing London remains calm, , quiet and determined. Numbers of peonle have had their 'houses damaged or destroyed, but remarkably few of them have received injuries . themselves, thousands of people are back at work this morning as if nothing had happened, the trains to the business area Of the city being crowded, while large numbers arrived in the city by bus or on foot.. An Air Ministry communique states that following the heavy losses suffered by the raiders during their first attack on the city, all pretence of bombing military targets was thrown off. Bombs were, scattered indiscriminately some falling near St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Guildhall, on a maternity hospital, a home for the aged, and on a large number of small houses in the eastern suburbs, »,■; There was little; air activity in other parts of England. The casualties in. last night’s raid are not yet known, but those ; In Sunday night’s attack were 286 killed and approximately 1400 seriously injured. In that raid the Germans lost 52 planes. 49 being shot down by fighters and three by anti-aircraft batteries. Three of our pilots who were first reported missing are now known to be ,-rltfe. V-":-"--. ' v' •’ . . k.; Londoners, were in their shelters for just over nine hours last night,Je^e^.,for’the large numbers of air raid wardens, auxiliary fire fighters, emergency rescue sqUads and all the other civilian services who carried bn magnificently during the raid. Their work was with ab efficiency that commanded the warmest ad- ' miration and they were the heroes of the raids. THE EAST END HARD HIT - ’ :r When the first raid commenced on Saturday the attacks were aimed at docks and other military objectives, but the raiders soon began* dropping their bombs any where, and the bombing on Sunday ;was .wiidefr than ever; apparently with no thought whatever of a ' ■ precise target ’Once again , tw’o hospitals were hit. but fortunately ; there Were no casualties. The East End was again hard hit. workhoused being demolished. BOmbs fell round St. ’ Paul s Cathedral, but it was not damaged, although until the fire-fighters eommehced work the.cathedral was endangered to some extent by' -. fire. One business premises nearby received a direct hit from a Tiigh-Pxplosivei bomb, and collapsed. '" " r -In. London five oi; six houses were hit and reduced # •t - to' a hiige : pile of debris, and it is feared that a number of people '/were:trapped in the wreckage. In various glaces throughout the city bombs fell in roadways and damaged gas and water mams. There is no desire to minimise the effect of the latest exhibition of fcazl terrorise; but London is carrying on as ™ ’ iisiial -although some people arrived late nt the office this • ■' -- /morning. The general result of the raids has been to arouse 1 more contempt for .Hitler’s barbarism than fear.

HOSPITALS HU ENEMY AIR ATTACKS SUNDAY NIGHT’S RAIDS LONDON THE MAIN OBJECTIVE (British Official Wireless) ■H : ■ , .V, RUGBY, sept. 9. • Reports of the damage caused in the on. London on Sunday night are hot yet complete, states an Air Ministry and Home Security communique, but some particulars can now. be given. The attacks were severe and continued throughout the hours of darkness. Bombing was widespread over the London area and. for the most part, indiscriminate. Many of the targets "were of a non-military character, including three hospitals and two, museums. The number of casualties cannot at present be assessed, though, as far as information is available, it is not’anticipated that the numbers will exceed Saturday’s figures. The. casualties given for the attacks'on that day are now found to be ..rather lower than were announced'. According to present information 306 were killed and 1337 seriously, injured. The docks on both sides of the riyer were again subjected to heavy and repeated bombardments with high-explosive and- incendiary bombs. A number of fires broke out : Many of these have been extinguished and all the remainder are now well in hand. . London has once again been the main objective of the enemy,-and its citizens have met the blind savagery of these latest night attacks with admirable courage and resource. Raiders Operate Singly It is authoritatively estimated that at least 150 enemy machines, mostly operating singly, were engaged in last night’s raid. * Spitfires are believed to have shot down three Messerschmitts over south-east London in the evening, when big bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked the metropolis. Some bombed the inner London area. • Raiders last night bombed a hospital in the London area which was unoccupied and reserved for raid casualties. They reduced a threestorey wing to rubble. Another wing was damaged. . A bomb striking a museum caused a fire which burned off the roof of the east wing. Another bomb demolished' a.. house immediately opposite, and a third damaged another house near by. Another museum in the London area was also damaged ; King Tours Bombed Areas -The King .to-day made a threehour tour of the areas in east and south-east London which suffered most from enemy bombing. His Majesty, who travelled up from Windsor specially to make the tour, commented upon the wonderfu I bravery Of the people in these areas,

V/ho, though many of them have been rendered homeless and suffered personal bereavement, appeared cheerful and gave the the warmest reception. At many places which the King visited A.R.P. workers were, still hard at, work, and his Majesty had occasion to congratulate the various services for their good work and courage.

Later the K&g drove to a road where a huge bomb had struck and completely destroyed a row of eight houses. The King clambered up a huge pile of debris in front of a Crater 75 feet wide and 50 feet deep. Dirt-begrimed ATLP. workers were still searching here for bodies, and one man showed the King a big piece of bomb. The King saw many other buildings, including a big block of flats which had moved one yard as the result of a bomb explosion, but which had not'fallen down. The King was obviously moved when he saw A.R.P. workers still searching for bodies. ' The German Version A communique states: “ Bomber formations, in spite of bad weather conditions, continued the reprisals against London. They were able to recognise their targets from a great distance by the fires still burning. Bombs of all calibres were dropped on both sides of the Thames, on docks, 'harbour works, oil depots, gas and electricity works, and warehouses. Photographs from the air confirm the effectiveness of the previous, attacks We attacked several aerodromes in the neighbourhood of Lincoln “ British olanec attacked residential quarters in Hamburg 'and damaged several houses. Some civilians were injured. The enemy lost a total of 22 planes Four of ours missing

“ Bombs damaged a merchantman of 8000 tons in the Firth of Forth.” The German News Agency claims that a bomber considerably damaged installations at Woolwich at noon yesterday, destroying a powder magazine industrial plants, and the railway station.