LONDON PREPARES

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 239, 27 September 1939, Page 1

LONDON PREPARES

EVE OF THE WAR BREATHLESS . INTERVAL ET 01)EX TS F i Li„ FAX DBA GS Pit 0 7F< T f 0 N OF TK)S P! TALC “Well, it is still peace—or at least not finite war, I .wonder what it will he by the tune you receive this letter. Tiiingg Jilire -been very, very tense lor the past week or If! days, and all pi" paint ions ha ve Boon uun.lv for an absolutely inevitable war sinning within The next few days.”' I’ll us wi ifte Miss Xui Lunn. a well- 1 known Gisborne /csident now teniporanly located in .London, in a letter pu-web there on August gs. three days before the dec iaration ~oJ' a stale oi war between Britain dtpid Germany, winch followed the invasion of Boland. "All traffic and refuge lights have been sereeiied, and now show only a tirty coloured cross of light. Aien have been working day a ml night to paint kerbs and lamp-posts and other obstructions with wliite lines, as an indication to traffic in the absence of stiet-lights. "In the big black-out practice a week or so ago cars were allowed to drive with side and tail-lights only, hut they found that this shewed altogether too much * light, so instructions have been issued that in the event of an emergency all lamps are to he flooded and completely covered except for a strip three-eighths of an inch wide. E-jacuaticn ci Businesses "I was in tiie City yesterday morning, a mil noticed large numbers of lorries at different place's loading oliice etjtiijjiiiciii, Ales, chest x and records for removal into, the country. ! don't blame the linns for getting out. The City is a huge, rabbit-warren, with hig buildings and narrow Janes, and a fright ltd congestion of traffic. "Some of the places were sand-bag-ged up, hut not many have got so far yet. Bill (.Mr. William Tucker), was helping to .till sandbags at Bart’s on Friday. They have' ever 7vf!) toils oi sand, and all the medical students are working hard’, tilling hags ami stacking them against the walls. .Hospital!*' have got rid of all the patients who can he discharged, and serious cases are being sent to outlying hospitals. ‘‘Reservists have been called up, and all sorts and conditions ol people hold themselves ready to he called on ami si nt hither and thither at a moment's, notice. Bill says lie will he transferred to a hospital near Barnet, not many miles out of London and there In- will he cxpectedl to work and at the same’t ime complete his studies, with a view to qualifying as quickly as possible. The students who' are finishing will lie hurried through as quickly as possible.” e •’ljjflP'** Heavy Work at Barfs’ Hcsoitaw to a later portion of the letter, added some hours after the above was written, .Miss Limn mentions that her relative. Mr. Tucker, had received telephoned instructions to report, at Bin t’su-Hespital. where ho has been completing his studies, to work on

the sandbag protections again. Ho was one of a crowd of men who idled the hags in a dlepot established in thd cellars of' a demolished house,..-and who. theme carried or trucked them to the more important portions ot the hospital buildings, pai tieularly the surgery.. They had the prospect of several ip ore days’ work, as more sjfnd had lieen'hrciei-ed; and a further sacks. “Wo had been reserving, museums • and- - art galleries, for our winter amusements, and in the meantime had been making, the most of the outdoors, V adds. “Wow, owing to war preeaulions, all the principal '/■ treasures ■’-have torn conveyed to safer . , pl4ees. , '.W. , “This it tiers seems to be all war preparations for war, but just at pr&s;ent- you cannot get away from it:.Jj-ftu does not matter what you talk ofv.tJxe conversation is sure to ‘lf anything happens V’