MANY FIRES IN LONDON

Southland Times, Issue 24230, 13 September 1940, Page 5

MANY FIRES IN LONDON

Less Damage Done On Tuesday Night

KING AND QUEEN MAKE TOUR

(British Official Wireless)

RUGBY, September 11.

In Tuesday night’s enemy activity over London, although much damage was done to private properties, it was less than on the previous night and the casualties were very much less severe, according to the Ministry for Home Security. Incendiary bombs caused many fires, but only one major fire was caused and all were soon brought under control. Full reports of the casualties are not yet available, but 18 are known to have been killed and 280 injured in the London area. Several casualties on Monday night make the total now reported about 400 killed and 1400 injured, the majority of the fatalities occurring when an elementary school in the East End of London, which was affording temporary shelter to families whose homes had been destroyed, was hit and collapsed. FIERCE ATTACKS The German Air Force again lost nearly a quarter of its raiders in a two-hour air battle over London and the south-east of England on Wednesday afternoon. So fiercely did the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots attack the enemy formations while crossing the coast that only a small proportion of the bombers succeeded in reaching the London dock area, which was apparently the chief target. The King and Queen took shelter under a police station this morning during an air-raid warning, while their Majesties were on a tour of the bombed areas in south-east London. The King and Queen first visited a block of flats where a direct hit was scored by a German bomb and a number of people was killed. They were deeply moved by what they saw and then conversed with bereaved persons. They watched air raid precaution workers clearing the wreckage and expressed warm appreciation of their work. QUEEN SPEAKS TO WOMEN

As their Majesties walked from the scene, the Queen conversed with a group of women, many of whom had lost relations in raids. As their Majesties entered the car this group sang, “There’ll Always Be An England.” Proceeding to another place where a heavy calibre bomb had completely demolished 12 houses on one side of the road and wrecked 12 others Opposite, the Queen again spoke to a number of women, one of whom said: “Hitler knocked our house down, but he ain’t got us down.” Their Majesties both climbed over the debris to look into the huge crater which the bomb caused. As they walked down the streets between the wrecked or badlydamaged houses both the King and Queen frequently stopped and spoke to people, who told them that their visit cheered everyone up wonderfully. One of the women said to their Majesties: “Hitler has to have a bodyguard wherever he goes, but you come down here just like this. God bless you and keep 1 you”