HEROIC SPIRIT OF LONDONERS

Southland Times, Issue 24239, 24 September 1940, Page 5

HEROIC SPIRIT OF LONDONERS

Londoners faced their sixteenth successive night raid when the German bombers appeared over the capital on Sunday night. The German -broadcast, by gloating over the fact that “Londoners were allowed to spend the night in underground stations” and that it was “now learned that during the last 48 hours Londoners have had to spend 15 in air raid shelters,” has shown an utter lack of understanding the spirit in which such “cover” is taken. The adaptation of Londoners to the new night life, necessitated by the threat of murder from the sky, is glowingly praised by neutral correspondents, one of whom suggests that the Germans are far from the mark if they are mistaking Cockney commonsense fox - panic and fear. The attitude of Londoners is summed up by the catch phrase continually heard, with comic emphasis, when the sirens sound, “it’s that man again.” BUSINESS AS, USUAL The Japanese newspaper Nichi-Nichi publishes a despatch from its Berlin correspondent giving an account of a telephone conversation he had with Mr Okamoto who has been Counsellor of the Japanese Embassy in London. The latter was speaking from Madrid. Mr Okamoto said that the Japanese residents in London were well and cheerful. He reported that there were no sighs of any intention on the Government’s part to move away from London. The people of London were calm and the trains and buses were running as usual. The slogan “Business as Usual” appears on most business premises in all parts of London which have been damaged by enemy bombing. In particular, shops partially wrecked in the early part of the week are carrying on. They have been temporarily refurnished and restored and the windows blown in by the blast have been replaced by wooden shutters and other make-shift material. Workmen are busily engaged in replenishing the fittings destroyed. The minimum of interference has occurred in premises not entirely destroyed by the blast of bombs or by fire. Even in Oxford street, where some of the big stores suffered severely from the bombing, most of the shops will open again on Monday and in some of them fresh window displays on the newly-erected shelves and stands were already attracting customers today. The wreckage has been almost entirely cleared from the streets' in the most popular thoroughfares.

Arrangements have been made with the sanction of the Board of Trade whereby wholesalers may distribute stocks at present concentrated in warehouses by placing them for storage with retailers. This plan has been adopted at the instance of certain trade organizations in order to minimize the risk of damage from air raids. COUNTRY DISTRICTS RAIDED An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique states: There was no enemy air activity on a large scale on Sunday morning, although isolated aircraft crossed the east and south coasts from time to time. Some of these penetrated inland over East Anglia and a few reached London. Bombs were dropped in country districts in East Anglia, Hampshire and Kent, in two towns in Sussex and in the north-west and south-east districts of London. Several houses were hit and some were damaged. Damage was caused to gas and water mains. A few persons have been reported killed and injured. One enemy bomber was shot down during the day. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique states: An attack made shortly before dark on Saturday evening in south-west England was not heavy. A few bombs were dropped in the south-west outskirts of the London area and at a few places in Kent and Sussex. The damage caused was slight and there were no casualties reported. It is now known that a second enemy bomber was shot down by British fighters yesterday afternoon. British fighters suffered no loss during the day. GREATER ACTIVITY AT NIGHT By night enemy activity was somewhat more widespread than on the previous nights, though London again was the principal objective. Bombs were dropped in several parts of the capital, and once more the attack was heaviest in the eastern and southern districts. A town in north-west England was also attacked. In these two areas houses were destroyed and damaged and fires started. Most of them were quickly brought under control. It was largely due to the work of the fire services that the damage caused was not more serious. There have been a number of casualties, some fatal. In south-east England, outside the London area, a number of houses was destroyed by bombs and some casualties caused, one of which was fatal. Elsewhere, little damage has been reported.

The German long-range guns twice shelled Dover this morning.