ORDEAL OF WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 September 1940, Page 5

ORDEAL OF WAR

ENDURED GALLANTLY BY LONDONERS

AIR RAIDS TAKEN QUIETLY. CALM WAITING FOR NEXT PHASE, (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 3. The work and social life of London is suffering relatively little disturbance during the air raids, and neutral observers are much impressed with the calm behaviour of the public. Mr Edward Murrow, an American commentator- speaking from London last night on the Columbia broadcasting system, said. “I think it is 26 plays that are running today in London. That, I believe, is better than New York. The houses are crowded, and if there is a raid warning about closing time the people stay in the theatres and dance till the all-clear sounds.

“There is no shortage of anything anyone really needs. There is plenty of food. lam not conscious of any change in my feeding habits, and I don't know anyone who is.

“The attitude toward the air raids is one of rather calm detachment. People with children enter the shelters and most of the others want to stay outside and watch. “The British people are waiting calmly for the next phase. They are not scared, nor are they frivolously over-confident; but they are sure they will win, no matter how long it lasts.” BRAVE GIRL WORKERS. When the Minister of Supply, Mr Herbert Morrison, visited factories in a Midlands area which have been subjected to heavy but hardly effective bombing raids he told of gallant devotion to duty on the part of girl workers. At one factory a bomb fell about 50 yards from the office, but failed to explode, and four girls who had important work to do carried on cheerfully and without fuss for three days till the bomb was made harmless. In anothei' place a number of heavy delayed-action bombs which missed their objective fell in a store, and because it was not certain that all the bombs had exploded the whole of an adjoining office building was evacuated with the exception of the telephone exchange.

If the telephone service had been shut down the production would have been affected, and calls were made for girls to volunteer to operate a skeleton service; Six out of the eight girls then on duty asked to be allowed to stay at their switchboards, though they were fully aware of the risk. Finally the selection was made by seniority and the four senior girls stayed at their posts in a room almost vertically above the position of a bomb till the danger was over five hours later. HELP GIVEN PROMPTLY. The Commissioner of Civil Defence for a northern region says: “It is most gratifying to find how well the plans for emergency .feeding and shelter for families made homeless have worked. Where more than 100 people find themselves absolutely homeless there is a feeding centre all ready in the local schools and willing helpers are there to serve food and hot drinks, and there is accommodation for sleeping while the billets are being arranged. “The whole region has such arrangements, and what is done officially has been aided by the fine spirit of friendliness and co-operation among neighbours. Such spirit finds its expression particularly in the mining villages in ‘good neighbours’ clubs. A police sergeant has given hospitality in his own house for an indefinite stay to a brave man who escaped miraculously from a demolished house in which he lost his wife and all their material belongings. “Knowing the temper and behaviour of the people, I am confident that if something much worse should yet be in store they will face it without wavering.”