BOMBED LONDON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 March 1941, Page 3

BOMBED LONDON

NEW ZEALANDER’S LETTER. DAMAGE OBSERVED FROM TRAIN. The appearance of parts of London after two months of air attacks is described in a letter from Mr. E. F. Daly, a New Zealander, who is now engaged on research work for the Admiralty at Portsmouth. Writing to his grandfather, the Hon. J. A. McCullough, of Princess Street, Riccarton, Mr. Daly says that “one must admit that it take a terrific concentration of bombs to make any impression on a city." “Perhaps the most striking thing is the number of windows that still have glass in them, and the way in which railways and factories appear to be carrying on,” he writes. “Railway travel, though, is no longer a pleasure. If a train arrives less than half an hour late one is surprised. . . "After hearing all the newspaper reports, one expects to find central London a heap of, ruins. Actually, from a bus going along the Strand, one doesn’t, notice any damage. “Waterloo Station, however, is showing signs of wear and tear. In happier days ,it had a glass roof. Now it has only bare girders, which let the rain through. Near the station entrance is the casing from a 5001 b. bomb which fell on one of the platforms. Outside, workmen were patching up a hole in the road and banging away, at a steel door which, instead of being flat, was bulged out like a sail. “On the way out from Waterloo, there were less pleasant sights. A strip about a quarter of a mile long in one slum district appeared to be deserted. Practically every house was roofless and twisted by blast. They were jerry-built, and Jerry has made a good job of knocking them down., Hitler’s slum clearance scheme has I done as much in two months as even i the most well-meaning local authorities have done in 10 years. “Apart from this one area, which j could be seen from the train, the damage was not very obvious. It was not unusual for a row of a dozen or so houses to have a gap in it where a house had been, but often for quite long stretches not a window was broken.

"One thing one notices, however, is that most slate roofs show here and there little patches of different colour, presumably a result of the barrage, and of hurried repairs with whatever slates or tiles are available. ... At present, it appears most probable that the non-essential population will have to be moved, and that the remainder will have to spend the nights either in deep shelters or at places just outside London.”