QUIET DAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1941, Page 5

QUIET DAY

LITTLE ENEMY ACTIVITY OVER BRITAIN SUNDAY NIGHT’S RAID ON BRISTOL. CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE. One of the few enemy raiders which attempted to raid Britain yesterday was pounced upon by a British fighter and flew off in a crippled condition before it could unload its bombs, states the 8.8. C. It was sighted off the north-east coast of Scotland. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique states that there was very little enemy activity over Britain yesterday and there were no reports of bombs having been dropped. The Germans lost another bomber on Sunday night, when the main attack was against Bristol. It is now clear that the casualties in the raid on Bristol will be heavier than was at first expected. Many thousands of incendiary bombs were dropped. Another German plane was shot down on Saturday night. HOURS OF BOMBING SHOWERS OF INCENDIARIES. BUT PEOPLE OF BRISTOL CARRY ON. LONDON, March 17. Enemy air,activity over Britain last night was concentrated on Bristol, London, the east coast of Scotland and a number of other districts. An Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique issued this morning stated that the raid on Bristol lasted for several hours. Agency reports say that hundreds of fire bombs were first dropped on Bristol, followed by showers of high-ex-plosive bombs. There were a number of casualties when a public shelter received a direct hit. Damage was also done to industrial and business premises. A newspaper office receive a severe, hit, but published its paper as usual. Fire fighters did smart work and this morning the inhabitants were carrying oh cheerfully. The attack on London was without incident. There was no damage of any consequence in the raid on the east coast of Scotland. In the other districts mentioned the damage was small and the casualties few. SERIOUS DAMAGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED IN SHELTER. (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. German bombers, heavily attacked Bristol last night and inflicted serious damage. The raid started in a deceptively quiet manner, but the dropping of fire and explosive bombs steadily increased. Most of the fatalities are believed to have occurred when a public .; shelter containing a hundred people directly hit. A majority of those in i.. me shelter escaped. ; A vicar, who is also a warden, work- .• ■ 5 ed heroically when a bomb penetrated ■ ’ the roof of his church and exploded in a crypt, where many people were sheltering, killing and injuring several. A married couple and three young children, a wife, her sister and mother were all in a basement when their house was hit by a bomb. The husband and baby were killed. The wife was trapped under a pile of debris. A doctor sat by her side throughout the night, administering morphia, until she was freed. A newspaper office suffered severely from blast, but the paper was published as usual. The inhabitants of the city today are busy cleaning up. They are as cheerful as ever, but are not disguising that the raid was serioi’ 0 GERMAN REPORT RAID ON PORTSMOUTH. (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. A German communique claims that in addition to Bristol and Avonmouth, harbour establishments at Portsmouth were hit by heavy bombs.