LIFE UNDER BOMBS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 May 1941, Page 6

LIFE UNDER BOMBS

IN WEST OF ENGLAND TOWN

MEDICAL MAN’S STORY. AIR COMBATS SEEN FROM GROUND. An informative account of the effects of enemy bombing in a large West of England town, of air combats seen from the ground, and of other war experiences, is given by Dr D. B. Maunsell in a letter to his sister. Miss F. P. Maunsell. Masterton. The letter was written in February last. I feel sure you must realise we have very little time for letter-writing during these terrible and abnormal times (Dr Maunsell writes). I have to get all my work done in daylight and at night am often up till all hours on various duties connected with war services. E has worked very hard and very bravely, so much so that she broke down and has been resting for a few weeks, by which I mean doing some house work and no A.R.P. duties. She is an ambulance driver, when required, at other times driving a Y.M.C.A. van with comforts to camps all round the country in all weathers, and once a week serving in a soldiers’ canteen. She has been driving sometimes during bombing attacks. at night, amongst burning and crashing buildings and bursting bombs. Many A.R..P. workers get killed. Anyhow, up to date not one of us has received a scratch. Outhouse is still standing, although windows have been broken twice and there are cracks in the walls and roof. . . , AWFUL DESTRUCTION. Well. I won’t describe the awful destruction in our city. It is very painful and a horrible sight. Still, we have a very large part left and the population take it most calmly and philosophically. They are truly wonderful and their morale is very high. They are extraordinarily confident and in the very worst times, just after the collapse of France, when the whole of Europe seemed against them, they never thought, of defeat. If we can keep Hitler from beating us during the next six months, and it is difficult to see how he can. I believe all will be well. I have an uneasy feeling of what the Germans have in store for us. We have not been bombed for some time now and it seems a lull before the storm. There is no doubt wo have a terrible time ahead of us. Well, perhaps you wonder what being bombed is like? It is most ' unpleasant and terrifying. You hear a whistle which comes nearer and nearer, louder and louder, and although it is a matter of a few seconds only it seems minutes. My own impressions and thoughts are: “It’s coming, it’s got me, it is the end." If it hasn’t you may hear the crash of a house or a dull thud and the ground rises and shakes. If a number of bombs fall I doubt if you could remain standing; anyhow you don’t 1 . You throw yourself flat and hear the debris whistling over you. DAYLIGHT RAIDS CEASE. They used to come over here in small numbers or singly during daylight, but so many did not get back that they have given up trying over our town now in daylight. They of course give us a bad time at night. I have not been fortunate enough to see many combats. Anyhow our men try to avoid fighting over cities because a crashing bomber causes great destruction. One day there were several about, a cloudy clay, and we were in the orchard trying to sec them. Presently we saw a huge bomber rushing towards our works and I feared he would get the factory, but what looked like a large insect shot out from, the clouds some way behind, rapidly gaining on him. The bomber rose to a bank of clouds, but just as he disappeared a raucous sound, somewhat like the tearing of calico, broke from the Spitfire. A puff of smoke came from the rear of the bomber and they both disappeared into the clouds. A few seconds later, the Spitfire reappeared. most unconcernedly circling round, looking for more prey. I was told the German bomber came down in flames about two miles beyond the works, the five Germans aboard being killed. I am also told the little Spitfire got another before they all managed to get away. HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES. It is past' history now, so I don't think T am giving away any information useful to the enemy, but our works were badly bombed and damaged in a daylight attack by 85 Germans nearly six months ago. They caught us unprepared—our fighters were elsewhere —but still they were caught on their return, near the coast, and lost twenty, we believe. Two days later, another big mass attack was made, no doubt hoping to finish off our works. Unfortunately for the Germans we were prepared this time. I saw some of the fight. I was on my rounds and heard the roar of approaching planes in the distance and presently they appeared flying in perfect formation, and then one saw our squadron of 13 fighters charging them in a beautiful wedge-shaped formation. In no time their formation (that of the enemy) was broken and they turned and fled, with bombers crashing every now and then. Before they reached home, a third of them was destroyed. It was most exhilarating. They have never attempted it since and only occasionally a reconnaissance plane is heard in daylight. NO HYSTERIA OR PANIC. As I have told you, I am in charge of the F.A.P. hero and after having read the experiences of doctors in air raids on Barcelona and Madrid. I where it was slated there were many cases of hysteria and panic to be dealt with, I had preparations and drugs for dealing with such hero. It has been wasted. I have not had one case of ( this yet. No, the British never panic, i 1 have seen many, many cases of won- J derful bravery. The people are brave, calm, determined and confident—in fact I feel they are too confident, for ■ they are so liable to become complacent and slack. It is when they are really up against it and getting beaten they show their greatness. RATHER MEAGRE RATIONS. Wo are at present, fairly severely rationed —meat about once per week, about one ounce of butter per week, very little sugar and practically no cheese. Still we get on wonderfully well and it demonstrates how much we eat. to excess. It is of course going to bd‘ much more severe as the war goes on. but we all suffer the same and this

comforts and compensates one greatly. E —’s sister sent us some cheese and tinned butter recently I write on any paper, because we are so short of this. Before the war it nearly all came from Sweden and we cannot get that now. We are asked to be as economical as possible and all waste paper is collected once per week and by some process made into fresh. The shops do not wrap up goods now. We have to take baskets.