THE AIR ASSASSINS

VEIL OF CENSORSHIP LIFTED

HOW LONDON SUFFERED

' TTho "Manchester Guardian,"! availing itself of tho lifting of the war censorship, recently published a number of details of the air raids by which the Germans attempted so often and so unsuccessfully to break'the spirit of the English people (luring four years of war. The records which follow relate to the chief London raids, and aro extracted from the reports written by members of the paper's' London" staff at the time. The original reports were suppressed by the Censor because they would 'have given information of' valuo to the enemy, but •this consideration has now lost its force, and it has become possible at last to supplement the purposely meagre . and vague official reports with details as to the area and extent of tho raids and the destruction of life and property which they involved.] THE FIRST RAID. (May 31, 1915.) The official report of this, the first air raid on London, the only information ' which was allowed to reach the public through the newspapers, apart from the accounts of the coroner's inquest on the did not mention any names of places—simply stated that on the night of May 31 Zeppelins were reported to have' been seen over Bams, gate, Brentwood, and certain outlying districts of London." ' A second report issued some days later stated that six people had been killed. The nearest point to tho centre of the citv where bombs fell was in the Shoreditch High Street, close to Bishopsgate Goods Station, which is about a mile from the Bank of England. The furthest point from the centre was Leytonstone, on tho eastern fringo of London, about six miles from tho Bank. Little damage was done in Shoreditch, although three tombs fell on the roof of tho London Music Hall without doing damage, but there was a great 'deal in a densely populated neighbourhood adjoining. "Here about twelve houses were set on fire, including a large tavern, and two children injured. Bombs were peppered freely in the little, streets off the mam load. A house in Hemsworth Street was completely burnt out. In one Hoxton street marks were found of bullets, show--jn» that the bomb had been explosive. A "little father east, in the Ballspond Eoad, a bomb fell into a bedroom and killed two old' people. About half a dozen bombs fell harmlessly in the Southgate Eoad. Two children were killed in a house in Stokc-Newington, and villas and cottages were more or less wrecked. Eire 3 were caused in Leytonstone. In Whitechapel a shoe factory close to the parish church was destroyed, and one bomb fell through tho roof of tho ehuroh without doing much damage. In Christian Street, Wliitechalpsl, several persons were injured by a bomb which fell in the road. t

THE TOWER ESCAPES, (September 7, 1915.)

The official report of this Zeppelin raid Was on familial' lines, merely stating that three Zoppelins visited the eastern counties, that fifteen small houses were demolishd or seriously damaged, and that ton people were killed, forty-three wounded slightly or seriously and three people missing. The most serious damage was done, and most of tie lives were lost in the neighbourhood of Deptford, and New Cross, There the bombs wore dropped soon after midnight. Charlton (Kent) and Streatham wero also attacked'. The districts-of Enfield and Waltham Cross were also bombed. There was also damage to a large biscuit factory at Bennondsoy, just south of the river, the most sensational faot about this raid was that a bomb was droppod through the roof of a building in'Crutched Friars, •within five hundred yards of the Tower of London. The bomb, which was incendiary, did notexplo de.

TWO MILLIONS DAMAGE, (September 8, 1915.)

This Zeppelin raid over London, both in the number of people killed and in: jured, and in tho damage to property, was calamitous, though tho casualties were extraordinarily small in proportion to the destruction of houses and business premises, the chief reason being that the worst fires were in city warehouses, which are always deserted at night. The gutting of ono big silk warehouse alone meant a loss of ,£20,000. The excitement caused was infinitely greater than on the occasion of previous raids. This was natural in view of the, fact that for the first time the Zeppelins wero clearly seen from many parts of London. One Zeppelin evidently tried to drot> bombs on the Bank of England and the Eoyal Exchange, and the other important build- / jngs in the centre of the city. The bomb dropped nearest to the Bank of England fell in Colnian Streot, and hit a big insurance office. Another fell about 200

yards from the bank in Jloorgate Street. An explosivo bom'b damaged the E.M.S-P. Company's office and some solicitor's offices. Tho next place touched in tho Zeppelin's line of was Liverpool Street Station.- The opun spaco outside the station is a'great collecting place for buses. An explosive bomb struck a bus outside the station and smashed it to atoms, and about 20 yards away, in Bishopsgate Street another bus was hit. Most of the fatal casur.lties of the raid were those of passengers on these.two buses. Eight or nine people wero killed, including two of the busmen. Tho next area of serious damage was round about Wood Street and Aidermanbury, just north of Cheapside. In Wood Street one of the great textile houses, Ward,- Stuart, and Co., .a large grey-stono building, was fired by an incendiary bomb. It was completely cleaned out, the fire burning with a tremendous blaze for several hours. A 6tcme's. throw away in Love Lane tho very large silk warehouse of Bridge and Co. also destroyed by fire. At the end of Love Line is AUlermanbury, tho old church of St. Mary the Virgin standing in a small open space at tho junction of the two streets. A tall block of offices overlooking the church yard was struck by an explosive bomb, which exploded on fine coping of the roof and rained down blocks of masonry'in to the streets, wrecking the promises. The force of this explosion was such that every window in Aldermnnbury was smashed. A feather warehouse was struck, and so tremendous was the forco of the explosion that, feathers were driven into the solid wall. At one place the lead was stripped from a roof and driven into the air, remaining curled into big balls over the telegraph wires, and hanginz down over the street. Eed Lion Street, a little street connecting Theobald's Eoad with Ecd Lion Square, was badly knocked about. A bomb fell in the middlo of it, and wiped out the lower parts of most of the house?, including a public-house, which was left apparently supported by' one pillar. The Penny Bask at tho,.comer «'f the street was. destroyed. The damage done in this raid was estimated at ,£2.000,0110, chiefly by the great fire in the Wood Street district.

LINCOLN'S INN HIT. (October 13, 1915.) Two Zeppelins throw several bombs on Moorgate Street, smashing all the windows in 80 yards of the street and lodging one bomb on, the road near a large new office block under construction. Anoher bomb came through the Toof of the block and smashed the central steel girder and twisted 60ihe of tho framework. At Moorgate Street one man was killed. Bombs were thrown at the corner of Aidgate and the Minories, smashing one building and killing one person and breaking all the windows in the vicinity. Bombs fell in Chancery Lane, 'bursting a water main and smashing the windows and doors of a publichouse and a .boot shop. Ono or two bombs fell in Lincoln's Inn, hear Inigo Jones's Chapel, smashing the seventeenth century windows and killing the old steward of the Common Room of the Inn who had been steward there since 1886. His head was blown from his body. An office building jn New Square was wrecked. Zeppelins passed westward parallel to tho Strand, throwing a bomb in Aidwych and another in the skating rink whion jraa jiaeafor

Belgian refugee work, and another passed through part of the roof of Aldwych Theatre at tho back, none of these causing moro than slight injuries. A bomb tell n little farther along near the pit door of the Strand ■■Theatre, killing an old woman and a soldier who was inside (ho pit door. The "Scarlet Pimpernel was being played, and Mr. Fred Terry came out in' front of the fireproof curtain and told the people there was no danger. There was no panic. A bomb in Wellington Street killed the old night watchman of the Lyceum, a well-known character in stageland. It also .killed two or. tlivee men who were in tho Bell Tavern m the lano behind the theatre and wrecked the front of the tavern. Slight damage was done to the "Morning Post' office. A leader writer had his. faco hurt by the .broken glass. Three bombs fell m way s Inn, one of them injuring the dining hall, but no one as hurt. At Croydon several houses were destroyed and some people killed and injured. • Two other Zeppelins came low down ut Shorncliffc camp, where they dropped bombs, killing U Canadian soldiers and wounding many. The camp had no warnin-' and was lit up as-usiwu. One ot the airships oamo as low as 200 yards. These ships relumed by Bromley to Woolwich, where they succeeded in dropping bombs on a part of the Arsenal, lulling some men and doing damage to tho stores and machine-gun factory. MANY CHILDREN KILLED. (June 13, 1917.) The first of tho big German daylight attacks on London took place about noon, f. sunny weather. Much damage was done and many, lives lost in -the East End and the south side, nearly all m the poor districts. The casualties were ta-rible-101 killed, 423 injured. !No iewei than 120 children were killed or injured. The number of hostile aeroplanes was given offically as 15. Liverpool Street stafton was bombed at the end of he platform. An Ipswich tram which bad ]U»t come in was struck and a number of nerale were killed in a saloon carnage an? in other parts of the tram The rails were cut up and some damage done to the roof of the station. ■ ■Farther east there were terrible> scenes in the I'opiar district. A 'bomb fell on a Khool, killing and mutilating many children It penetrated the roof, and after killing" little girl passed through the top lory floor into tho room below Xe several boys were killed, finnHy exploding in ft class of infant,,wle e there were sixty-form- mites. Twenty children were taken to the hospital; thiee of them were dead and four *M afterwards Twelve of the wounded children were five years old. There were many deaths in the street in this quarto and many small houses destroyed. A bomb also fell on an Islington school. .

G.P.O. STRUCK. (July 7, 1917.) In this daylight attack by about twenty aeroplanes 34 people were killed and 139 injured. The aeroplanes were over the town for about fltteeii minute, and tho damage was almost all m the city. Tho central telegraph uepartmei t of the General Post Office was struck and the top storeys set on hre, damaging considerable plant, but not seriously interfering with the system. A sentinel outside tho post ofhee, an elderly soldier, was killed at his. post. Bombs also landed iu Little Britain, and an old warehouse was set on fire. There were several deaths here. Some damage was also done in Column Street, winch had previously -suffered in a Zeppelin raid. Many bombs were dropped in a line along Upper Thames Street. Billingsgate just 'T&Uchouse called The Bell that nearly touches the market 'was struck by a bomb, and four persons were killed, who had taken shelter in its archway. It is a curious coincidence that the name of the public-house behind the Lyceum, wrecked in the first big Zeppelin raid, with the loss of several lives, was also Tho Bell. Damage to Basildon Houso and church property also occurred. Seven or eight shops or warehouses in Upper Thames Street were struck. Bombs were also dropped in Lcadenhnll Stract, and several shipping offices damaged. CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE, (September i, 1917.) i bomb which fell on Victoria Embankment struck tho pavement close to Cleopatra's Needle, 'chipping oft a largo piece of the plinth. A tramcar passing the spot at the time was badly damaged. Three of the inside passengers were killed and tho driver was very seriously injured. Another bomb struck tho root of the Little Theatre in the Adelphi without killing anyone. Another exploded in the Embankment Gardens. Three people, two Canadian soldiers and a woman, were killed instantly in a small restaurant in Agar Street, which runs from the Strand past the Charing Cross Hospital. In the West End bombs foil .close to Bourne and Hollingsworth's shop in Oxford Street, where the hostel of tho Young Women's Christian Association, was damaged, in Titchfield Street, also near Oxford Circus, and farther west in the Edgeware Road. Reports also camo in of damage in Wellesley Street, Kentish Town in the north, and vji Leytonstone and Stratford in the extreme east of London. Altogether 11 persons were killed and 62 injured.

MR. CHURCHILL'S ESCAPE, (September 24, 1917.) Fifteen persons were killed and 70 injured in this raid. Three bombs were dropped in Shoreditch, but otherwise the East End was not touched. One machine dropped a bomb in Southampton Bow, opposite to the Bedford Hotel, killing six people and injuring many, lho porter and the boy who ivas standing at the door were killed instantly, and a man was killed far back in the .lounge. Other bombs were dropped near Tarrington Street station and unimportant damage was done. An aerial torpedo fell in the ween Park, shattering some windows in Devonshire House and in the Eitz Hotel. Mr. Winston Churchill was in Wimborne House at the time, in the long room that runs out of the park, of whhh tho windows were broken. If the airman had released his torpedo a secoi.d earlier it would certainly have killed the Minister of Munitions. Another torpedo fell in the river, opposite the Houses of Parliament, and threw up a volume of water to a height of sixty feet. A shell fell opposite St. Margaret's, Westminster. A. bomb fell in Shal'espere Eoad, Stoke Newington. This was the third time that this unimportaut thoi oughfare of houses and. shops had been struck by tho raiders. CHANGED TACTICS. (October 19, 1917.) Twenty-seven persons were killed and 53 inured in the raid, which differed from its predecessors in a reniarkabli: wjv. It was an incident in the attack of the biggest Zeppelin force ever sent out from Germany. According to prisoners captured from Zeppelins in Trance, thirteen airships set out from different Gorman hangars, .five airships were reported to have conui near Loudon, but only one entered tho area. A new scheme was tried, the airship shutting off its engines and drifting very high across the town, dropping five bombs at alni'jst regular intervals as the northeast wind carried it. The bombs wore dropped in Cricklewood, at Piccadilly Circus, at Albany Streot, C'amberwell, and at Hither Green.

', he Piccadilly bomb fell in tho middle of the street, between Swan and Edgar's and the Cabin, teaship. It penetrated through the road into a basement. Fortunately most of tho theatre crowd had alrer.lv dispersed, but there were a number of people about. Tho hole was ten feet in diamoter, and tho bomb passed through 4ft. of wood paving, concrete, aud brickwork. Five mon and two women were killed and sevoral injured here. Mash glass was shattered, tho wholo of Sivra and Edgar's windows being blown out. and the percussion also blew out some of the windows of the Hegent Street side of the shop. Pieces of tho roadway were thrown as far as the fountain in the Circus.

In Albany Street, Cambcrwcll, a bomb vreck-.'d three shops. One was a friedfis'i shop, and ot tho time a party was being given to a sailor home from the Fleet. In these buildings ton persons were killed. The. torpedo at Hither Green narrowly missed the railway, and fell at the buck of a row of two-storied brick cottages, threo of which were completely destroyed, and sevoral others badly damaged. This was a particular pitiful case, Of the fourteen viotims ,tho» were '69v«n members of ono family

and three of another. One woman, Mrs. Kingston (the widow of 'a sewerman drowned in a sewer a fow weeks before; lost her soveu children, whose ages ranged fiom three to eighteen. She was found amongst the ruius with her hands blcoding searching for her children. "I know they're all dead," she said to the nu.'SD who came to attend her.

One of (ho Zeppelins engaged in this raid was captured intact, one was brought down in (lues, two others were forcal to land and were destroyed by the crcivs. Two others are believed to have been lost in the Mediterranean.

MILLWALL. (October 31, 1917.)

A very determined was made By seven groups of aeroplanes, each group consisting of three or four machines, tho total number of raiders being about thirty. Three of iheni penetrated into London. Eight people were killed and" 2i Injured. It was a misty ■ night, with thin clouds half veiling the moon. Tho damage Mas nearly all in the south-eastern districts. Some ten bombs were dropped at Millwall. One high explosive wrecked or injured tho interiors of about twenty Bmall houses in Maria Road. No one was hurt. Two bombs fell near the dock and one in the dock at Millwall. An incendiary bomb set fire to a Sailors' Home. Another fell in Stratondale Road, doing little damage. There was some damage at Tooting, but u portion of it was probably due to our own shell-fire. A house was wrecked in Ronbbec Road, two houses damaged, and three people killed. A bomb fell in front of a house in Brendn Street, killing n man who was inside and breaking a good many windows. In Cockerton Street a bomb exploded on the footpath, killing two people who were standing beside an open door and injuring others. A FATAL SHELTER. (January 28, 1918.) Tho particular feature of this raid, by which 58 persons were killed and 173 injured, was that bombs were dropped' on a building used iis a shelter in which some 200 people.were gathered. Thirty were killed and 91 injured, and it took a week to clear away tho debris to rocover (he Inst bodies. The building was Odham's printing works in Long Acre, where "John Bull" is printed. The bomb exploded in the basement, and the explosion brought clown the other floors, which supported printing machinery and heavy stocks of paper. There was one concrete floor. Fire broke out at once to add to the horror. The people using the place as a shelter came from a poor quarter, and there were many children. The work of rescue went on through the irishr, amid scenes of the most piteous kind.

The rector of tho parish, the Rev. E. H. Mow (St. Paul's, Covent Garden), was killed at tho doorway. He had been eighteen years in tho parish. During the air raids he had gone about looking after fin safety of women rnd children and helping to take children to shelter and to cheer theni there. There was a considerable loss «f life through a panic anion? aliens in ilie. East End. A riueue had been formed at the Olympia Music Fill, Shoreditch. when the maroons went off. The crowd at once rushed for a railway shelter, and r, struggle ensued at the entrance, in "bich fourteen, wero killed, including 'hildren. Two of our machines found an enemy aeroplane over Essex and destroyed it, the raider falling in flames to the cround, 10.000 ft. below. The crew of three were burnt to death. It was stated bv tho War Office that about 70 of our nirmen went up, and all returned safely. The two officers who brought down tho firman aeroplane were Captain C. F. "Sckwell and Lieutenant C. C. Banks. CHELSEA AND ST. PANCRAS. (February 16-17, 1918.). Twenty-seven peoplo wero killed and 17 injured in these two raids. A bomb fell on a small house, an annexe of Wren's Royal Hospital, Chelsea, killing. Major Ludlow, an invalided officer, his wife, two children, and a domestic sorvant. None of the pensioners was injured, though the explosion' was terrific. Tho houso of Mr. Lan Macpherson, the Un-der-Secretary for War, had a narow escape. Two bombs were dropped in Woolwich. A greengrocer's house in Berosford Square was demolished, and six people sheltering in the cellar were killed. The body of a man who hnd bren passing was also found. Tho church in the square had ils windows smashed by another bomb, which killed a man and a girl who had gone out to watch the firing. The greatest damage on February 10-17 was done at the Midland Hotel, St. Paneras, where three or four bombs foil behind and in front of the main arch. One of these wrecked the booking office, another struck the roof, knocking off the minaret at one corner of the squnro towor and flinging it on to the terraco, where it fell on a taxi-cab, killing the fare, and a porter who was unloading luggage. Some porters who wero sheltering under the mnin arch with several soldiers on furlough, and two girls from, the hotel who were standing on tho steps, were killed by tho concussion of the bombs, which fell, almost simultaneously.

SONG WRITER KILLED. (March 7, 1918.) Twenty persons were killed and 45 injured in this raid. Three bombs fell near St. John's Wood station, ono of them not far from Admiral Beatty's house. One wrecked the front of a threestory double-houso standing in its own grounds in Townsend Eoad. Sixteen people sheltering there wero unhurt. Two three story flimsily-built houses in New Street, not far away, were destroyed by another bomb, and members of two families killed "beneath the ruins. A third bomb fell'in the street a few yards from the gate of Lord's. This killed a soldier in the street and an officer who was watching the barrage from tho window of a house in a gardon opposite. The most widespread damage ever dono by n bomb in London was at Warrington Crescent, oft Maida Vale. Three or four substantial houses were completely destroyed, and most of tho casualties occurred, here. The rescue party worked for two days, and saved nearly 30 livfs. Among tho killed was Mrs. Ford, the writer of "Keep the Homo Fires Burning.'" THE LAST RAID. (May 19, 1918.) Between twenty and thirty aeroplanes were engaged in this last raidj«-ton of which wore destroyed. The total casualties were 44 killed and 179 injured.

The greatest amount of damage was doiio by a raider that dropped not more, than kali''a dozen bombs in Sydenham, wh-jr-) eleven people were killed and ten injured. Thirteen of these had fniled to take cover, and were injured in the street. Seven people were killed by a bomb which wrecked a dairy here, and several other houses were damaged by tho remaining bombs. A number of bombs fell at Gilford, I.ee, and Ladywell, doing a considenible amount of damage to buildings but causing comparatively few casualties. One bomb wrecked a uublichouse at llaida. Vale, exploding in the cellar, killing one of the five who wero sheltering there and injuring the others. One bomb fell in Pegcnt's Parle, nnothar in Park Crescent, and two fell simultaneously on the roof of St. Clement's House, Bolsover Street, a hostel for women workers. Eighty women wore in tho hostel at the time, but only one was injured. Bombs also fell in Willis's auction rooms, St. James's, in Lincoln's Inn, and in Moorgato Street. A factory was dostroyed in Whiteeross Street, near the Guildhall. Sevoral cottages opposite the Metropolitan Hospital in Kingsland Koad wero wrecked, but n6 one was injured. Pour bombs were dropped at the end of Bethnal Green Koad. One of these, an incendiary bomb, set fire to Allen and Hanbury's fnctoi'v. and when the fire was seen another bomb was dropped. Two bombs fell on either side of part of Watorlow Buildiny, a settlement of model finis. One woiuan was killed here, and a lad standin:: in the 'doorway died of wounds. Several bombs fell in Poplar, whero while rows of houses wero either demolished or severely damaged, but the casualties wero proportionately very small. One bomb fell near tho Alexandra Palacn a German prison camp at Muswoll Hill.