STRUCK BY BOMBS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 196, 1 June 1938, Page 5

STRUCK BY BOMBS

BRITISH STEAMER PENTHAMES. SECOND ATTACK BY REBELS. \ THE CREW EFFECT ESCAPE. (United Press Association—Copyright-) (Received This Day, 12.30 p.m.) VALENCIA, May 31. The insurgents bombed and sank the British ship Penthames, which was the victim of an attack yesterday, the cook being wounded. The vessel was being repaired when it was sunk. The ciew were saved. “ DELIBERATE ATTACK. SINKING OF THE THORPE HALL. LONDON, May 30. In a reply in the House of Commons on the bombing of the Thorpe Hall off Valencia, the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Mr R. A. Butler) said that from reports he had received he understood that the Thorpehall was attacked by an aeroplane which dropped two bombs. One struck the vessel, which sank half an hour later.

As the ship was lying well away from the harbour and had been reconnoitred by a similar aeroplane on the previous evening, Britain considered that she was the victim of a deliberate attack. g?ir Robert Hodgson, the British agent at Burgos, has been instructed to bring the incident to the notice of the Burgos authorities and request that strong disciplinary action be taken against the crew of the offending craft. Sir Robert Hodgson had further been instructed to impress upon the Burgos authorities the serious view taken by Britain of a repetition of deliberate attacks on British shipping and to . request that immediate instructions 'bcgiven that such attacks should cease.

Britain had reserved the right to claim full compensation for loss and damage to persons and property resulting from this attack.—British Official Wireless.

BOMBING OF CIVILIANS.

PROFOUNDLY DEPLORED

LONDON, May 30

One question in the House of Commons to-day concerned the bombing of Alicante. Mr Chamberlain, replying, recalled that Britain had on more than one occasion expressed to both sides in Spain its profound concern at the intensification 'of aerial bombardihent, which had resulted in serious loss of civilian life, and it had drawn attention to the universally-accepted principle that, the aerial bombardment of military objectives was alone admissible.

“While I have not sufficient information at my disposal to judge what were the objectives on this occasion, I desire to take this opportunity of repeating how profoundly Britain deplores the maiming and deaths of defenceless citizens,” declared Mr Chamberlain.