DAMAGE IN LONDON

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 18, 1 November 1940, Page 5

DAMAGE IN LONDON

PLACES RECENTLY BOMBED.

TWO CHURCHES SUFFER.

ANTIQUITIES DESTROYED

(United Press Association —Copyright ) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) .LONDON, October 31.

A lone raider this morning dived out of the clouds and bombed a south-east town, demolishing several shops and damaging others. There wore a number of casualties, some fatal.

Among places recently bombed in London are: St. Boniface’s Church, Leicester Square, the Dutch church of Austin Friars, part of which dates from the year 1250, and St. Bartholomews Medical School.

In Stationer’s Hall, the ceiling representation of St. John the Evangelist, which is considered a showpiece, was damaged. A high-explosive crashed on the stand at Wimbledon and flung debris on tho centre court.

The damage at Leicester Square was caused by. a very heavy higli-explosive bomb which fell on the south-west corner. A photographic studio, and Thurston’s billiards hall were totally •wrecked. The blast hacked off the head of a statuette in tho centre of tho square, also the hand of Shakespeare. Tho Leicester Square cinema and adjacent shops wore badly damaged. The exhibition of billiards antiquities at Thurston’s were destroyed, including a gilt inlaid table which Napoleon 111 presented to Alexander II of Russia in 1855.

Six unoccupied taxis w'cre set on fire, and others destroyed.

GERMAN COMMUNIQUE.

(Received This Day, *11.45 a.m.) LONDON, October 31.

A German communique claims that the air force damaged an aeroplane factory near Sheffield and bombed a military camp. British motor torpedoboats approached the Flemish coast, but naval artillery forced them to retire.

LITTLE ENEMY ACTIVITY.

ISOLATED ATTACKS MADE. FEW CASUALTIES CAUSED. (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) ■ LONDON, October 31. There was little air activity over Britain up to mid-day, after which the enemy made a number of attacks by isolated aircraft in various parts of the country, states a communique. Bombs w r ere dropped on two towns in the Eastern counties and at points in South Wales and tho Midlands., There was a small number of casualties and only slight damage.—British Official Wireless.