DAMAGE IN RECENT RAIDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 41, 28 November 1940, Page 5

DAMAGE IN RECENT RAIDS.

BRISTOL HEAVILY ATTACKED.

ENEMY CRAFT BROUGHT DOWN

LONDON, November 27

While the Royal Air Force was active over enemy territoi’y last night, the raids of the German Air Force on Britain were on a small scale. There was little activity before darkness and then the raids ceased altogether. Up to 6.'30 a.m. they had not been renewed. Bombs were dropped at one point but there were few casualties. It is now revealed that Birmingham Southampton, and Bristol were recently bombed. Many of Birmingham s notable buildings -were severely damaged, including the art gallery. Shops in the centre of the city were wrecked. •

The raid on Bristol was also severe, but nowhere were the raids as heavy as the one on Coventry. Shops and old buildings suffered, and also churches and cinemas.

There were many,, fires in all three cities, but they -were quickly controlled. ,

Six firemen were killed in Southampton, on which thousands of incendiaries Avere dropped. A Canadian flight-lieutenant and an English sergeant pilot, flying on their own, destroyed two enemy fighters on Tuesday, while another was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. The flight-lieutenant and the sergeant were on patrol near Hastings, when they gave chase to four Messersclimitts, which split up into two pairs. The flight-lieutenant went after one pair anda s he went in to attack the other two swung round on his tail. The sergeant pilot at once got. on to their tails so that for a few seconds all six were sandwiched. One of the flightlieutenant's Messerschmitts disappeared and the other dived to sea level, where he shot it down. .The sergeant pilot chased one of the others the whole way across the English Channel and sent it crashing into tfye sea near the French coast.

The Messersehmitt brought down by anti-aircraft fire crashed off Folkestone.

A Heinkel GO float-plane was also destroyed by fighters off the Kentish coast.