THE LATEST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 44, 2 December 1940, Page 6

THE LATEST

HAVOC BY NIGHT

RAIDERS AT SOUTHAMPTON.

WORST ATTACK DURING WAR.

SOME REMARKABLE ESCAPES,

(United Press Association —Copyright.;

(Received This Day, 1.40 p.m.) LbNDON, December 1. A ceaseless succession of raiders using the tactics adopted at Coventry—incendiaries followed by explosives last night wrought havoc in the central area of Southampton, which suffered the worst raid since the outbreak of the war. It was impossible to walk far in the town this morning without finding traces of the night’s hideous 1 destruction, which was largely caused by fires. Acrid fumes still fouled the air. Dozens of noble buildings, including many churches, lay in smouldering ruins. A theatre, newspaper office, library, and scores of shops were also demolished. At the height of the raid the whole centre of the town was transformed into an inferno, with flames leaping under the black sky and jets of water hissing from hundreds of hoses.

There were ear-splitting crashes as high-explosiy'es rained down. The volunteer services worked magnificently -throughout the terrible ordeal . A blast fro'iri ‘ one bomb blew one girl driver’s ambulance on to the footpath. She jumped from the driving seat and found three injured men lying on the roadway. 'Unaided, the girl picked up the men and drove them to a hospital. After the hospital became unhabitable by bombing /0 patients were evacuated to another building during the most severe part of the raid without, any casualties. The nurses’ quarters of an adjoining hospital were gutted. Nuns were not injured when a convent was burned. A priest worked untiringly in order to prevent the spread of the fire. ,

Sixty persons had a remarkable escape when a public house which they just left was destroyed. Another 60 got away safely from a big store under which they were sheltering and which was gutted.

Hundreds were seen this morning, collecting from their wrecked houses what belongings were undamaged and trying to find accommodation in the surrounding districts. But everyone was calm and there was no panic. Their attitude may be summed up by the newspaper placard: “Hitler comes; Hitler goes; we go on forever.”