NEW YEAR’S EVE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 69, 2 January 1941, Page 5

NEW YEAR’S EVE.

CELEBRATIONS IN LONDON.

NO INTERRUPTION OF RAIDS.

LONDON, January 1

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Brittain suffered no interruption by enemy bombers. An Air Ministry communique says that there Avas no enemy activity during the: night. This freedom from air attack for the second night in succession since the intensive raid on London on Sunday night is attributed to bad Aveather on the Continent. The defence services Avere thankful for the spell, but Londoners read uneasily the press statement that only the Aveather prevented a Avorse raid than An Sunday, and planned to; bring in the Ngav Year in the shelters. While many danced and made merry above ground, thoAisands celebrated in catacombs beneath the quiet streets. In London’s largest shelter 8000 people shook the rafters with “Auld Lang Syne” as midnight struck. Above hung brave little streamers of bunting which the shelterers bad put up on Christmas Eve. * In one shelter there Avas eveh dancing. Laughing couples tried to dance on a rough stone floor to an improvised dance hand consisting of a guitar, a fiddle, and two mouth-organs. The dancing Avas not very, successful, but Avas good fun. Many shared bottles of beer and Avhisky. The old year could not hn\*e brought much happiness to these people, but nobody would have knoAvn it.

As Big Ben boomed at midnight, hundreds ?of people Avere milling on the steps of St. Paul’s. They broke into cheers and sang “Auld Lang Syne.” It Avas a meagre crowd compared AA’ith the thousands Avho normally see the peace-time NeAv Year in from the cathedral courtyard. Thousands of Avealthier Londoners in hotel ballrooms stopped dancing, joined hands, sang, blew hooters, and threw streamers.

Meanwhile, in hundreds of thousands of Avardens’ posts, the defence personnel kept vigil. The Official German NeAvs Agency claims that London Avas bombed from a great height yesterday in a divebombing attack Avliich heavily damaged .a London arms factory.