CALM LONDONERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 234, 2 October 1940, Page 10

CALM LONDONERS

WARTIME BRITAIN.

a WOT AFRAID OF INVASION."

CHRISTCHURCH, this day.

Firet-hend information regarding , conditions in London under the stress of aerial warfare wae given members of the Ghristchnrch Business Men's dub at a luncheon by Mr. G. M. Keys, vocational guidance officer of the Chrietchurch Technical College, who left London only in August. Mr. Keys has returned after spending 18 months in England on post-graduate work under a Carnegie Fellowship.

"It eeemed horrible to put gas masks on little children," eaid Mr. Keys, describing the precautions taken before the war, "but it was even worse to see them put on little babies. It wae terrible to realise that, after two thousand years of civilisation, we should have come to that." He added that some of the horror aspect of the precaution wae removed by making the macks, for young children more attractive by manufacturing them in Mickey Mouse pattern.

One of the most striking ecenee in wartime London was the balloon barrage, which formed almost a complete roof over the city, said Mr. Keys, adding that similar precautions were taken in the Thames Estuary. He described the work of the air raid wardens, auxiliary fire-fighting services and first aid poets.

The evacuation of women and children from London on the day that war was declared was the most perfect piece of organisation he had seen, Mr. Keys said. It was on a Sunday, and he took part in the work. Evidence of the eize of the undertaking was had in the fact that 1,500,000 women and children were taken to safe areas in three days.

"I juet can't imagine the people of London getting rattled," eaid Mr. Keye, paying a tribute to their calmness under bombing. "They are thoroughly annoyed and indignant, but it took about nine months for them to get to that stage. It really began after Dunkirk. They are not afraid of an invasion. They feel that it is going to upset a day'e golf—and this fellow Hitler will juet have to be etopped. The British people were elow to wake up; but now they are aroused they will be a tremendous force."