LONDONERS, COURAGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 239, 8 October 1940, Page 8

LONDONERS , COURAGE

"A MATTER OF COURSE."

INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING.

Amazement at the casual manner in which Londoners regarded Nazi air raids was expressed by Mr. W. Kent Hughes, who passed through Auckland recently on his return from England to Melbourne.

In comparing the raids of ■ July and August-with'those of July, 1917, and September, 1915, he stated 'that in 19L5 the raidere were regarded as objects of curiosity!, while in 1917 they served the purpose of fraying nerves and, to some email extent, causing panic. In this war, however, from the very start, the whole population tolerated them with calmness and practical fortitude.

When travelling on a crowded train he experienced one of his fiercest bombardments, yet " not a eoul was perturbed, but only angry and chafing at the delay caused," he said. Damage, as ueual, was quite insignificant, and it is his opinion that in comparison with the number of raids experienced damage caused is infinitely less than might reasonably be expected.

. He- named one large port that wae bombed-nightly "for three months without one ship being hit, the only damage being done in that period was to a church and a echbol. The ship on which ' he was travelling was attacked on three ' consecutive niglite, no bombs falling near enough to even shake it. Throughout the raids no one panicked, and one or two of the hardier ones remained on deck taking pictures. i In hie opinion, no matter how many planes come over or how many bombs they drop the British people will never panic, or allow themselves to be influenced by nothing more than ostentatious might.