ANCIENT MONUMENTS FALL ONE BY ONE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 114, 16 May 1941, Page 9

ANCIENT MONUMENTS FALL ONE BY ONE

HIDEOUS VANDALISM

Archbishop Escapes When Lambeth Palace Bombed

T nitpti Press Association.—Copyright.

Rec. 3.30 p.m. LONDON. Mav 15

The Archbishop of Canterbury was sleeping at Palace "when incendiary bombs fell on the palace in a recent raid. Nearly all were extinguished, but the roof of the chapel was set on fire and burned out. Thousands of books in the palace ecclesiastical library were destroyed. The Archbishop was not injured.

The Church of St. Clement Danes, which was damaged in previous raids, is now completely gutted. The walls and tower are" all that remain.

An oil bomb hit the Queen's Hall, which was burned out, and the roof has fallen in. The building was completely wrecked.

Damage to the British Museum has necessitated the closing of the reading rooms. Stone's Chophouse, which was started in 1770, was demolished by bombs. The Czech Red Cross building and the Shaftesbury Theatre were also wrecked.

It is also revealed that St. James' Palace and the Old Bailev were damaged in recent raids. The international headquarters of the Salvation Army was destroyed, with most of the records. The London Philharmonic Orchestra lost thousands of pounds* worth of instruments in the Queen's Hall fire.

The Old Bailey, where two porters were killed, was damaged for the third time since the war began.

It is revealed also that the Liverpool Technical College, Public Library, Museum, and other buildings were damaged In air raids.

The Berlin official news agency claims that their bombers on Wednesday attacked targets in the Midlands and the East Coast, directly hitting the Nottingham locomotive works, also bombed Waddington aerodrome and shipping in British and Atlantic waters.

Regarding enemy activity over Britain last night an official communique, quoted by British Official Wireless, stales there is nothing to report. There was some activity by enemy aircraft in coastal areas today. Bombs were dropped at several points, but there was little damage and no casualties. One enemy bomber was shot down by our fighters over Britain to-day. =—=