LONDON'S SCARS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 36, 12 February 1943, Page 2

LONDON'S SCARS

REMINDERS OF BLITZ

SHABBY BUT PROUD CITY

The extent of the damage done to Greater London during the 1941 blitz is unbelievable unless it is seen, writes lan Fitchett, Melbourne Herald special representative in London, a week after his arrival in England. There does not seem to be a street or a byway not bearing tne clean razor scar of a demolished building somewhere along its lengtn, he says. Week in, week out, the thunder and flash of death fire from the air must have filled the consciousness of millions of people great and small, continues the writer. There could not have been relief, only dogged acceptance of the great horror. Ninety-five per cent of the damaged areas have been cleaned away, but the bareness serves only to accentuate the devastation. Only monuments remain to remind thousands of their once happy homes. The contrast in the city proper between the living and what has gone for ever is even more startling. In the Moorgate-Aldersgate Street areas, roadways, though in good repair, have ceased to serve thousands of offices and warehouses almost in the heart of the greatest city in the world. Tommy, Smart as Ever Strangely enough, much of the facade of London survives. By some miracle a score of famous streets show little of the city's ordeal, and yet behind them devastation ranges for hundreds of acres. This in itself will make general reconstruction more difficult, although doubtless much will be done with new street planning in back ar&is. Wren's churches suffered badly* apparently more from fire than from bomb hits, as their shells are intact. The Londoner, with a fierce pride in his city, apologises for its shabbiness, something not at first apparent to newcomers.

Some London square gardens are dank and overgrown, and the parks! have become gun posts with ugly military paraphernalia. These are things the Londoner feels. Clothing rationing is severe, but in male and female alike there is neatness that overcomes any personal shabbiness. Personal appearance has become "a matter of the spirit," one philosopher said as he ruefully eyed his worn raincoat. Perhaps the standard is set by the British Tommy in battledress. Even in this ugliest of military apparel he is as smart as ever. Theatres Are Booming Theatres are booming, but most performances end at 10.30, as suburban transport thins, out early. Thirty-six legitimate theatres are open, from opera, Shakespeare,' Shaw and ballet to vaudeville. Likewise the cinemas are packed with up-to-date films. British besides American.Undoubtedly food rationing is felt hardest by the housewife, as city restaurants seem to manage well enough for those who can afford to patronise them. As in Australia, the setting of a price limit seems to have made the extreme price chargeable the standard unit for a meal. Everyone praises Lord Woolton's administration of food rations, and, apart from the failure of the egg situation, all seem satisfied with their rations of meat, butter, sugar and essentials. They seem unbelievably small, but a series of intelligently placed food centres and frequently published instructions regarding what is currently available, and how best to use it have placed the food administration high in the nation's regard. Green vegetables and potatoes are cheap and abundant. Beer is plentiful, but spirits, are expensive and scarce. The whole liquor administration, with a sensible set of licensing hours, is an object lesson for Australia The Londoner complains that his 'beer is not what it was, but he seems to appreciate it and the pleasant club-like atmosphere of his pub. Britain is well into its fourth winter of the war, with its morale never higher, says Mr. Fitchett.

War Winters Most Trying This war's winters have proved the 'trying periods for Britain. The first may be discounted, the second saw Britain battered and shaken, and the last winter, despite the absence of blitz, saw citizen morale at its lowest ebb. Observers have told of the irritation which began to manifest itself over the blackout, food rationing, and restrictions. Singapore, the escape of the Nazi battleships from Brest, the puzzling news from. Australia—even yet not fully explained to the man in the street —all of which produced a feeling of frustration and anger, and a questioning of the country's leaders. This winter has brought a great change. The Briton is certain of victory, but his certainty is coupled with the knowledge that a hard road is ahead. A people who have suffered fear, destruction and death on all sides are not given to careless optimism, but the certainty is there, hard to define, but a living thing. A hundred and one returning Englishmen—soldiers, sailors, businesses, journalists—said this is the first thing that impresses them. Many of them left England last year and candidly admit they had secret worry when thoughts rested on their homeland. To-day they admit their fears with a smile. "Victory is the keynote here to-day," they say.