SCHOOL BOMBED

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 9, 5 October 1940, Page 11

SCHOOL BOMBED

Six Children Killed In Midlands NAZI INHUMANITY

London’s Defences Drive Off Night Raiders ißririsb OtlieinJ Wireless and Press Assn.) (Received October 4. 9 p.m.) LONDON, October 4. The Germans yesterday afternoon chalked up at least six mote child victims of terror warfare. They were seven-year-old pupils oi a .Midlands school which was divebombed, Z and they included three evacuee girls and a cripple boyAbout 400 children attend the school. The attack was so sudden that there was no time to move the children into the sandbag shelters in the playground. Many of the shelters were severely damaged. Some of the children were probably saved by being told to lie on the floor before the explosion. A.R.P. workers rescued many of the children and factory workers from beneath the wreckage.

Other fatalities are reported from the bombing of factory houses and an A.R.P. post. Night raiders on London, like the day raiders, bombed “blind,” because of low clouds. Bombs fell in southeast, west and south London, also in towns in Wales and south-east and south-west England. Two heavy bombs dropped in central London and others in north London. A single night raider suddenly swooped from low clouds and machinegunned a busload of factory girls returning from work on the outskirts of Liverpool. The bus driver, sighting the plane through the driving mirror, zig-zagged and nobody was hurt. Heavy rain and a dense mist, reducing visibility to a few hundred yards, drew a curtain over the English Channel yesterday morning and reduced German aerial activity. Isolated raiders appeared in the vicinity of the Midlands and also over northeast and south-west towns. A raider bombed and machine-gunned a main line train from London as it was passing a small Midlands town. Three persons were sent to hospital. Bombing indiscriminately, a small number of raiders kept London’s antiaircraft guns in action for the longest period since the outbreak, of the war. Road traffic and pedestrians carried on as usual.

Some bombs were dropped in a south-east district. Daylight raiders also dropped bombs neiTr’’ south-east Eugiand aud east London hospitals, shattering windows and wrecking shops and houses. Bomber Shot Down. A German bomber was shot down near Hertford in the afternoon. Four members of the crew surrendered to farm-hands. The plaue narrowly missed woods and crashed through a hedge into a field.

A famous public school in the southeast of London was slightly damaged by a "Molotov breadbasket.” Once again enemy attacks took the form of visits by single aircraft. These are described in tiie following Air Ministry aud Ministry of Home Security communique: "Reports received up to 5 p.m. indicate that bombs were dropped at random in a number of London boroughs and several houses were demolished, but it is not expected that tiie casualties will be heavy. Elsewhere bombs were dropped at various points in the Thames Valley, Essex, Kent and Cornwall, but no serious damage and no fatal casualties have been reported in any of these districts. The number of casualties included a few fatal injuries caused in a city in the Midlands and another small Midland town, where a number of houses were demolished, but little other damage was reported.” Anti-Aircraft Fire. For tiie third night running London’s defences last night cleared away all German aircraft for a time, anti the "raiders passed” was sounded not long after the punctual dusk “alert.” "During the second warning, which was London’s fifth of the day, isolated raiders approached from the suburbs and ran into fierce anti-aircraft fire. Bombs fell in the southern and western districts of London, but no casualties are reported. Earlier bombs had fallen in two south-eastern districts of Loudon. Later one heavy bomb fell in central London and another in the northern London area. It is stated officially that the enemy’s night raid operations were again directed, mainly-at the Loudon area, where bombs were dropped indiscriminately, damaging houses and shops. There were some fatalities. The damage was uot extensive. Raiders also attacked several places in southeastern England and started fires. There were a number of casualties here, us elsewhere throughout tiie country. Three houses were demolished and others damaged in north-western England. Fires which were started were soon got under control. Minor damage was caused by explosive and incendiary bombs which fell at two places in Scotland. Exaggerated Stories.

To combat exaggerated stories of London’s ordeal which evacuees have carried to the provinces, the Government took a party of journalists from all parts of the United Kingdom on a tour of the worst bombed areas In the capital. The journalists were unanimous that the devastation was bad enough in places, but on the whole not nearly as bad as was thought. The worst sight, was in dockland, where tliere are lines of shattered bricks and rubble which were once streets and houses.

The Duke of Kent yesterday visited a number of London fire brigade centres. During the tour there was an air-raid warning and heavy gunlire could be heard. He went to the London tire brigade headquarters and other centres visited were in the south and east of London.

TRIBUTE TO R.A.F.

Americans’ Gratitude

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 3.

A touching tribute has been received by the British Ambassador in Washington in a letter from Mr. Harold Cutbrell, of North Carolina, who says: "We people in a town of eastern Carolina wisli to express through you outdeep and sincere gratitude to the R.A.F. for the courageous, tenacious, and victorious stand against the Nazi criminals and barbarians. We glory in the fighting strength and invincible spirit of the British airmen who are wresting air superiority from Goering’s vnitures, We arc grateful to all the brave lads in the R.A.F. who are fighting heroically to turn back and conquer Hitler's gangsters. God speed them to victory.”