DAUNTLESS BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 137, 6 March 1941, Page 9

DAUNTLESS BRITAIN

People Undeterred By Fiercest Raids

LETTERS FROM LONDON The magnificent spirißof the people of Britain in the face of recurring bombing attacks is exemplified in the following letters received by a'Pahlatua resident from relatives —a husband and wife—in Fulham, London.

“Well, dear, we are still carrying on," the wife wrote on December 31. “We have bad it badly in our district, but tio worse than other places; they are all bad, and jt is heartbreaking to think of all the people’s treasures destroyed so wantonly. No money will replace the homes of the people of all classes who have lost them —at least that is how I feel about it. Now our dear old London and all its treasures has almost been gutted. I feel I cannot look on it, and I’m sure others feel the same; I am thankful I have no need to go to the City.

“During air-raids, we stay where wo are and make ourselves as cosy as we can. We don’t sit and shiver nowadays as we have got so used to war conditions. It really is amazing to hear the machine-guns popping at the planes; they are ever so loud and sound as though they are in the road outside, r.s I expect they are, only we daren’t look out in case of stray bullets. The A.A. guns are terrific and make our standard lamp jump off the floor when they go off. I do wish we could find an antidote for night raids. Of course, it won’t be so bad when the longer daylight comes, as they are not so keen ou raiding us in the daytime. . . .

“The Empire Rallying Round.”

"We think it is wonderful how the Empire is rallying round us. All the money they keep sending for Spitfires ami other things—it must make That Man wild. Whatever should we do without you? You are our great consolation and support when we think what we might have to face. . . .” “Little did J think that at 57 years, of age I should find myself being drilled and instructed on a famous parade ground by sergeants of the Guards,” wrote the husband, relating his experiences in the Home Guard. “Still, its worth trying anything once.” After describing the damage done to their flat by the blast of a heavy bomb which burst about 150 yards away from them, the writer said the damage had been repaired, though they had not so much light as before. “Well, this is a city of cardboard windows, nowadays," he added. “People with glass are out of fashion! We have been fortunate so far in that though the Jerries have chucked a lot of stuff about us, none of the high explosive kind has been nearer than some 100 yards.

“The heavy raids on London have stopped for some few weeks, but they tried to set the City on fire on Sunday night. Now there is a big drive -on to get more fire-watchers, I think one difficulty about getting them is that the married men—and most of them are married—want to get home to look after their own places. There are not many young single men in the City and, of course, nowadays, a large proportion of the staffs are women and girls. It needs agile people, with steady nerves, to climb about the irregular sloping -tiled roofs to put out incendiaries. In the West End, where larger numbers of the buildings are new, with the modern flat concrete roofs, the position, is not quite so difficult. A further point is the strain of being up all night—we try to arrange for one-third of our people to sleep while the other twothirds keep watch. Of course, the sleepers have to turn out if there is anything doing. Food Rationed, But Sufficient.

“You can take It Hurt we are getting along very’ well in London —foods., of some kinds are rationed but we find that we get enough. The margarine is very good-—quite different from 1914-18 —in fact, It doesn’t seem to have any flavour now. Prices of tobaccos, spirits and such luxuries are very high, but I think that those of us who knew the pre-1914 prices feel that most. Clothes hove increased very little yet, largely, I suspect, because people are not buying them If they can help it. “If you ask me what I notice most, of course, like everyone else I should say ‘the black-out.’ Very few people go out in the evenings now. The few theatres that are open do not play after 8 p.m., and. the same applies to the picture houses. Bookshops do a roaring trade—everyone wants something to read in the evenings. Another thing, the 1914-18 war started women smoking pretty generally; well, when I get on a bus nowadays. I often find one or two girls or women smoking cigarettes, but no men smoking at all. Don’t think that we are complaining—l think that if the truth be told we are all the better for the fact that the heavy taxation is limiting our little self-in-dulgences. Londoners Keep Calm. “As for incidents directly connected with the war—well, I have been on top of a bus at least three times and watched the machines fighting in the sky; nobody takes much notice of the daylight raids. Flo [his wife] was on a shopping expedition to Kensington one day when one bomb dropped uncomfortably near the bus. Some old girl was very anxious to dart off and get to a shelter, but the conductor reassured her. ‘lt’s all right, ma. You’ve heard it bonk arid you’re O.K. What’s the hurry now?’ “I do hope that J have made it clear that we are not a bit downhearted over here. We didn’t want this scrap, but we’re blooming well enjoying it and we’re going to enjoy it longer than Jerry.”