SIX MONTHS’ AIR BLITZ

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 139, 8 March 1941, Page 11

SIX MONTHS’ AIR BLITZ

London’s Experience FIGURES OF ALERTS AND RAIDS (Received March 7, 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 6. It will be six months tomorrow since the air “blitz” began against London. The alerts have lasted a total of 1286 hours. The longest raid was 14 hours 4 minute, with almost continual bombing, and the shortest alert has been nine minutes. There have been either day or night warnings on each day between August 23 ana December 12, with 57 consecutive night raids.

It is officially stated that there ha's been considerable activity by single enemy aircraft during daylight today, mostly near the east and south coasts. Bombs were dropped at several places In East Anglia, Kent and at one point in the London area. The number of casualties was small. Buildings were damaged in a town on the coast of East Anglia but elsewhere there was little damage. A hero of today’s raids was Mr. Jack Riches, who, when a. stick of bombs straddled eight houses in an East Anglian town, went into a house to rescue three children. He carried two of them downstairs when a bomb made a direct bit on the next house, burying Riches and the three children under debris, but. he managed to get the children out of the house before it collapsed. Little Night Activity. LONDON, March 7. German air activity over Britain last night again was on a small scale. Bombs were dropped on a west England town causing slight damage and few casualties. Bombs fell on some other places but no casualties are reported. A Dornier bomber was shot down off the east coast of England this morning.