AIR RAID DAMAGE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 14

AIR RAID DAMAGE

HOW LONDON SUFFERED DURING THE WAR. The total number of air raids, either by Zeppelin or aeroplane, which were made on London in the course of the war was 25. They took place between 31st Mar, 1915, and 30th May, 1918, and resulted in the death of 524 people and injury to 1264 others. These are the official figures of the London Fire Brigade, and although their completeness presumably cannot be guaranteed they may cenrtainly be taken as approximately accurate. In the course of thesfe raids 174 buildings were destroyed arid 619 seriously damaged, involving a direct monetary loss of .about £2,042,000. These figuresl are given in "Bed Book No. 240" of the British Fire Preven? tion Committee, which has just been published, and which gives an interest ing survey of the subject generally, to^ gether with illustrations arid detail information in reference to some of the cases of damage. Although 524 deaths and £2,042,000 worth of damage are serious items, which there is no value in minimising, it may none the less be admitted that in view of the density of population and buildings on the area attacked, the results from the point of view oi the enemy were small. As pointed out in the record, the cases of direct damage to structures of national importance were rare, although as closely as Gan be'estimated 355 incendiary and. 567 explosive bombs were dropped. The British Fire Prevention Committee is naturally chiefly interested in the subject in its fire aspect, but the publication deals, with the question of air raid shelters, and points out that an examination of the records shows that a series of floors of concrete, or reinforced con-: crete, affords very considerable protecr tion, and, indeed, on the lower floors absolute immunity against the average explosive bomb, and almost entire protection on any floor against incendijry; i bombs. '"' ' ,