RENEWAL OF ATTACKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 151, 23 December 1940, Page 8

RENEWAL OF ATTACKS

LONDON'S EARLT ALERT

LIVERPOOL BOMBED

[By Telegraph—Press Assoifflatlon—-Copyright.) LONDON, .December 21.

The "air blitz" against London returned almost to September form for a short period pn Friday night after the earliest alert for Borne, days. Reports shovir that there were! night raids throughout Britain. Incendiary and hif/h-explosive bombs were dropped in fields in the West Midlands. Waves of r.jiiders bombed the Liverpool area. Bcimbs were dropped in an East Anglicin town, without damage or casualtieis. Other parts visited were the north-west and east coast of Scotland, the north of England, the south-west and w fest of England and Wales. The attack on Liverpool and the Merseyside is described as the severest yet. More planes than ever previously still droned over ■' incessantly in waves early on Saturday, showering countless incendiary and high-explosive bombs. Anti-aircraft batteries and searchlights were in action constantly. A number of , houses and a hotel were demolished by one blast, A few people in the diAiing-room were injured slightly. FEW PIEOPLE KILLED. The glass of shop windows was shattered over a -wide area. Workmen started movijog the debris of the smashed builidngs and homes even while the bombs were falling. Early reports show that few people were killed. A lone raiider, unheralded, dropped eight bombs in the London area while the streets vpere crowded with Christmas shoppejfs. Women sought cover in & doorwaysp and under shop counters and others out in the streets. There was only one slight casualty, from flying, glass. Four bombs were dropped in a Scottish town, one hitting a block of tenements. THere were no serious casualties. Othfer bombs slightly damaged property. High-exj plosive bombs were dropped on a West; Midlands town despite the heavy banrage, while for the first time for three ■■ weeks heavy gunfire was heard in a north-west town. Bombs of various <tailibres fell on the coast and inland from an east coast town. Gunfire shoolc houses on the seafront. Bombs fell in the grounds of a hospital in sin East Midlands rural area, shattering; the windows and slightly injuring; a patient and two nurses. Last insight's alert in the London area, ihy first since Monday night, came eal'ly and was soon followed by gunfire., ROADS MACHINE-GUNNED. A Geprman bomber machine-gunned roads on the outskirts of London on Friday • morning, but there were no casualties. It disappeared, losing height,, having apparently been hit by gunftne. People in another London district ?Delieved that a low-flying aeroplane was British till they saw bombs dropping, as no alert was sounded. There* was little damage, and no casusilties resulted. . > The fact that the bombing of London, : though severe, has been intermittent recently^ has enabled great progress to be made with the arrangemen.ts for the care of the people made homeless by the raids. The salvaging of furniture has been almost cleared up and the numbers of people using thetrest centres are greatly reduced. . An Air Ministry communique, according to Official Wireless, states that Gearman bombers last night attacked Liverpool and the Merseyside for several hours. By early morning the position was already well in hand. A tannejry and storage yard were set on fire, but these and a number of other fires \Vf*re all soon extinguished or brought uxider control. A considerable number of houses w«re demolished and seriously damaged, but the casualties are not exacted to be heavy. I A few bombs fell in other parts of Britain, mainly the Midlands. There was little damage and few casualties. During daylight enemy activity was on a small scale. Some bombs fell in the London area. ; LONDON, December 22. i -Enemy raiders were over London again last night. A bomb rendered a irnumber of people homeless and men :in the Services on leave joined the rescuers. Taxi-cabs took injured persons to first aid posts. Raiders then flew over the Merseyside area at the rate of one every two minutes. Poor workers' homes were again the main sufferers. There were some casualties when a public shelter was hit. There was also damage in a! town on the south coast. j