ATTACKS ON HOSPITALS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 September 1917, Page 3

ATTACKS ON HOSPITALS.

GERMANS’ LATEST GRIME. LONDON, August 22. Reuter’s correspondent at’ Paris writes: infuriated by their defeats at Verdun, the Germans have committed a fresh and inexcusable crime. German aeroplanes last night set lire, by means of incendiary bombs, to three French hospitals full of wounded and then turned their machine guns on the medical men who were rescuing the wounded from the blazing buildings. The victims include seven medical men killed and 20 injured, and seven wounded killed and 1-3 injured. The

wounded were killed in their beds. A. Red Cross nurse and a male nurse were killed at the bedsides of wounded. There was no panic. Wounded men who were able jto walk assisted in the rescue of their comrades, while the entire staff endeavored to extinguish the flames. Although the Rod Crosses on the roofs of the buildings could be very plainly seen in Ibc glare of the conflagration, -the Germans returned for the I bird time and bombarded the buildings. AWFUL SCENES IN WARDS. LONDON, August 23. Mr. Beach Thomas (Daily Mail) de-

scribing the German attacks' on hospitals, states that a, great English surgeon was visiting one hospital with American surgeons. They heard tho hum of aeroplanes, and the company went out and saw a big plane ilyiing straight for the hospital. They retreated to cover. A succession of mashes' followed. The hospital echoed with the gutaim! shouts and screams of the German patients. The whole place was dunged in darkness. A Hash-lamp ■evealed a horrible .scene. Ihree nindred-pound bombs had made huge maters, suggesting that tho raider t va® one of the newest air giants. The first bomb struck a. ward Ad of Hermans, nine of whom were heaped n eveiy attitude in a horrible, fanastio death. It wa s hard work Tor he doctors to unravel the human material front the debris and to sepa•ate the wounded from the dead. In ill their-experience, they said, they

had not witnessed such a. horrible scone. Other nurses and doctors came to their help. Another ward suffered a.st severely as that in which the Germans were. Three other hospitals were attacked the same night. “KAMERAD! EAMERAD!” Mr. Pirrie Robinson .(the Times correspondent) made the charge dispassionately and earnegt-ly that the Germansl deliberately selected Allied hospitals and clearing stations for aerial attacks. Three -nights ago they bombed three clearing stations in succession. Three women nurses were killed in the first, one doctor was killed and three wounded in the second, and nine Germans * were wounded in their bed,si in the third. On Tuesday night they similarly attacked other stations and a hospital where German wounded were being treated. They also contained a. large number of British, who remained silent and self-controlled, while the Germans) were noisy and panic-strick-en. A German who was being tended by a nurse as a bomb fell, held up his hands in terror, and cried piteous1— i‘T. r J I I.- A I”

, Jvamerau! hamerau! Mr. Campbell, Timed correspondent at French Headquarters, states that the aeroplane bombardment of the French hospitals on Tuesday killed 22 and wounded 60, mostly hospital orderlies. Some of the wounded were soldiers. The hospital contained 180 Germanßi under the care of the orderlies. The latter were killed, and some of the Germans hurt. Several aeroplanes participated in the attack. One. which had dropped its bombsi, continued to hover, after firing the hospital. The airmen descended low, and deliberately used machine-guns on the inmates, Ag the flames brilliantly illuminated the cicinity, it is) impossible to plead the :larknes S i as an excuse. The outrage was deliberate and conscious.