SAVING ST. PAUL’S

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1940, Page 7

SAVING ST. PAUL’S

e WONDERFUL HEROISM e t. ' ? BOMB-REMOVAL PERILS s - ■ s e I’BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.! e LONDON, September 16. ? A story of unrivalled. heroism lies f behind the bare announcement that the time-bomb threatening St. Paul’s Cathedral had been removed. When the bomb was located, a squad of the bomb disposal section of the Royal Engineers started to dig for . it. They had excavated some dis- , tance when a six-inch gas main, brokf en by the bomo, caught fire. Although 3 three of the men were gassed, and - they did not know how far from the ; bomb the flames were raging, the engineers' and gas company workmen ’ soon had the fire under control. ’ The engineers continued digging, . and at a depth of 27£ feet they came ; across “the father and mother of all [ bombs.” Eight feet long, weighing . more than a ton, the bomb, in its pas- ; sage through air and earth, had become highly polished, making it extremely difficult to handle. In addition, the location of its fuses made their removal impossible. Nevertheless, after a tackle had been attached to the bomb, two motorlorries took the strain and slowly drew the bomb to the surface. Here, it was loaded on to one of the trucks. Never knowing when the bomb might explode, the driver (Lieutenant R. Davies) drove swiftly through blocked-off roads to Hackney Marshes, an open space some miles away. Here, the bomb was exploded. It made a crater 100 feet across. Had it been left at St. Paul’s, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece would undoubtedly have been demolished. _ The Ministry of Home Security states: “Only the courage and tenacity of Lieutenant Davies and his men prevented St. Paul’s from being levelled to the ground.” With pictures and prose the newspapers applaud the courage of “suicide squads” who, under the more prosaic title of bomb disposal squads of Royal Engineers, have dealt effectively wjth many delayed action bombs. SERVICES RESUMED. RUGBY, September 16. Special prayers and thanks for the safety of the fabric were said at St. Paul’s, to-day, when the first luncheon service since the removal of the unexploded bomb was held. The officiating Canon gave thanks for the courage, skill, and devotion to duty of the men who disposed of the bomb. GANDHI’S CONCERN. RUGBY, September 16. The magnificent courage of the few men who safely removed the high explosive bdmb which menaced St. Paul’s Cathedral, since last Wednesday, is warmly praised on all sides; and there is world-wide relief- that 'Wren’s magnificent masterpiece escaped undamaged. In approving the Indian Congress ' resolution, expressing admiration for the bravery and endurance of the British people, Gandhi said: “Any damage to St. Paul’s would be as keenly felt by me, as would damage to Benares.”