RAZING OF HOMES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20452, 13 January 1941, Page 5

RAZING OF HOMES

CHURCHES & HOSPITAL FATAL CASUALTIES LOSS OF SIX PLANES VERSION FROM BERLIN (Elec. T«l. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Jan. 13, 10 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 12. The Air Ministry states that enemy attacks on London last night began soon after dark and continued for about three hours. Explosive bombs caused damage and a number of persons were killed and others injured. Fires started by incendiary bombs were promptly dealt with. Most were soon put out. Bombs were also dropped on places in the south and south-east of England. Some damage was caused but no one was killed.

Night bombing on Friday by German planes was practically confined to Portsmouth which suffered its most severe raid.

An official communique states that the enemy attacked Portsmouth. Fires were caused, but the situation, was soon well in hand. Considerable damage was done to houses and commercial premises and a number of people were killed and others injured. A few bombs were dropped elsewhere and damaged houses, but no one was killed. “Bruised But Not Daunted” The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth in a tribute to the citizens and the civil defence services said: “At last the blow has fallen. Our proud city has boon hit and hit very hard by the enemy. We are bruised, but not daunted.” All reports of the raid are in agreement that, raiders were kept very high by the intense anti-aircraft barrage. They adopted the newest tactics of the German air force of showering down firebombs in the early stages of the attack. After a few hours there was a pause and later a new wave of raiders arrived.

The damage was minimised in a number of areas by the efficient work of fire-bomb fighting parties of neighbours who extinguished hundreds of incendiary bombs.

Several churches and cinemas were hit in Portsmouth. A hospital which was receiving casualties was damaged, It was almost impossible for the fire fighters to deal with all the incendiary bombs and a number of fires burned for some time while the raiders dropped high-explosive bombs. The Germans renewed the attack later in the night. A torrent of incendiary bombs rained down. Women at Prayer Killed A high-explosive bomb hit a Roman Catholic church, killing four women members of the staff who were found kneeling with their heads bowed as if in prayer. A mother and son were killed when a raider bombed a south-east coast town in the afternoon.

A Berlin message quotes informed German circles as stating that the Luftwaffe carried out a large-scale attack on Portsmouth on Friday night. A communique issued in Berlin admits that six planes failed to return from attacks on southern England on Friday night.

London reports state that British night patrols destroyed one enemy aircraft over Britain on Friday night and anti-aircraft fire destroyed another.