St. Paul’s Saved

Grey River Argus, 12 September 1940, Page 7

St. Paul’s Saved

BY CHANGE OF WIND. [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON, September 10. A mountainous black cloud of smoke was hanging over London, this morning. Police guarded the entrances to all, the affected areas, pending the fixing of barriers. The streets were filled with dust and smoke. Ambulances and demolition waggons still raced along the roads. Rescuers over a wide area were still searching buildings for victims. Most-distressing scenes were in pro- 1 gress, not only in the East Ena, out in areas far westward. Warehouses in the vicinity of St. Paul’s Cathedral were ablaze. The Church of St. Mary le Bow, of Bow Bells fame after a long period of anxiety, was pronounced out oi danger. A member of the A.R.P. said: It is not, 'fires and damaged buildings j which upset us, but the sight of little' children with gaping wounds, others killed outright, people screaming amid the flames, women frantically trying to save their babies, and men searching for their families. A bomb in the Central London district demolished a women’s hostel, causing the surrounding area to be evacuated. Bombs fell on two hospitals in central London, one shattering the roof of a children’s hospital, and causing a fire on the top floor. A second bomb hit a maternity hospital. A nurses’ home was also struck. There were no casualties at any of these three places. The maternity hospital contained 30 mothers and 20 babies. The patients were evacuated within a ■ quarter of an hour. The bomb which hit the maternity hospital se’/ously damaged the ground floor of a nearby public house. A broken water main threatened the lives of eight people taking refuge in the cellars, but screams from the trapped people attracted the attention of rescuers. Several were killed when a high- 1 explosive bomb fell in north-east' London, seven houses crashing in a huge pile of debris. - i Firemen fought fires in the vicinity of St. Paul’s Cathedral for eight' hours, amid falling bombs and crashing debi'is. Fires raged in several 1 localities around the cathedral, whim 1 was not damaged. The wind blew the flames from the nearest fire away from the building. The London correspondent of the “Neue Zurcher Zeitung,” who visited' the three dock areas which suffered most severely, confirms, according to a Press despatch from Zurich, that it is civilian property and not military objectives that have, principally suifered. Although a war of terror has been started against London he adds, the results so far are mere scratches on the giant frame of Britain’s cap'.-, tai.

London Food Losses NO SHORTAGE. [British Official Wireless.] RUGBY, September 10. The effect upon food stocks of the Nazi bombing raids on London is described by Lord Woolton as annoying in detail, but entirely unimportant as regards either the nation’s food supplies or those of London. Flour mills and sugar warehouses suffered chiefly. There was also damage to stores of animal feeding stuffs and meat. None of this damage, however would affect rationing. Lord Woolton said that, as a result of patient organisation, the Food Ministry knew where food supplies were, and in times like the present, justification for that work was plainly seen. Lord Woo’ton added that he had visited the East End, where he saw people feeding communally, after their homes had been damaged. "I. think they are perfectly marvellous,' he said. "The communal feeding system, instituted in the East End, is working effectively.” Lord Woolton urged traders to get their stocks from the docks as speedily as possible. Retailers have been warned to shelter their stocks. Splinters of glass pierced even canned foods.

TRANSPORT PROBLEMS. RUGBY, September 10. The Ministry of Transport has announced: The violent and indiscriminate bombing of the past two or three days has naturally caused some temporary dislocation of travelling facilities. In order to enable repairs to proceed with the least possible delay, the public is asked to refrain from unnecessary tr'avel to and from the London area. Although t)he recent German bombings bear all the marks indiscriminate attacks, authoritative quarters in London take the view that the enemy is trying to smash our communications. In the night raids, the raiders cruised over the metropolis, seeking some indication of the target, and scattered bombs at random when they failed to locate their objectives.

Invasion Next ? GERMAN THREAT. ZURICH, September 10. The “Basler Nachrichten’s” Berlin correspondent says: Military circles in Berlin are emphatic in declaring that the air offensive is the prelude to an invasion before the end of September. They added that disorganisation 'in the south of England is the first essential. LONDON September 10. “The Times’s” German frontier correspondent says: Almost threequarters of the space in the German newspapers is taken up by reports! and descriptions of the air battle over! England. Some proclaim that this constitutes the beginning of the de-| cisive fight against England. Others declare that the mightiest war-j machine of all the ages is now running at top speed, but the official' German spokesmen, as usual, asserts that only a small part of Germany’s! war potential is in action, while an immense reserve is scattered throughout the Reich, also along the; Channel coasts, ready for use at a moment's notice.