BATH IN RUINS

Grey River Argus, 29 April 1942, Page 5

BATH IN RUINS

Severe Casualties VS?' j 1 ? ’ ' ’; ' •■• ■‘ [Auk'&- ; Caple f. : : :>■ '/V .7 LONDON/ April 17..-,. Bath, ,whj.ch* was', aUdxtpook.finlstone of;. that •? War best ■ fin•'< British I architecture, : to-day? is ;a/.city of desolation L following : German- jair i raids. On Sunday night, the Luftwaffe attacked Bath, for -the’ second -night :n succession. The ' raid began; after midnight and /is - officially ’ described as: short .but sharp. > Casualties pi'e lively:: to; be’fairly’ heavy and/extensive..,damage ,iWa,s > caused' by.; high explosive and incendiary bombs. / . The.raiders, were engaged by. antiaircraft defences. and*, by night; fighters, and in addition they-had to meet British fighters over - thefr '. aerodromes;in northern' 1 France .as they returned;? At ’ least .-two /German aeroplanes . were shot down over . aerodromes in ’ France and. others Avery damaged. , aerodromes; were- bonified and fires; were. startedAlthough the' Luftwaffe’s revengeraid, oh /Bath; last night, was. not so prolonged ->,dss that: : on’ /the .previous nigfit, .'Sharp. Op /Sgfurr; fipy:/night,'-enemyraided :?cpihe. r . in--Singiy,? rbut' Ipst"night /there:/ Were. ‘small;, I :£rOup>. fbf! aircraft/; oyer the town. They;: jfilso;; appearr.edr/tp'he sheiavibr t'Zbbmbem. /Several. ■'sefipuS fires /sprang -up jsooii'-afidp . the raid fiegah. - ' British 1 ; night' .fighters met soffie/df-the, raiders .aS'4ltey.apprpach.ed itfie;'town/ .forcing. ttheffi; -to; ‘-tfawv police, soldiers and the Home Guard worked throughout the night, extricating people from wrecked houses, land also fighting the fires. ■ ’ . LATER.

The German air-raid on Bath on Sunday night, caused - serious fifes in the centre of the town. There was a large number of casualties when a bomb hit a shelter. The 1 emerge ency services in the Bath area quickly went into operation. '■ Ministry of Pensions officials from Bristol and :Exetef immediately .rushed to Bath, :where they interviewed the (relations of ' the victims, amid the ruins, arid a special temporary allowance 5 of 50/- was made on the spot. Mobile kitchens and canteens operating in the Bath area are supplying the needs of the rescue squads, firefighters, first-aid parties, police, and hundreds of homeless people. In. Bath (which Is situated near Bristol, arid north of Exeter, previously (bombed) there now are heaps of rubble,: where' were * once beautiful sweeping crescents and .quaint narrow streets. Hundreds pf homeless peoole trudged Bath’s dusty streets to-day, carrying small bundles of clothes arid oddments of ‘ furriitureThey were red-eyed and tired after two nights’ bombing. Many: spent the second-night in, the. city’s parks, where ithev watched /the horrible fireworks display. The Berlin radio does not attempt to conceal that the raids against Bath were merely-horror reprisal attacks. The radio described it as the Sna of British plutocrats, adding these raids are hitting the right people. Bath existed for the people with rheumatism, sciatica*, and gout, and has been for centuries a fashionable British resort. It Is clear the raids exclusively hit British plutocrats. Those who ordered the attacks against Germany, were responsible for these reprisals.