'Battle of Waterloo'

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 14, 3 September 1941, Page 5

'Battle of Waterloo'

The residents of Waterloo had their peace disturbed on $undw morning by the Imaginary droning of. enemy- aeroplanes 'and th'« burst ing of bombs destroying the glories of a perfect spring day.

The iiir. raid—figuratively "speak-lng-—lasted only a few minutes, but nevertheless qjeven points of Homage were registered, hnctudthe Waterloo -Railway Station, ! &&&{{here were a considerable numbi&slfccasualties. THi%jbombing came apparently—figuratively f speaking—from a carrier based off .the south-east coast, and after dropping its load in the area east- of the Waterloo railway line, *taade off quickly to its 1 base.

The emergency call—again figuratively speaking—an intermittent signal of sirens and bells of ten seconds, followed by Jive | minutes' silence, sounded for two minutes on the stroke of 9 a.m. There was an immediate response by units of the E.P.S. The district warden, Mr. Alex. Anderson, with his assistants manned the warden's post in the Waterloo School, district inspectors of the various works duties hurried to the same post and aIBO did the appointed members of the W<W.S.A. cyele corps and the Boy Scout runners.

News having arrived that the first aid post in the district had been demolished, Red Cross nurses and St. John Ambulance units w£re called to an emergency post, also at Waterloo School. The various works squads—demolition, water, gas, electricity, etc. —arrived quickly at their district headquarters ready for action, and central headquarters in Feist's Buildings was manned. In the meantime the area leaders, some seven in number, within the danger zone had called up their helpers' and runners, and every street was being patrolled to ascertain the points of damage. Almost the first information to reach the district warden's post was that telephone communication was interrupted, so two members of the W.W.S.A. cycle corpfc were allotted to each area leader to bring in information.

The first news of definite damage came from a patrolman at Trafalgar Park, who reported finding at 9.5 a.m. a watermain badly- damaged opposite 55 Trafalgar Street. The information was posted at the warden's post at 9.10 a.m. At 9.11 a.m. the district water inspector was on his way to survey the damage, and at 9.20 a.m. his report on the action necessary was received and taken. By 9.41 remedial action was reported and the final repbrt was despatched and received at general headquarters at 9.46. In the meantime reports of damage were pouring in—a house in Waiwhetu badly damaged and needing demolition, a bridge in Burdwood Road damaged, a gas main in Waiwhetu Road off Brassell Street cracked, a sewer main in Cambridge Terrace, off Rodney Street, and serious road damage in Waterloo Road, near Raymond Terrace, with power lines down, and finally damage to the platform of the Waterloo Station, with casualties from among passengers waiting for their train.

The casualties were rapidly dealt with. St. John Ambulance men took over those in the house in Waiwhetu Road from the demolition squad, and brought them by ambulance vans to the emergency post, while those at Waterlqo Station were handled entirely by the St. John men.

Both groups of patients were taken over by the nurses and made comfortable at the Waterloo School.

The material damage was dealt with by the various work squads.

The last report that all emergency measures had been taken was received at general headquarters at 10.5 a.m.

The various units were kept touch with events during the whole of the emergency by means of a loud speaker, with the deputy chief warden, Mr. H. Reynolds Bach, at the microphone.

The E.P.S. intelligence department rep6rts)that the enemy plans a more comprehensive raid during October, and E.P.S. headquarters urges that all units should go into intensive training.