BOMBS ON LONDON.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 153, 30 June 1917, Page 3

BOMBS ON LONDON.

* THE DAYLIGHT RAID

HARROWING SCENES

MANY TINY VICTIMS

The -Australian papers contain

fvller details of the recent air raid

on London. One bomb crashing on an East End school, killed ten' children. Tb.p children's teacher quickly guided the uninjured outside, and soldiers assisted in removing the injured in waggons to a hospital. They were writhing in pain,/and moaning piteoiisly. Many dead bodies were lying on desks with terrible wounds. A Jsoldier, describing the scene at the stricken school, says:— "I was talking tea policeman, who said, 'The raiders are ( out.' Presently the school was hit. He said, 'Give them help and I'll get more police.' I dashed into the schoolroom and found the mistress in the pas?ii£?e with the uninjured children, all at work succouring the injured The sight was appalling, many little ones lying across the desks apparently dead, with terrible wounds on their heads and limbs. Many others were writhing in pain and moaning ritoously. Several of the bodies wpre mutilated. The injured were tak°n out gently and laid in a row against a wall under the shed—perhaps 30 altogether Then helpers iiocked in, including police, soldiers, and naval cadets. '-'Two lorries arrived and the poor littlo souls were packed in them a* gently as we could and driven to r hospital. I took up a post as sentry at the school door to stem the throng of raother>, pome of whom, almost inr.nne, rushed in .imon<? the children.--bodies in their search. The care taker vva.s among tho first helpers. She ran immediately to the* infants' rooms, and almost the first body^he found was hnr own child's. . <'* "'An old man,- who was caring for his five-year-old grandchild while its father is fighting ... at. the front, wa,r <zriof-strieiren because the child'? bearitifni hair was all burned oft and i^s face.. discolored..and bruised The child was unconscious for three'hour's, bub may recover." Another .-'story, of the school catastroph? says-—"Terrible scenes were witnessed. The teachers were abouf 1-0 dismiss the children for lunch jhra a bomb fell squarely 7 on th< "roof. It made a small hole, but fell and exploded within the room. "The -hildren screamed and fainted, and the teachers bravely strove to pacify their little charges. ' or>< teacher was badly wounded, bvh th< remainder stuck to their posts, sonif rendering first aid and the others tak ing the uninjured children to safety. The police and the'ambulances poor arrived, and bluejackets gaye assistance. . "Ihe school was quickly besieged by anxious parents, and distressing scenes were . witnessed, some parents being hysterical with joy and otherp-•wit-h grief. ' «• "Mr . Will Crooks (Labor^ M.P. for Woolwich) was 100 ■[ yards from the school "at the timeV IIV threw himself on the ground, and then hastened to his home in Gough Street, Poplar E.,. to inquire as t< his wife's safety. Mr Crooks was afterwards busy comforting 100, mothers. Mr Crooks says that he is Jtstomshed that -child survived. The four „walls "of* the school Avcre blown out> and the desks and seats reduced to atoms. One v griefstricken mother said that her six year-old boy was blown to pieces." . There were stirring scenes at enothfer school.' The teachers,' on hearing gun-fire and the exploding bombs, began a singing lesson. The youngsters sang "Land of Hope and Glory" at the top of their voices. ; An Australian'\soldier from the I'xnnt, who went to fetch his nieces says that -he never saw such a sight! as the children sang lustily. When- <i bomb fell near the school there 'were, signs of an incipient panic amongst the smaller children, but th< on aster came in and said, "Here's ;: soldier. Are we down-hearted?" .

'shout of "No" restored confidence in the''most timid of "the children.

Responding to a iiro-drill alarm, ■the scholars at a large mixed school assembled in tlie covered playground and sang until the danger was "past. JJcvmbs fell within 20 yards of a lar-.;e school, where 1000 children wore jcitj lessons." They, had been drilled to meet such an emergency, fiJid :ill i^dt under thi> desks, whore they rrniained Vhilf the teachers quiocly read stories./ A judge in the Law Courts said, *'A raid is occurring outside, but it is a.3 safe here as anywhere." The case went on without interruption.

A coroner in the Ea?t End adjourned an inquest, and advised everybody to go down to the, basement, but the majority went into the street to sec what was occurring

j During a County.. Court action a, Ifidy was giving evidence. The judge t-aggested an adjournment, but the witness said that she was willing to proceed. The judge later complimented her on her coolness and courage. A bomb narrowly missed one of. the London' County Council's largest blocks of dwellings, where 2000 oi POOP people are living. ,~? One bomb in a busy thoroughfare • dfcembowled two horses and mutilated two pedestrians. A bomb which fell in the courtyard of a factory killed five persons, while' 100 work girls, who were less than 100 yards distant, were unscathed. Another bomb dropped ir a square where a dustman was collecting refuse. The dustman was seriously injured, and the cart blown to fragments, but the horse was unhurt, and continued to feed out of its nosebag. Elsewhere a group of hollos weve killed or'maimed, necessitating Heavy traffic in the congested city streets proceeded unmoved, the londing nud unloading of vans going on with fatalistic calmness. ;

Sever.il aerial torpedoes were discharged. One crashed into a teablending store, killing six girls and injiirinp; 16 seriously.

One bomb blew a carman and his .horses to pieces, killed a policeman a?id woman, and injured others, one of whom, a boy, died en route to r hospital. A large fragment of the same bomb snicked a piece out of a girl's dress and drove a large hole ir a wall behind the girl, who escaped unharmed.

In one place Sr bomb demolished, a block of offices. All the floors were wrecked, ond a dozen persons were killed, including two who were ordered to go down to the basement, but went into the street. One lost an arm, and the other both,legs! Both died in a few moments. Several persons were Lwied in the, upper floors.

A fireman carried an unconscious gh') dm\ v by menus of a ladder.

A bomfi falling on a workshop killod three and injured 30. Another bomb fell outside the gate killing three men.

The majority of the deaths in East London were- among children, the vjptims including "two' lnutila'ted babies who have not 'oeon identified.

A .small hospital admitted 30 sufferers, 10 of whom Avere children. Four of the children soon died, and ■tjiree others were dead arrival. Four wonion and three men died l the afternoon.

One bomb fell in the centre of '-■ brewery, the employees of which cheered.

Amongst the places damaged were those of sevei-al Australian business firms.

One well-known Australian business man. was seen in the rjfternoon in his shirt-sloeves busy in his office (which was without windows), and carrying on as if nothing had occurred. The employees in many warehouses and blocks of offices were assembled, and marched into the basements in the most perfect order. ,