DAMAGE BY BOMBS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1982, 27 May 1919, Page 3

DAMAGE BY BOMBS.

THE RECORD. IN LONDON. PUBLIC BUILDINGS INJURED. While London has cause to bo thankful for the fact that great monuments of national importance such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s escaped damage from air raids in a perfectly miraculous manner, a report issued by the London Fire Brigade shows that some scores of .buildings of a public and semi-public character, some of them of no little historic interest, suffered damage more or less severe. In the very early days of air raids, in September, 1915, the hall of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, Bartholomew-close, was wrecked, and on the same occasion the benchers’ buildings of Gray’s Inn and the examination hall of tire Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons were damaged. A month later another of the Inns of Court —Lincoln’s Inn —was a victim. Both the hull and the chapel sustained damage of a serious character, as did also the new extension to the Royal Courts of Justice. On the same night bombs were dropped on the Artillery Barracks at Woolwich, and the parade ground was wrecked, in addition to damage done in the town itself.

Nearly a year passed before anything further was reported. On 25th August, 191(5, 103 sets of premises were injured. Most of them were in the South-Eastern district, arnong them the picturesque Queen Elizabeth College Almshouses, in the Greenwich road, and the R.A.S.C. motor -transport depot at Plumstead. A bond) on the Royal Mint, on 13th June, 1917, wrecked a repair shop, killed four men. and injured thirty others. But (lie most widespread havoc to properly was wrought as the result of (he great daylight raid of 7th July, 1917; 903 sets of premises were affected, among them: The Royal Genera! Dispensary, Butchers’ Hall (second time), Central Telegraph Office, London Volunteer Training Corps, Drill Hall, Bancras Road, Leadenhall Market, and (lie Custom House.

Charing Cross Hospital'was hit on -till September, 1917, and on the Victoria Embankment a tramear was wrecked and three statues damaged. The raiders had considerable luck with Government departments on this occasion, and damage was reported from (he Office of Works Buildings, Regent’s Park; the Ministry of Munitions, Embankment- Gardens ; and the War Department offices at Hie Hotel Cecil. Twenty days later the West End was Hie centre of Hie raid area. Considerable damage was done at the Royal Academy and to other buildings in Burlington Gardens, Royal Thames Yacht Club, Hie Berkeley Hotel, and the Turf Club. Westminster Abbey had a narrow escape on this occasion. A bomb injured the Choir House in Dean’s Yard. The Volunteer Drill Hall in Paneras Road received an anti-aircraft shell on 29th September, 1918, in the course, of a raid, during which damage was done north, south, eastand west. Bethlem Hospital was damaged on this occasion, and on Hie next night one of our own shells caused injury to Hie roof of the Parliament Chamber of Middle Temple Hall. No fewer than live hospitals were hit during this particular raid, and two Government: offices. Part of the roof of Hie Board of Inland Revenue Department at Somerset House was demolished on (ith December, 1917, and this time the raiders verv nearly got the War Office, damage being done in Whiteball Court. Early in 1918 (2Sl:h January) Hie Admiralty bad a similar fortunate escape, when a bomb dropped near Spring Gardens.

A remarkable feature of the reports is the number of banks Avhich suffered. In all there Avcre fifteen, and in lavo cases there was loss of life.