16-year-old Boy Hero of London Raids

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 95, 22 April 1941, Page 5

16-year-old Boy Hero of London Raids

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 20. Among many press reports of courage and coolness on the part of London's civil population in last night’s and Wednesday night's indiscriminate raids on the capital is one describing how a 10-year-old messenger boy, Michael O'Connor, four feet high, helped not only by carrying messages at the height of tlie blitz, but also in fighting fires. The warden of a casualty-clearing post said that "Mickey" could not do enough. Seven times last night he walked from the scene of a fire to tho local fire station with messages. Ho also helped to fight a fire at a church, which was saved from serious damage. He assisted a casualty to a lirst-aid post and carried, out other duties throughout the raid. This was O'Connor’s second baptism of fire, for he had previously carried out invaluable work on Wednesday night. A study of reports from centres throughout London shows that London civilians of either sex and of any age are co-operating to the fullest degree in the work of fighting the savage attacks on London’s morale —attacks which, it should have become clear last autumn to the heads of the Luftwaffe—were doomed to failure.