Houses of Parliament Repeatedly Hit

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 113, 14 May 1941, Page 7

Houses of Parliament Repeatedly Hit

LONDON, May 12. “The German attack on the Houses of Parliament was obviously deliberate,” said Mr Victor Goodman, head of the Parliament A.R.P. unit, to-day. “They hit us with seven high-explosive bombs, in addition to a large number of incendiaries, all of which were aimed at the target. Spotters dealt with all the incendiaries except some which were most difficult to reach. “The gable of Westminster Hall caught fire, and subsequently was burned through near the apex, but the firemen were so prompt that the damage was confined to a strip at the apex of the roof. Thus the most ancient part of Parliament remains virtually intact, and can be repaired.” The fire which destroyed the debating chamber of the House of Commons resulted from an oil-bomb hitting the top of the west side. The fire burned for some hours, bringing down the steel-girdered roof, which caused the floor to collapse. An explosive bomb demolished a 20foot turret on top of the wall of the Royal Court, killing two War Reserve policemen who were spotting from it. The Prime Minister. Mr Churchill, and the Minister of State, Lord Beaverbrook, visited the Houses of Parliament to-day to inspect the damage, which is not expected to interfere with

the next meeting of the House, for which new accommodation is available.

Westminster Abbey, though gravely damaged, is structurally intact except for a part in the vic.nity of the lantern tower. The incendiary bomb which damaged the lantern tower did not damage the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. A good deal of surface damage was done to the Henry VII. ChapeL A library of thousands of books, valuable manuscripts, and important documents was destroyed in the deanery. Most of the private rooms of Ministers, includmg that of Mr Churchill, in the House of Commons were not damaged. The libraries of both the House v o t Commons and the House of Lords ere intact

Rescue parties are still working on an hotel hit by an explosive bomb en Saturday. Several bodies have already been recovered, but two women and a man are still missing. The explosion wrecked many rooms, burying the guests under heaps of masonry. A ra-der bombed three villages in South Wales last night killing two persons and injuring several others.