Four Alarms Yesterday

Northern Advocate, 14 September 1940, Page 7

Four Alarms Yesterday

(Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 13. From midnight to noon, London was in a state of .alarm for nine hours.

The first warning was sounded less than two hours after the “all clear” was sounded for the night's raid. The second .alarm lasted from 9.49 a.m. till 1.50 p.m. Sirens were sounded for the third time at 3.55 p.m.

The “all clear” for the third alarm was sounded at 4.15 p.m. A solitary plane, diving from the clouds, was responsible for the third warning. Pedestrians threw themselves at full length on roadways and pavements. The plane dropped bombs, setting fire to a building. A raider dropped several incendiary bombs over the London district during the second warning, but these were promptly extinguished. Heavy explosions were heard in central London. Then a deafening gunfire barrage broke out. The streets were quickly deserted as shrapnel pattered on the roadways and rooftops. The siren was sounded for the fourth time at 9.10 p.m. Revelation of Damage. Several places affected in the past few days’ raids can now be disclosed. The buildings damaged include Somerset House, the church of Our Lady of Victories, in Kensington, and the churches of St. Magnus the Martyr, St. Swithin’s. in Cannon Street, St. Mary-at-the-Hill. St. Dunstan's in the East. St. Mary Woolnoth, St. Clement’s at East Cheap. St. Augustine’s in Watling Street and St. Giles, Cripplegate. Rotten Row and Berkeley Square were also affected. About five bombs fell in the vicinity of St. Paul’s between 12 and 1 and one was believed to have been a 500-pounder. Hardly a street is without a crater or craters. Windows are rare for a considerable length along districts cn the main roads. Minor Casualties. However, apart from the number of deaths when a shelter was directly hit. the casualties were mostly confined to minor injuries sustained by being hurled to the ground with or without the assistance of a bomb blast. A 14-year-old girl. Mildred Castillo, was rescued alive this afternoon from the ruins of ,a demolished house in a south-west suburb, in which she was buried on September 9 and was believed dead. A passerby heard her cries. Bombing at Random An Air Ministry communique states that following last night’s ineffective attacks, in which bombs were dropped in London at random, through heavy clcuds. a small number of planes today deliberately bombed a number of conspicuous buildings in various parts of London, irrespective of their nature. Anti-aircraft guns and British fighters came into action against the early merning raiders over London. Apparently dismayed by London’s shifting fence of exploding steel, which early last night shook the capital like an earthquake, the Germans turned violent attention to the provinces, several areas having very long raids.

A Forceful Welcome A north-east town endured its first serious attack. Two sci’eaming bombs fell in a working class district, damaging houses and causing casualties. Incendiary bombs were showered down in various places as waves of l-aiders flew over and received a forceful welcome from anti-aircraft guns. A high-explosive bomb damaged a casualty ward in a public assistance institution in a north-east coast town. An enemy plane was brought down in the streets of a Welsh coastal town. Convoy Escapes Several bombers attacked a convoy off the east coast of Scotland, but the ships in the convoy were not damaged. A few persons were fatally injured when a bomb fell in a northern London district. Several shops were demolished and ethers seriously damaged. In another area bombs damaged several houses' and a garage. A few people sheltering there were killed.

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