BOLT FROM THE BLUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19376, 10 July 1926, Page 2 (Supplement)

BOLT FROM THE BLUE.

BOMB THROUGH A HOUSE. FALL FROM AN AEROPLANE. FAMILY'S NARROW ESCAPE. A VERY STARTLING CRASH. While four aeroplanes which had left Kenley Aerodrome, on a bomb-dropping practice, were flying over Caterham, Surrey, early one evening a few weeks ago, a smoke bomb fell from one of them on to a house in High Street and crashed through the roof, a ceiling and a floor, narrowly missing the" occupants, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman. ' ; - • The bomb, which was a small -one, struck the slate roof at, the angle. It burst through the slates, passing through a ceiling into a bedroom on the first floor, and into the sitting-room below, where it ricochetted from a wall on to a gramophone, which it smashed. The house was at once filled with acrid smoke, through which Mr and Mrs. Coleman dashed in bewilderment.Mr. Coleman, in relating the story, stated''' I was' with my wife in the bedroom , in the front part of the house on the 'first floor at about five minutes to seven when suddenly I heard a terrific explosion. My first thought was that a gas explosion had taken place. I went on to the landing,"to find the house filled with smoke. The smoke was particularly thick in-a bedroom at the back." Discovery of the Bomb. "I made my way downstairs and in tho sitting room at tfce back, *on the ground , floor, I found a bomb and ; realised that it had fallen- from an -aeroplane. The bomb passed through the house only about 10ft. from where my Wife and I were Jt passed through the bedroom of one of my .daughters,. Fortunately , she was aw?iy. It was a lucky thing, because she is usually in the room at about the time the bomb fell. Shortly after the accident occurred three, officers from the Kenley Aerodrome came round to the house and examined the bomb, and they found, I believe, that a staple which they had thought would be missing was still upon it." Some residents actually saw the bomb falling from the aeroplane. The .house which was' struck is next door' to Caterham Post Office,' which was only missed by a few feet; A senior officer at Kenley Aerodrome, stated:—"A flight of four machines of No.' 23 Fighting Squadron, left the aerodrome in order to carry out : bombing practice. While climbing from the aerodrome they passed about 500 ft. above Caterham, making aright-hand turn. It was then that a bomb fell from; one of the .machines. The pilot .of the . machine did not notice it- happen, but, one of tho three other pilots saw it fall. He immediately left the 1 formation to see where the bomb went. \ He.saw it strike, and returned at once to the aerodrome and reported the occurrence. Live Bombs Never Carried. ''lmmediately , the aeroplane from which the. bomb dropped landed in the aerodrome' the dropping gear was tested and was found to work perfectly. The gear in use is regarded as fool-proof and a safety arrangement. has to be .. released before the bombs are dropped. . This safety arrangement had not been attached by the pilot when this bomb fell. : " Hundreds of bombs have been dropped at various aerodromes in England during the past few years and I have never known of any such accident taking place, and residents need not feel any alarm. ■ Live bombs are never carried by the Royal Air Force machines over England. They are only used occasionally for practice purposes at specially selected points on the coast where they could not fall on any inhabited building." , . ,• M