WORK AMID FIRES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23863, 14 January 1941, Page 81

WORK AMID FIRES

DAILY NEWSPAPEBS

FLEET STREET CARRIES ON JOURNALISTS IN DUNGAREES MELBOURNE, Jan. 2 One of the greatest stories of the world happened right in the heart of newspaperdom on Sunday night, when the Germans carried out a fire-bomb raid, says the London correspondent of tlio Argus, Melbourne, in a despatch cabled yesterday. There were more journalists to the square yard than could be found anywhere else, he adds, hut the .story could not he told in all its drama because the necessities of censorship prevented mention of the names of some of the world's most famous streets and build-

In what might be termed "borderline'' cases journalists were forced tc censor themselves.

Glare In Windows On Sunday night, journalists worked in almost all offices witli the glare of j flames dancing in their windows, making I the black-out a temporary farce, for ; the whole of Fleet Street was lit almost ; as bright as day. They worked as jourI nalists and as citizens. There is a j greater proportion of night workers in I this district than in almost any other : city, and therefore there was a greater number of citizens to take a hand in . fight ing ihe flames. | ll'e Paily Kxpress office was typical o! all the olliccs. While the raid was at it* height t went a<-i'ithe street to see how my colleagues were faring, continues the correspondent. Arthur Christiansen, the editor, was in his shirt--sleeves, sitting behind the chief sub-editor, remodelling the front page, | as from time to time the censorship released fresh details. The editor had just written a leading article directing attention to the need for a general system of roofwntellers and office fire-fighters, when a Mohrtoff "bread-basket" showered incendiary bombs outside his window. "Goebbels is confirming our policy with a vengeance," he said. "In normal times it would be most pleasant to have your editorial so forcefully confirmed almost before the ink was dry." Axe and Tin Helmet At the desk in front of hint sat one of the cable sub-editors, wearing khaki dungarees and knee-length rubber boots, with a fireman's axe dangling from his chair, and a tin helmet on the desk in front of him. He was working on a story from Greece. He had come down from the roof only 10 minutes before having put out several incendiary bombs, and his face, hands, and copy were smudged with soot. Another subeditor had taken his place on the roof. Not far from him another sub-editor worked, wearing the blue dungarees of the A.R.P. warde®, Across the big room at desks where the reporters sit there were several dressed as fire-fighters and A.R.P. workers. They had been out in the streets working as civil defence men and newspaper reporters at the same time, and now they were -writing their stories. No Mention of Themselves Staff reporters of the Daily Express wrote: —"A few score men and women —caretakers, cleaners, licensees, their wives and their staffs —fought the second great fire of London. "With stirrup pumps and pennyworths of sand they hurried to the city's rooftops. Thev fought to save history during those precious minutes, while London's fire-fighting services were coming into action. These men and women, who earn £'2 to £3 a week, and live at the top of big office blocks, saved thousands of pounds' worth of property. '' The representative of the Argus, with a few others, could have saved St. Bride's Church if they had been able to reach the roof from the belfry in time. But there was no one who knew the layout of the church, and in the smoke-filled darkness of the belfry they were unable to find the exit. j