NAZI RAIDERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25240, 1 June 1943, Page 3

NAZI RAIDERS

CHURCH DESTROYED HEAVY TOLL OF CHILDREN (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, May 31. The bodies of 21 children have been recovered from a parish church which German Focke-Wulfs bombed in a south-west coast town yesterday afternoon. The Berlin radio says the town was Torquay. Most of the children were very young, and the victims included a number of waifs and strays,from an orphans’ home. The church, in which a special service was being held, was practically laid in ruins. Workers late last night were still searching the debris. Several houses were alsQ destroyed, a number of people being killed and others made homeless.’ The raid on the town was made by 21 planes. Vigorous anti-aircraft fire compelled a third of the machines to turn back, but the others machine-gunned the beaches, causing casualties, including a father who was shot dead beside his young son, who was shot through the foot. The raiders then indiscriminately bombed the town. Three large hotels and many dwellings were badly damaged, and some shops demolished. It is believed that five raiders were destroyed. The bodies recovered from the church also include one teacher. Several teachers and 15 children are missing, but some may not have been in the building. Between 40 and 50 children from an infants’ school who were assembled in a nearby parish hall escaped injury. If the raid nad been 10 minutes later it would have endangered the whole gathering, at which there are usually 100 children. Twelve Focke-Wulf 190’s attacked two East Anglian towns late yesterday. One was shot down into the sea, the crew being rescued by a lifeboat. Two other machines are believed to have been damaged. An empty church was wrecked, and an hotel - and other buildings were badly damaged. It has been revealed that 39 children and 5 teachers were killed'on January 30, when a day raider’s bomb hit the Catford School, Lewisham. 1