RAIDS ON LONDON

Opotiki News, Volume III, Issue 323, 18 October 1940, Page 3

RAIDS ON LONDON

INTERESTING ACCOUNTS FUN OF TAKING COVER Writing to her brother in Opotiki, Mrs. Robins, wife of the well-known artist, Mr. W. P.’ Robins, of Londo'n, gives some interesting details of air raids over London. Mrs. Robins writes: We have had a. good many raids, and near us at Croydon. 'We hear dozens of planes over our heads long before we get the warning, and the children come running in from the garden. Then we hear the sirens and sit in the hall. We had one plane brought down near us here; we thought it was coming on our roof. The children are wonderful. We were coming back from seeing in hospital and just as we got off the train, we had a warning and race home. We saw lots of people disappearing down the dugouts. There is something quite exciting about it, if it stops at that. Wo are all in good spirts and happy. If things get much worse I shall pack the children back to Maidenhead. The thing that worries us about evacuation is the danger of the sea. I feel that the danger is greater' than being at Maidenhead, Our boys are absolutely marvellous aren’t they? This seems an entirely air war.

London is very full and we love to see the New Zealanders and Australians. We have a big struggle before us. That we know, and arcprepared for. If you could see the way the people run to shelter taking it all as a joke, it would do your heart good. I enclose a photograph of our Sally. In another letter, written ten days later Mrs Robins says: Wc have had, and are having, a licet.o time and get plenty of excitement. Wc. had two air raid warnings in under H hours last night, and have had two or three a day. The damage in some parts is considerable. Wc all take refuge in the shelter under the stairs and often hear the bomb explosions and booming of anti-air-craft guns. Several tunes we have seen the searchlights combing the skies, and twice have seen them pick up. a plane—it’s very wonderful. Wc seem to get used to the warnings, and in the daytime wc just carry on as usual after the sirens go off; unless wc hear explosions and gun-fire, then wc take cover. Lil and I went yesterday to the City to sec where the bombs had dropped. We could smell the fire and made our way to Fore Street but it was roped right off and fire engines were _ad down the road. The firemen were black and looked so tired, having been up all night and most of the day. You remember lovely old Cripplcgate Church (Milton’s Church), a few yards' from Barbican; well, that’s where the fires were, fortunately the church wasn’t hit, but the statue of Milton which stands in the churchyard, was blown up. Cherry (my eldest), was on her way from the Beaver (Canadian) Club with lici boy friend and the warnings went. All the shelters were full, so they took refuge in a stationary tram. The bombs were dropping near aim it was terrifying and they all had to lie flat oil the floor. Cherry said the sky was ablaze and lit up St. Paul’s. We always know when they are over—we hear the planes high overhead, as they always pass ovei here or seem to; then invariably conies the warning. Sometimes wc hear the explosions first in the distance. We get some good laughs over it all. We all tumble into the shelter when _ things get hot and have the usual solace —a cup of tea. I am getting the children back to Maidenhead this week —it s said. They said they will miss the excitement. Carol had a very .nice lettei from Lindsay Steele of Opotiki.

Bally, Mrs. Robins’ little girl, mentioned in the letter, was the winner of an English child beaut} contest in 1936, when Sally was six years of age. In a humorous little write-up at that time, a Press correspondent stated that as a result of her win, Sally had made a drastic change in her ambitions. “When I saw her hi her home in Hopton-l-oad, Streatham, London, S.W., last night,” he stated, “she told me that first of all she had wanted to be a bus conductor and then a mummy, with lots of children, but that now she wants to bo an actress and have a tea-set that does not leak. Sally has been winning cups and medals since she was eighteen months old. ‘I love dancing and 1 don’t want to go to America, and I have got a great big pram,’ said Sally all in one breath.’ Sally is the youngest member of what is said to be the best-looking, family in London.” A photograph of Sally and Carol (three -years older than Sally), shows the latter to be even prettier than Sally.