LONG WARNING PERIOD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 October 1940, Page 6

LONG WARNING PERIOD

ATTACKS BY SINGLE PLANES ON LONDON DAMAGE IN SOME AREAS. NUMBER OF FATALITIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, October 4. London to4ay experienced its longest daylight warning, single planes continuing to circle overhead, mostly in the suburbs, where a number of incendiary bombs were dropped. Six raiders in the afternoon dive-bombed a southeast centre, directly hitting the front of a historic castle. They demolished two streets and craters were left in several roadways. There were a number of fatalities. A solitary bomber dropped two whistling bomb on a south-east coast town, smashing church windows and causing several fatal casualties. Raiders in the morning dropped a number of explosive bombs in the lower reaches of the Thames. BRITISH BOMBING ALONG COAST OF HOLLAND. HAPHAZARD ENEMY BOMBING IN BRITAIN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 12.12 p.m.) RUGBY, October 4. British bombers, it is learned officially, carried out daylight attacks today on various objectives along the enemy-occupied coast of Holland. “No large scale enemy activity developed today, but during the morning and early afternoon,” states an Air Ministry and Ministry of Home Security communique, “a number of single enemy aircraft, flying in cloud, scattered numbers of bombs haphazard, mainly over south-east England. Some fell in built-up areas, causing a certain number of casualties, including a few fatalities. A second bomber was shot down by our fighters early in the afternoon.” FLEET AIR ARM ATTACKS ON ENEMY SHIPS IN NORWAY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.12 p.m.) RUGBY October 4. An Admiralty communique states:— “Further damage was inflicted on enemy shipping by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm operating over the coast of Norway. Skuas attacked enemy supply ships of 4000 to 5000 tons which were lying alongside a jetty at Haugesund. Hits were obtained with bombs and a ship was left heavily on fire in both forward and after holds. In Bjiorne Fiord, Skuas attacked an enemy supply ship of about 2000 tons. Bombs 'were seen to hit the ship, which is considered to have been sunk. “Our aircraft were subsequently attacked by a superior force of enemy fighters. One Skua is missing.” ONE DUCK AT COST OF TEN BOMBS. GERMAN RAIDER'S POOR BAG. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.35 p.m.) RUGBY, October 4. It is reported that one German raider, which flew over the Thames Estuary went duck shooting with little success. He dropped ten bombs, all on marshland, and the only casualty was one wild duck. GERMAN REPORT ADMISSION AND CLAIMS. (Received This Day, 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, October 4. A German communique again admits the loss of more planes than Britain —namely four to three —and again describes air raids on Britain as retaliatory. It claims that heavy damage was done to military targets in London and its precincts and says that only one industrial works in Germany was bombed by the R.A.F., and that no material damage was done. An Oslo message states that five British planes bombed a Norwegian steamer northwards of Stavanger. Sixteen persons were injured. CHILDREN BURIED IN BASEMENT OF BOMBED HOUSE. (Received This Day, 1.10 aim.) LONDON, October 4. Four children were left by their mother in the basement of a house which was demolished in a daylight raid on London, and it is believed that they are buried. The mother She was forced to run out for some shopping, because of the length of the warning. A 12-year-old boy was released from wreckage in east London, after being entombed for several hours. His mother was killed.