PLANS FOUND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 30, 6 February 1939, Page 7

PLANS FOUND

Famous Buildings Threatened

SERIOUS VIEW TAKEN

[By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright] Received Feb. 5, 7.30 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 4. The police, in the course of a raid on Republican Army adherents’ houses in Belfast, are reported to have found plans to blow up Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the House of Commons and the Bank of England. The documents are regarded of sufficient seriousness to justify their being flown to London, leading a conference between the Home Office and Scotland Yard. Officials and police maintain a nightlong patrol of the Royal Lodgein Windsor Park, where Their Majesties and the Princesses arc spending the week-end. Four detectives guard Mr. Malcolm MacDonald’s home near Chelmsford. Revolvers were issued to the Bristol police following the receipt ot anonymous notes threatening the destruction of the local petrol tanks. Meanwhile, despite the presence of police at unexpected points, life in London is perfectly normal and there is no sign of apprehension. At Liverpool police are protecting the Mersey tunnel railway bridge. Fianna Fail and Eire Government clubs throughout Donegal urge Mr. de Valera to send troops to the border as a counterblast to Lord CraigavonL action in arming the Ulster constabulary. Guards are stationed at the British Broadcasting Corporation’s studios in Bristol and the electric-power station at Portishead, while private property owners have been instructed to maintain watchfulness at large buildings. The police are not only most active in London, where members of the flying-squad are travelling in disguised cars with ramshackle bodies and anti-crime equipment, but they have searched 30 houses in Manchester. Similar activity in Liverpool resulted in two arrests. The Daily Mail says that large stocks of explosives are missing from British factories and Scotland Yard has reason to believe that an explosion might be a signal for a national demonstration by wreckers. The threat to blow up Bow Street was accompanied by the allegation that certain defendants had not received justice.

Members of the House of Commons who raised the question of the Irish connection with the explosions have been anonymously warned to be careful what they are doing.

The Houses of Parliament, as a precautionary measure, were closed to the public to-day after Friday’s bombings.

Sir Thomas Moore, M.P. tabled a motion adding to the Criminal Justice Bill a provision to enable corporal punishment for the manufacture, distribution or placing of explosives for the purpose of destroying life ano property. Important Clues. It is understood that detectives in London have discovered important clues which have been handed over to the political department. The search so far has covered over 100 addresses in London. A special guard is stationed at Government Buildings and a guard of police and pensioneis has been resctablished at Westminster Abbey. Precautions have been taken at Windsor Castle. Michael Lyons, described as a clerk, was remanded at Bow Street on a charge of having explosives in hL possession. The police gave evidence that they found seven handgrenades and eleven cartridges in his garden al Stamford Hill and newspaper cuttings indicating Irish Republican sympathies. They said that Lyons had been in touch with people already charged. John Gavahan was arrested al Manchester on a charge of conspiring with Patrick Walsh and others to cause an explosion at Manchester. A

police superintendent alleged that Gavahan said: “Although you got us, the cause will go on. Something will probably happen In Liverpool tonight.”

Two Irishmen, Michael Mason, an engineer's litter, and Joseph Walker, a labourer, were arrested in Liverpool

on a charge of having in their possession six electrical leads similar to those found at Manchester at the time of the outrages, also a large quantity of documents to which considerable importance is attached leading to graver charges later.

EXPLOSION AT TORQUAY

Received Feb. 5, 7.20 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 4. An explosion wrecked the interior of the Torre Conservative Club, Torquay. Nobody was injured.

RESCUE ATTEMPT?

EXPLOSION AT WALTON GAOL (Independent Cable Service.) Received Feb. 6, 1 a.m. LONDON, Feb. 5. Shortly before midnight an attempt was made to blow up a wall at Walton goal at Liverpool where the men were remanded in connection with the recent explosives charges. A small hole was blown in the base of the wool. During a raid on a house in a London suburb the police found a list of names of all the officers attached to a special branch, believed to be compiled from a list supplied from a police source.