BOMBING OF ENGLAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 285, 4 December 1940, Page 5

BOMBING OF ENGLAND

ATTACKS ON THE SOUTH WEST PITIABLE SIGHTS IN CITY OF SOUTHAMPTON [By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) Received Dec. 3, 7.40 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 2. An attack against a south-west town began early this evening. Flares were dropped, followed by incendiaries and high explosives. Some premises were hit and damage is reported in several districts. Another south-west town was raided on the seventh successive night. INo bombs were dropped and the at- | tackers were driven off by fierce I ground fire. ’ Rescuers in Southampton. Mean ' !' : lc, Southampton rescuers were wuiKing feverishly in darkness to remove further evidence of the week-end’s fury. Pitiable crowds of those rendered homeless in Southampton all day searched the ruins of their homes for valuables before seeking asylum in other Hampshire areas. Roads are crowded with pilgrims. Meanwhile, reorganisation went on unceasingly in a tremendous effort to clear the streets and evacuate those rendered homeless, in order to facilitate rescue work if the Germans returned to the fray to-night. Accommodation on outgoing buses for some hours before the black-out was heavily taxed and became a case of women and children first. Additional buses were requisitioned. Private car owners did their utmost to relieve the congestion. Hastings a Victim. The German news agency reported to-night that a thick mass of smoke and flames hung over Southampton, where oil tanks were believed to be on fire and were visible from Cherbourg. It claims that Hastings was heavily bombed to-day and many fires started. Further details of Liverpool’s worst raid (on November 28) reveal the

.4/. Jean Chiappe. recently a'p pointed French High Commissioner for Syria. who lost his life when the. aircraft he was in was shot down het ween Sardinia and the A frican coast. courage of victims and the unremitting labours of rescuers. A youth, still akve under the debris,’ was found 50 hours after the explosion. The wounded and killed were slowly brought to the surface, rescuers continuing to work all Friday and Saturday recovering further bodies. Then, early on December 1, faint moans were heard. A rescuer clambered tn rough a tunnel and found a youth. A doctor crawled to him and administered an anaesthetic. The youth was taken to hospital but died. Rescuers are still searching and clearing away debris. Dense fog. low and unbroken cloud blotted out the Straits of Dover tonight. There is a cold noith-easterly and a calm sea. Southampton Again Attacked Southampton was again the main, objective of Sunday night's enemy air raids. Announcing this a communique states that fires were caused but all were well under control by daybreak. It is reported that relays of German planes attacked for hours. The first force of raiders arrived in the early evening, dropping parachute flares. Driven to a great height by the intense air barrage the raiders proceeded to shower down hundreds of incendiaries. While local firemen were tackling the outbreaks, Nazi airmen dropped high explosives and caused wanton damage among business premises and private houses. A community underground shelter was directly hit from a heavy bomb, Many people were made homeless. Casualties from both raids last night were small. The Air Ministry reports that raids on Sunday night were mainly concentrated on southern EnglandBuildings were damaged, by explosives and fire and some were killed and injured. Bombs were also dropped in London and the home counties and on a few places elsewhere. Reports indicate that little damage was done. Demolition Work Hundreds of steel-helmeted pioneers are tackling the demolition work in Southampton, causing the town to rock frequently on Monday as masonry and timber fell. Most of the casualties are probably concentrated in tl*3 communal underground shelter which was hit. Rescuers are still extricating bodies. A German communique refers to the second raid on Southampton and other localities on Sunday night, but gives no details. It claims that 60 large and numerous small fires started the previous night in Southampton were merged into a huge sea of fire. The Air Ministry announced that 370 were killed and seriously injured in the Southampton raids on Saturday and Sunday nights.