LONDON RAIDS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21202, 27 August 1940, Page 6

LONDON RAIDS

THRILLING INCIDENTS CALMNESS OF PEOPLE SIRENS SOUNDED AGAIN (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. CopyrigTit) (Received August 27, 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, August 26 The sirens sounded in London again to-night. The first of the night-raiders which Londoners heard was the drone of planes, and they saw searchlights searching several sections of the sky. The raider seemed to be making a circular tour. The searchlights followed an invisible path in a complete circle. Planes were heard at six different points. One hundred searchlights in one area threw up a wall of light, and anti-aircraft guns flashed southward. A bomb fell on a building on the outskirts of London. Several bombs were heard eastward. A series of flashes lit the sky in one direction as bombs dropped from planes in a cluster of searchlights. A quick-firing anti-aircraft gun spattered the sky with brilliant lights beneath and around the planes. Calmness in Theatres Buses continued running. Typically calm was the audience at a theatre where Mr Gordon Harker was playing. No member accepted the opportunity to leave, and the audience danced on the stage after the show, Mr Harker participating. The drone of planes was incessant. The raiders appeared to be divided into three groups. This was London’s longest raid. The raiders sometimes appeared to be on the outskirts, and then the droning was heard again from other areas. Mr Ivor Novello, who was performing in the West End, enlisted the audience in an impromptu concert, which started off with “Keep the Home Fires Burning!” The raid was still progressing after three hours. A salvo of bombs was dropped in one area, and flash followed flash for several minutes before the raider sped off, and then came back. Buildings are reported to have been damaged on the outskirts.