The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-09-29
LETTERS TELL OF
ZEPPELIN RAID
Relatives of Mrs. George Sercombe
Give Graphic Account of Recent
Attack on London.

Interesting letters have just been re-
ceived from relatives of Mrs. George
|Sercombe of 20 Prospect street, de-
seribing the last Zeppelin raid on Lon
don. The following are extracts:
''We have had the5week of our lives.
Zeppelins over Wood Green two nights
running Tuesday night did not matter
much, as it was making for the powder
mills at Enfield and did not drop bombs
till it got near the1 place. We could
hear the reports Of the bombs in the
distance.
''On Wednesday night they began
their business at Liverpool street sta
tion with so much effect that traffic
on the Great Eastern railway was en-
tirely discontinued next day. The
track was marked By bombs dropped
in Old Broad street, eaeh side of Guild
| hall, Wood street, Harrington road and
various other places. At this stage one
| began to interest rs for it was making
straight for the Great Northern main
line, which is in sight of our home. AS
it passed along Harringay there was a
panic, all the people rushed down Beres-
ford and parallel roads into Green
lane, which was packed. just before
it reached Wood Green station it
stopped for about 10 minutes. We
think they had engine trouble As a
spectacle that 10 minutes was magnif-
cent The Zeppelin was in the glare
of several search lights and looked like
a huge golden pencil shining as clearly
as the moon. All aronnd it shells were
bursting, often two or three together
and never more than three-second in
tervals between the explosions.
The various noises were terrific, guns
firing from the Alexandra palace, Claf
ton common and Hamstead Heath. We
could hear the shells singing as they
went through the air. AS an example
the vibration shook several baskets o1
pears off our tree. Finally the "Zep'
got going again and we saw i
swing around, coming straight for us
We bolted into the kitchen, but moth
ing happened so we looked out again
blew the back part up until it wa
Just then a shell burst under it an,
tilted at an angle of 60 degrees. Ev
Eerybody shouted It's hit!' but j
righted again, blew off cloud O
/ smoke from two tubes at the ends an
disappeared in the smoke. Half Lon
don did not go to bed that night. -
, Another letter states there was a 10
t ing in school being in the midst of i
E all the windows broken, houses d,
a stroyed and in one house eight peopl
/ being blown to pieces. \ bomb iu,
4 missed st. Bartholomew s hospital an
the Children's S hospital in Ormond
d street. Special auto cars fetched ava
/ people dwelling in the high tenement
e and all. lights were turned off for Sc
IS eral miles around. The sky was quir
5 pink with the reflections from the V
:. rious fires.
e ''In that particular vicinity the moi
1t of the air guns and the bombs, Wi
/ the crash of falling houses was so dea
T. ening that one could not hear onese
re speak. The poor, little scholars are a
u solutely tired out They have h;
+ no sleep for two nights. We hear tn
D. the navy is going to take charge e
+ tirely and will replace the shrapn
q; d guns with heavy naval guns that fl
:" shells for six miles. Sailors are alrea,
- taking charge of various gun static
i all equipped with telescopes, If v
- want some real exciting times come G
f. er and visit old London once again -