The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-02-15

4UU SOluIPfS. .
Relaxation of the censorship now
permits for the first time publication
of some of the effects of enemy air
raids on London, from the first Yep
pelin attack in May. 1915, to the "Au-
rora Borealis' demonstration last
March, which ended the effective Sc
ries.
In the beginning the attacks were
made by Zeppelins, usually on dark
nights. These machines proved un-
wieldy as offensive weapons, and they
were soon succeeded by Taubes and
Gothas, which crossed the Channel
from enemy airdromes in Belgium.
Then followed a series of daylight
raids, which were succeeded by moon
light visits, that condition of atmOs-
phere reducing the detective power of
S%earchlights.
Anti-aircraft defense in the begin
ming was feeble and ineffective. 1t
was speedily improved and finally a
lOng-range barrage encircled London.
making hostile approach highly eau
tious and really possible only when
atmospheric conditions were favOra-
BILE. Coincident with the Improvement,
the Royal air force was greatly aug
mented for home defense, and gave ex-
cellent account of itself.
The first Zeppelin flew over Lon
don May 81. 1915. and dropped 90
bombs, most of them incendiary. Con
sidering the cost in munitions. results
were small, for only three fires re-
quired the attention of the fire bril-
gade. Six civilians were killed and
three injured. In Balls Pond Road.
Dalston, an aged couple were killed
while kneeling at their bedside. Some
damage was done in S%horeditch.
Twenty Killed, SO Injured.
September 7. 1915. the Bermondsey
district was the target. with light cas-
ualties. The next night. a bomb de-
strOyed a motor bus near the Liver
pool street station, and a train was
hit. The chief damage was in Wood
and Fore streets, where city ware
houses were set af1re and several
firemen were injured. Twenty per-
son were killed and Sc injured, and
the money loss to buildings and con-
tents was about $2.50O,OO0, one firm
suffering to the extent of 100000.
Crowds assembled in many parts of
the city to watch the raiding Zeppe-
lin, which was visible for several min
utes.
Up to September. 1916, raiders Wis
TIED ~Leytonstone. WalthamstOw, East
London, Central London and South
east London, inficting some damage
at each visit. In one of the raids a
bomb hit a girder in the Lyceum the
alter, bending it and exploding in the
street. The audience escaped injury
but there were casualties among per-
sons standing at the exits. Black
heath was raided August "a and %
1916.
The greatest of the Zeppelin raids
up to that time occurred the night of
September u. A fleet of 10 Zeppe-
Inns crossed the North sea and drop
ped bombs on English territory. Only
three of the craft got as far as the
outskirts of London. Two Of the three
were driven back by gunfre and one
was brought down at Cuffiey by Lieu
tenant Leefe Robinson with a new
type Of incendiary machine gun bull
let. The airship caught fire and the
people Of London and Of a wide out
side area enjoyed the spectacle of an
aerial co~nfagration. Some of the fleet
that crossed the sea lost their bearings
in the dark and sped homeward with
the first signs of dawa.
Raid by Twelve Airships.
September 1924 twelve airships
crossed the sea and undertook a raid.
One came to grief in Essex, another
near Billericay and a third near Mer-
sea Island. Only three reached Lon
don. They bombed the Streatham and
BriXton districts and blew a tramcar
into pieces. There was damage to
dwelling and shop properties in North
east London, notably in Bridgehead
road. Chief Inspector Ward of Scot
land Yard was killed that night and a
building near Legion, which had suf-
fered the year previously. got another
bomb.
No airships reached London in the
next two raids, in the second of which
a craft was brought down near Pot
ter's Bar, while trying to approach
the city from the north.
The first airplane attack occurred
November %, 1915, when a single ma
chine in daylight dropped bombs which