Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-02-06

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Relaxation of the censorship now
permits for the first time publication
of some of the effects of enemy ar
raids on London. from the first Yep
pelin attack in May. 1919. to the "Au-
roru BorcaiS' 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 UNI
weldy as offensive weapons, and they
were soon succeeded by TaubeS ana
Gothas. which crossed the Channel
from enemy airdromeS in Belgium.
Then followed series of daylight
raids, which We're succeeded by MOON
light visits. that condition of atmos-
pherp reducing the detective power or
Searchlights.
Anti-nircraft defense in the begin
ming was feeble and ineffective. 1t
was speedily improved and finally
long-rHngo barrage encircled London,
making hostile approach highly eau
tious and really possible only when
atmospheric conditions We're fayora-
BILE. Coincident with the Improvement.
the Royal air force was greatly aug
mented for home defense. and gave ex-
cellCnt account Of itself.
The first Zeppelin flew over Lon
don May 81. 1915. and dropped 90
bombs, most of them incendiary. Con-
Sidcrng the cost in munitions results
We're small, for only three fires re-
CURED the attention of the fire hri-
gaGc. Six civilians were killed and
three injured. In Balls Pond Road,
Dalston, an aged couple were killed
white kneeling at their bedside. Some
DAMAGE was done in Shoreditch.
Twenty Killed, Sc Injured.
September Z, 1915, the BermondSey
district was the target, with light cas-
ualticS The next night. Il bomb de-
Stroycd motor bus near the Liver
pool street station, and Il train was
hit. The chief damage was in Wood
and Fore streets, where city ware
houses were set atire and several
tiremcn were injured Twenty per-
sons were killed and sc injured, and
the money loss to buildings and con-
tents was about $2.5O0.000 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 IeytOnstone, WalthamStow. East
London, Central London and South
east London, inflictng some damage
at each visit In one of the raids
bomb hit girder in the Lyceum the.
alter, bending it and exploding in the
street The audience escaped injury
hut 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 -. A fleet of 13 Zeppe-
lins 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 gunfire and one
was brought down at CufIley by Lieu
7enant Lcefe Robinson with a new
type of incendiary machine gun bull
let. The airShip caught fire and the
people Of London and of II wide out
side area enjoyed the spectacle of an
aerial contlagration. Some of the fleet
that crossed the sea lost their bearings
in the dark and sped homeward with
the first signs of dawn.
Raid by Twelve Airships.
September 1924 twelve airships
crossed the sea and undertook a raid.
One came to grief in Essex, another
near Pilericay and third near Mer-
sea Island. Only three reached Lon
don. They bombed the Streatham and
BriXton districts and blew 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-
fercd the year previously got another
bomb.
No airships reached London in the
next two raids, in the second of which
Il craft was brought down near Pot
ter's Bar, while trying to approach
the city from the north.
The first airplane attack occurred
November %, 1916, when a single ma
chine in daylight dropped bombs which
damaged Victoria Palace Music hall,
opposite Victoria station, and hit sew
eral mansions in Brompton road. June
10, 1917, long stretch in the East
End suffered from series of bombs
dropped by daylight raiders, falling
about one-quarter Of mile apart. 10
that raid ten children were killed and
fifty injured in school in Poplar,
and there were several deaths in the
houses Of working people along the
route. A train was struck outside the
Liverpool street station.
Twelty-four Gothas raid&d LONDON