New-York tribune., 1920-01-04
Hundreds Killed or Injured
and $500, 900 Property
Loss Is Estimated as the
Result of War Bombing
Details Becoming Public
Constabulary Given Credit
for Heroic Work During
Visits of Foes Aircraft
Nsso Yo-k Tribune
Foreign Press Bureau

LONDON, Dec. 12.-"In the fullness
81 time the authorities of the depart
ment whose business it is may, in an
adequate official publication, tell Lon
doners the full story of the air raids"
writes Colonel w. T. Reay,. o. B. E. in
~The London Telegraph" $50 far, the
only details vouchsafed, besides an off,
eial statement Of figures, are those con-
tanned in tho admirable review of the
work Of units under his command, writ
ten by Lieutenant Commander S. Sla-
den, r. N, who lately retired from the
control Of the London Fire Brigade.
Even this document is not in print for
public purchase or circulation, but the
newspapers have given extracts from
It, to the enlightenment Of citizens.
For tho people were kept in ignorance
during the war, lest publication would
prove guiding knowledge to an enemy
anxious to correct his mistakes and
thus reach objectives which he almost
invariably missed.
'"Good reasons are given by Com
mander Sladen for the view that it was
the purpose Of the enemy to burn Lon
don. We may all agree with the COM
mander and still think that the enemy's
design was also to kill for the sake Of
the killing, and, of course, to create
panic. To make the British capital un-
tenable for its own people, to keep the
population in continuous state Of
alarm, to dislocate its industry, and to
establish in these concurrent circum-
stances the conditions under which the
scourged and beaten Briton would gra-
eiously ask permission to kiss the
Christening hand Of the awful Kaiser
may one not assume this to be q rough
outline Of the pleasant Potsdam pro-
gram?
London Police Praised
esThe Special Constabulary Of Lon
don had the much-prized honor of
standing between the enemy and some
Of his purposes. While the soldier at
his gun station or in the air faced the
invader, checked him at the nations
through into its home; while the gal
liant firemen guaranteed that our saw
age foe would not be permitted to
burn us QUITO both efforts the Spe-
cial Constabu1ary observation posts
valuably contributed-and, while the
ambulance service did its noble work
of saving hf6s and amelioratin8 pain
the police force, regular and auxiliary
In every nook and corner of the 700
square miles Of the metropolitan dis
trict, gave to the citizens just that
help, assurance and comfort which the
circumstances called for. Gave it, at
all costs and regardless Of personal
peril from bombs or shrapnel, when
the call was to the blood Of the race
quite in the same spirit as the soldier
gave service and faced death in the
field of battle.
One Million in Shelters
There were in all thirty-two actual
raids on London, but the enemy's air
craft crossed the south or southeast
coast more than eighty times. Eighty.
six Official warnings went out, and on q
number Of other occasions command
ers and station chiefs were called to
their posts, for the portents were ad-
verse and the need for speedy mobili-
zation was considered probable. Mobi-
lization meant, in anticipation Of the
take cover" order, manning the shell.
ters, the aggregate Of which, in the
metropolitan police area, we estimate
ct about 400, while the approximate
number of people they would hold we
may safely put at 100000.
zone would not be far out in assum-
ing that on a raid night something
like million Of people used these
shelters. There were warnings (firs'