Evening star., 1939-06-25
4 Bombs Rock
.CrowdedLondon
Theater Section
PiceodiIIy Circus
And Strand Scene:
20 Are Injured
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
LONDON, June 24.-Hundreds of
policemen and members of the Brit
tsh Territorial Army were rushed
into London's busy theater section
tonight as four separate explosions
threw Saturday night crowds into
confusion and tangled the city's
trafic.
All the explosions took place out
side banks. About 20 persons were
taken to hospitals but most of them
r were treated for minor cuts and
shock.
-Four men were taken to the Vine
street police station for questioning
= oout the blasts.
After the second explosion in
Piccadilly, the crowd manhandled
q man shouting Lynch him! String
him from lamp post!" Police
rescued him and took him away in
an ambulance.
There apparently were no serious
ca. ualties.
Windows Shattered for Blocks.
The first explosion occurred just
OH Piccadilly Circus about 10 pm.
1t shattered windows for blocks OF
the circus and brought thousands
of persons rushing out of theaters,
hotels and restaurants Of the dis
trict.
Almost an hour later another ex-
plosion shattered glass and stopped
trs n1c further down Piccadilly and
WI hin IS minutes two other explo-
sions rocked the Strand.
] There were conflicting stories
tab ut the first explosion in Piccadilly
Circus, but most persons in the large
crowd Of passers-by said two men
jumped from taxi, dropped bomb
and ran through the crowd when it
exploded
The first blast brought terrified
crt wds into Piccadilly. People poured
~ of theaters. Those who were in
oways tried to get out into the
streets and those in the streets tried
to crowd into the subways.
The crowds broke through police
lines and hundreds of extra police
were rushed to the district. They
were supplemented by auxiliary fire.
men and territorial soldiers.
Damage Less Than Feared.
When they got there everything
was under control in Piccadilly and
they found there was not as much
damage as had been feared. The
three. other explosions went of a
Jew blpcks apart.
Police commandeered taxis and
rushed to the scene Of the second
explosion when they heard the re-
port and the crowd followed. 1t also
took place in front of a bank, shat
tering glass for a hundred yards.
There APPARENTLY were no casualties
from the second, but after the third,
in front of Lloyd's Bank in the
Strand, about 16 persons were treated
for cuts and bruises before being
sent home.
The crowds, many in evening dress,
rushed from scene to scene of the
explosions refusing to disperse.
Bomb Found in Checkroom.
Two other bombs were found dur
Ing the night. One did slight dam
age to a mailbox and the other was
folnd in public checkroom at
Oxford Circus, where it had failed
to 60 off.
Police and territorial soldiers pa
trolled the streets carefully through
, cut the night.
After the fourth explosion, in front
Of the Midland Bank on fashionable
Park lane, there was a wild alley
hunt to catch one suspect back of
the bank.
Crowds stood in the streets long
after midnight watching workmen
in Piccadilly Circus removing debris
from the explosions. Restaurant
marques, woodwork and store fix
lures which were blown into the
streets were piled together while the
curious watched.
Police cOrdons were thrown
around banks and other. damaged
structures.
All explosions apparently were
caused by bombs similar to those
used in other recent blasts through
out the British Isles in recent
months.
1t was said in the House of Com
npns May 8 that 100 outrages OF
attempted outrages attributed to the
outawed Irish Republican Army
had bee-. committed between jan
uary and May this year. Many
Of Inese were bombings directed
ags!Qst waterworks and other muni-
c'pal services.