Evening star., 1939-10-17
London
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jured, 81 naval ratings slightly in
jured and two civilians slightly in
jured.
No Enemy Planes Seen.
Alarms sounded today along the
English and Scottish coasts were
given by alert AFRAID precautions
men on their toes after failure to
sound an alarm at Edinburgh yes
terday.
They began about II am. Is am.
E. S. Tl and in most instances all
clear signals were given within an
hour. At Felixstone, in the impor-
tant Harwich Harbor area, so miles
northeast of London, a warning
sounded at 1:30 pm. G:30 am. E.
S. T0 with the all-clear signal about
80 minutes later.
Places where air raid warnings
were sounded included the follow
Ing, announced for publication:
Scunthorpe, Ipswich, Grimsby,
Chatham, Newcastle, Sunderland,
North and South Shields, Rams
gate, Southend, Cleethorpes, Drif-
field and Chelmsford.
Nearest to London were at South
end, on the north bank of the
Thames estuary and at Chatham,
key naval base on the south coast
OF the estuary, about 20 miles from
the capital
Warnings along the Firth of Forth
included one at the mining center
OF Boness and at Dunfermline,
north of the naval base of Rosyth,
which was the center of attack yes
terday.
Warning signals were sounded
also at Hull and Bridlington.'
Officials Indignant.
The air ministry announced un-
identified aircraft were reported
near Hull and GrimsbS shortly
before II am. The communiuue
said precautionary measures were
taken and an air raid warning
given. No enemy aircraft were iden-
titled there. the ministry said
Dunfermline officials were indig-
nant again today because they were,
they said. nearly 10 minutes late in
being given the warning signal in
comparison with other nearby towns.
The government undertook rigid
Inquiry into the failure of air raid
1ookouts to forewarn the civilian
population yesterday "a failure
which brought sharp comment from
the press.
At the same time, the air minis
try said. a number of planes made
successful daylight reconnaissance
flights over western and northwest
ern Germany yesterday and that one
aircraft had not returned.
Some excitement was caused in
the Kings Cross area of northern
London when a whistle sounded.
Employees of some factories in the
nighborhood were told that it was
an air raid warning. No one seemed
to know whether it was a genuine
alarm, but several hundred per-
sons went into shelters.
The alert take no chances" ac-
ton of the civil defenses was in
sharp contrast with yesterdays SEN
sational and deadly engagement of
British air and coastal forces in
Scotland with German planes, dur
Ing which warning devices were
silent.
Asserting that at least four of
IL or IA Nazi bombers had been
shot down, British military OBJ
servers said the German percentage
of loss had proved too costly to
make the raid a success.
The British admiralty reported
the bombers had slightly damaged
the 9,100-ton cruiser Southampton
and sunk an admiral's barge and a
pinnace (ship's boaD moored along
side. Two British naval officers and
13 men were killed and IL seriously
injured.
The admiralty said the Southamp-
ton, first British warship admittedly
struck by German air raiders since
the start of the war, was ready for
sea-"
Cruiser Hit Glancing Blow.
The hit on the Southampton, it
was said, was glancing blow on
the bow scored by a dive bomber.
Two other war vessels, the cruiser
Edinburgh and the destroyer Mo-
hawk, were showered with bomb
splinters, but were reported un-
damaged.
Among the Is men killed was
Comdr. R. F. jolly, who was in COM
mand of the Mohawk.
Royal Air Force fighters, which
orove the German planes into the
nre OF fleet and shore anti-aircraft
batteries and later pursued the raid
ers out to sea, suffered no casualties,
che admiralty said.
The Nazi bombers failed to hit
the famous $l5,0OO,0O bridge across
the Firth of Forth, although bombs
dropped near the structure, sending
geysers OF water spouting high into
the air. Destruction of the bridge
might have bottled up war vessels
moored in the Firth, observers said.
Throughout the raid, trains con-
nnued to cross the high span be-
tween Rosyth and the south bank
OF the Firth, giving passengers q
thrilling glimpse Of the air battle
raQinC overhead