Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-10-26
Bombs Or None, Life Goes On,
London Girl Writes to Friend

Planes battle overhead, bombs fall
buildings are shattered or set aflame
but through 1t all Edna Dutch, Ia
year-old London girl who lives within
the sound OF Big Ben, goes calmly
about her tasks, Just as her parents
and neighbors do In a matter of fact
way Edna told about it in a letter
to Sibyl Flaherty, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. j. J. Flaherty, Of Great
Falls
Correspondence Of the two girls, car
ried on since 1885, is the result Of
the chance exchange of letters, an
activity in which thousands of stu
dents Of the two countries have en-
gagged. Edna was graduated from a
London high school last June. The
first part of her letter is dated Sept.
z, the second part Sept. g. That was
when the Germans attempted to de-
stroy the Tilbury docks and open the
way for invasion of London. The let
ter, some Of it written during a raid,
follows:
Thank you very much for your
letter. I always love getting one from
you. It seems to come from another
world. like a breath of fresh air in
bad atmosphere. am very thank
full that your first letter found its
way to met seems so long ago.
Il scarcely know how to begin to
tell you all that has happened re-
Gently. 1t is all very jumbled and
vague in my mind It really started
on Aug. Is. We have had so many
raids since then that I have COM
pletely lost count. Somewhere about
As, think. There have been no bombs
so far in my immediate neighborhood,
but several have shaken the house.
We very frequently hear the planes
over and are now expert at distin-
gushing English from German ones.
We get quite lot of noise from the
anti aircraft guns, but of course we
don't mind that.
today and we did not have a bad
night. was late duty and when
finished at 8 p. m. I hurried home, |
had my supper and was in bed by
3 o'clock.
IT had not been in bed five min
utes when the sirens went last night. |
However, I decided not to get up. |
Mother said she would call me If |
anything happened, and I was so
had lasted from $50 to |
a. m. and another from Sis to 5:45. |
so we had not much sleep. had just
dropped off to sleep when I awoke !
to hear mother calling. I /
got up and stumbled in the darkness I
TO the window with her.
Over the houses we could see the /
very bright lights slowly descending |
IN the sky. We realized that they must /
be parachute flares. The plane came |
over our house and dropped more
The whole street was lit up like day
light. We could see all the search
lights swinging around to the plane |
I'VE heard the rumble of an anti
aircraft gun and decided it was high /
lime we took cover. We live in an
Upstairs flat and as we have no shell
jer we share the refuge room of the
people downstairs. Both front doors
open on the street. In my hurry I
ust rushed out in my dressing gown
and bare feet. We could hear q lot
If gunfire and the droning of planes.
They sounded like heavy bombers, but
they passed over-their
arget was further in the city.
"(Sept. 81 1t is 11:45 and 1 have
,nly just got up. We dispensed with
breakfast this morning and mother
las started cooking the dinner. The
sirens are bowling again. There is
nothing happening at the moment, so
am seizing the chance to get on
With this letter. A lot has happened
'ince stopped yesterday. went shop
,ing with mother and warning went
While we were out, so we had to shell
er in the cellar of shop. 1t lasted