The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-11-02
Lieut.. s. Keith Jopp Writes
of Thrilling Experiences,
Sees Germans in Action


The following is a portion OF a
letter recently received by DR..
and Mrs. H. b. Britton from Lieut.
enant S. Keith JOpp. who is sery-
ing in the Air Force Auxiliary in
England. Lieutenant Keith Jopp
served in the r. A. F. in the first
World War until he was incap-
acitated by serious injuries. He
visited the United States in 1881
as a guest OF Dr.. and Mrs. Britton
and will be remem bered by many
Ypsilanti people.
You may remember that l said
things seemed to happen in places
20 minutes before or 20 minutes
after my arrival Since | wrote
that the clock has struck one
have been in 1t with a vengeance,
Il will tell you of two Incidents.
"A week ago / volunteered (my
9Th job of the day. to take
Spitfire to a London Squadron. l
flew for the first time in 23
years with loaded guns and even
tually found my squadron in the
dusk after going to the wrong
aerodrome. 1t was Croydon
please Mr.. Censor. there can be
no harm in my mentioning that,
this information will be four
weeks old before 1t reaches the
L. So | landed in the cleaning
AS / did off went the Squadron
and off went the sirens.
II sat on the edge OF dugout
for bit and watched them come
Welcoming back in the dark. The
attack was still on, and we went
to the Mesa hotel spattered
with splinters and boarded up but
still sound. 1t seemed like the
ghost OF its peacetime self.
Il dined with the Squadron,
very grim they were-depleted in
numbers and hopelessly. no. eX-
tremely outnumbered in every
daily flight-pathetically gallant
children. They told me great
deal.
LdAtI We htuN OutoAucs ut
great fire at the docks was still
glowing and a new one had start
ed to the west. 1t was grim.
II went to bed and soon was so
drugged with sleep that | was
unable to rouse myself during the
continued raid OF that night. All
the night it was whoom, whoom
of motors and thump. thump,
thump OF bombs shake of walls
and rattle of windows. l just
could not rouse myself to get up
and go 10 safety.
Il got away the next day with
out incident and | can tell you
that everything was in full swing
there though it had been dive
BON bed twice previously and one
factory destroyed.
Now for the second incident.
I am on detachment on the south
coast, clearing the local factories.
Last Wednesday | was in one of
these factories drinking a cup of
tea. l had gone out a few minu-
ties previously as siren from a
town two miles off had sounded.
our warnings were silent though
and under the urge OF tea re-
turned to the test-pilot's office.
looked out OF the window. saw
two people outside looking up.
They said Its five Blenheims. -
Then there was a column OF dust
and smoke from the other side of
the aerodrome.
The next thing / knew | was
out Of the room, in company with
one girl typist, two officials. one
test pilot, two. r. A. F. officers
(only a tiny door, and we were
all flat on our faces in the pas
sage before the second salvo went
off-whoomph II went and then
in quick succession five more. /
! just had time to think Am | in
direct line with the brutes' as the
noise OF the salvos got louder and
louder and the building swung
and shook more and more. But
after the fifth salvo the noise got
no nearer. We dashed out to the
dugOuts-pa packed with workmen.
! THE nearest bomb was rs yards
/ away
After a bit we4eekea out a
a column OF smoke coming from
over the buildings and walking
wounded were beginning to trick.
lie out. a. r. +. ambulances and
demolition parties seemed to rise
out OF the ground. Three delay &C
ton bombs exploded and there
came cry for rescue parties
Every man jack above ground
ran forward. | gave them all and
our rescue services full marks. ]
have. worse luck. seen lots Of CORY
sights In my time so | did not 10
close to the main wreckage, but
saw a boy being sick at the
sights and an older man come
back crying. The fire was out IN
ten minutes.
Later wandered round
watching the demolition parties
searching clothing lockers for
bodies and prying up collapsed
walls. One dugout (i6 insideD had
had a direct hit----46 dead. all
in a few yards. ! wandered about
examining the various craters and
picking up fragments OF 500
] spoke TO q senior naval