The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-12-17
MEMBER OF
TIN A@-ntN AfrEn PRESS
TUESDAY. DECEMBER II. 1874
The WAVE ARMY

our minds ldering to consider
the plight Of cnllaren made home
less by the war. Once they had
homes. parents. brothers and sis
ters. once they attended school
played children games, behaved
much as any children of their class
behave in New York or any other
large city.
That was before Adolf Hitler un
leashed his day and night bombers
over, London before he raiped
death and destruction from the
skies, day after day. week after
week. and month after month.
Today they are homeless, without
families. Their schools are heaps
OF rubble, their Fairgrounds pitted
with craters or piled high with
tangled debris. Many of their play
mates are dead horribly wounded
in hospitals, or evacuated 10 some
safer spot.
They are the children Of the blitz,
the young. indirect victims OF the
most pitiless and sustained air
bombing the world has ever known.
They form only a percentage OF
the more than a quarter million
children OF school age still left in
London Yet. because of their tragic
circumstances the effect the horror
of the past months has had upon
their mental outlook they present
an ever-grOwing problem TO munich
pal and welfare authorities.
They may be the vanguard Of d
homeless waif' army which. should
intensive bombing OF the capital
continue throughout this winter,
may in a few months from now rep
resent as great a menace as the
Moscow waits did TO the Russian
authorities for the first years fol-
lowing the Bolshevik revolution.
They are the fraction OF the child
population OF London which has
taken unkindly to official efforts
10 help the growing number OF
youngsters OF both sexes, who have
been unfortunate enough 10 lose
both home and family in bombing
raids, who DULY. In the shock OF
their circumstances, childishly rebel
against authority.
AS near comrades.in-arms, they
have thousands OF other boys and
girls who, because their schools
have been bombed, because their
homes have been reduced to a heap
OF rubbie, or because OF other war
time circumstances are without
proper parental discipline and
school supervision.
On every hand il Is beginning TO
he realized that after one year and
three months Of war the edu cational
position in London has seriously
deteriorated. that schooling in the
British capital is almost imprac
ticahle while London continues TO
10 bombed. II only because OF the
physical damage done 20 education
al buildings.
Altogether some $1,000 children
in London are without any form Of
education. AS time goes on and
more and more school buildings are
rendered untenable, the $4,000 Will
be reinforced by thousands OF
Others
At least one hundred schools
have been demolished or damaged
beyond repair many have been tenn
porarily damaged and have been
Communicated for other uses
And the children left Ia the esti-
mated remaining 500 % TIE former
1000 London grade schools are
working fever hours. often In scat.
tered buildings. certainly In more
crowded schoolrooms. where har-
raised and over-worked teachers
have difficulty n maintain ing disci.
pine
Confusion exists II the worst
bombed areas Of the ,ity and edu-
cational authorities report aun-
dreds Of cases where a chill will
attend one school in the morning.
and another IN the afternoon. or
Just fail 10 report particularly after
bad nights bon Ding
Children roam the streets. partic.
ularly IN the badiy.bombed areas
such as the East End Of London
during hours in which q IL were
peace.time they would 70 receiving
schooling The refractory type re-
fuse 70 be molly-coddled BY we'll
Leaning social workers. and prefer
10 eat and sleep as and where op
portunity offers Particularly is this
true OF the boys Of from twelve %
fourteen years o. age They form
the dangerous percentage and the
nucleus OF what might become com
parable to the famed Moscow waits
whose tragic story once attracted
worldwide attention.
Even those children stu al
school, or under parental discipline
are being compelled 70 lead abnor
ma. lives because Of the bombing
BY day they listen 10 the frequent
vail OF the air raid sirens. 70 the
drone Of enemy bombers overhead
and sometimes TO the scream oil
falling bombs.
And Immediately they are re
leased from school, they are dis
patched by their mothers 20 th,
nearest deep air raid shelter. IN,
nearest subway TO take up positions
in the line and ensure that men.
bers Of their family win get shelter
room later in the evening.
II must be a depressing sight &,
see hundreds OF children, each sin
his or her quota Of bedding. waiiin.
patiently outside some subway sta
ton for the zero hour when official
will let them go inside and take M
their allotted piece OF space on th'
cold concrete platforms, far under