The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-03
BRIT0N TELLS OF
RAIDS in LETTER
TO WILMINGTONIAN
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
not dwell on a subject that is I'm
likely to materialize, touch wood.
Said knock us from deep
sleep. Almost every day the sun
is pouring over the poplar trees at
the end of the garden, into the
windows, as we are still enjoying
the last phase of the finest sum-
mer for a century. Nature is CIV
ing us a striking contrast to a
mans bestiality. Then follows the
usual morning routine and the wal
is forgotten I'VE ham and eggs.
But not for long. Editors note:
At the precise time of writing,
1925 pm, this Sunday evening,
four bombs have just dropped in
rapid succession uncomfortably
close to this domicile, which, be-
ing large and tall, has wobbled in
every direction like a jelly. We
are quite used to the droning of
planes overhead, gun fire and dull
thuds, but when one hears a Whis-
tie, strongly crescendo, which ap-
pears to be rapidly approaching
the top of ones head, it brings the
war to ones hearth. The thud is
followed by a dull explosion. Re-
peat this four times at a seconds
interval and you begin to wonder
if the house is going to collapse
on to it's clay soil, OF not, the
earthquake effect lasting for per-
haps 8 or 9 seconds after the last
of the four thuds and explosions,
and you have an idea Of what it
means to live on the same con-
tinent as Hitler. This, strangely,
is the nearest 1 have experienced,
so far. End of Editors note.)
Just as I am to start for the
office, about $40 am, or when
l have nearly reached my destina-
ton at 9 o'clock, the sirens wall
out their woeful warnings. After
the first few days of the Blitzkrieg
everybody ceased to take much no.
tice of the alert. Traffic and work
continued and I therefore pursue
the even tenor of my way to the
office. The daylight raids cut little
ice as invariably the enemy is
beaten off with heavy losses, but
treated to a very interesting spec
tacle of a dog-fight overhead IF
you can see it. Only then are
warning whistles blown by watch
ers on the roof-tops, upon which
danger signal everybody in the
building is supposed to take some
cover, SO as to get away from
possible flying glass of windows,
one of the biggest cause of bad
casualties, in corridors for n e
hardy, or in shelter provided (gen-
orally consisting of several con-
crete floors above) for the lesser
hard-boiled, in the form of a base.
ment, or outside dugouts a few
feet below ground level chiefly for
some, but not many Womenfolk.
Editors note No. Q. This, I know,
will not ring true but it is absolute
ly authentic. l am asking myself
whether I should be touching wood
till I finish this epistle. Hearing
unusual noises swishing effects
above the usual gun-bang, bang,
bangs, l went into the garden or
completing the last paragraph,
having in mind that there might
be something to see in the shape OF
some new mystery defense we
have lately been told in the news.
papers is about to be implemented
l had not been there more thar
three minutes looking at the starry
heavens with full moon and green
lsh yellow and orange pops as
usual here and there. every few
seconds, in the sky all being shell
bursts miles away yer the poplar
trees, when I became awa.e of G
very faint. high, whistling coming
loser and closer. There was {
very long, long time as the whistle
became increasingly louder. ]
should say quite a quarter of a
minute. During this time I had
ages to consider my future move.
ments and 1 decided to step into
the potting shed and shut door
thereof, there to await develop
ments. I must have waited anoth-
er eight seconds, when, with a
devil of smack and splutter, some.
thing like a maroon rocket which
hadn't Worked-the things they use
for ships on the rocks, with proper
Guy FaWkes Day firework effects,
snakes, ladders and catherine
wheels all in one, sploshed on to
the grass Is feet away, with a
binding white light till one got
used to it, Immediately followed
by others in adjoining gardens and
several dozen on the heath. They
were Goering's marvellous incendi
airy bombs, thirteen for a shilling.
A spade was fetched and it was a
rud in less than a minute. l then
went on to those on the heath and
put the coup de grace to a few
that had not already been dealt
with. People with shovels seemed
to come from nowhere. While thus
employed, four H. E. bombs fell
in the much-too-immediate neigh
borhood. We were too occupied to
bother much with their approach.
One, l hear, fell on a small Cine
ma in Hampstead town. No one
would have been inside as they
are closed at dusk. The glorified
5th November, Guy Fawkes Day
effects with the landscape dotted
under the moon with so small fires.
all out in about six minutes, would