Evening star., 1940-12-03
University Lecturer
Describes German
Bombing Of Bristol
Forced to Leuve Tower
Vontoee Point to Fight
BIozes in Buildings
BY the Associated Press.


By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. 3.-How an an
cient part Of Bristol, western Eng
lish port which was bombed heav-
lily last night, was turned into q
ruin" and many Of the citys uni
versity buildings swept by fire in q
recent German raid was told today
in letter received here.
1t was written by DR.. ]. s. Sphinx,
a London university lecturer who
moved to Bristol early in the war
with other teachers and students.
DR.. Sphinx is a member Of the
university and raid precautions
guard and an observer in the squad
which watched from the Bristol
University tower, commanding .
good view of the city.
DR.. Sphinx said he was working
in his room when an alert sounded
shortly after 6 pm. on the night
of the raid, so he went up to
see."
Here's the story in his own words:
1.-TWO or three big flares floated
down, lighting up the whole town.
Fires were burning. Suddenly an.
other IA church, started in the CEN
ter Of the city.
Shower of Incendiaries.
THE old town In Bristol Is very
compact, with narrow, 18th century
streets. Suddenly, all along the
hills on the south side Of town,
hundreds of little points Of light
Observation-Disclosures.
Then, right across the center Of
Bristol, in a strip about q quarter
of a mile wide. lots Of lights ap-
peared-hundreds of incendiafies
bursting into flame on the roofs Of
houses. I must admit the spectacle
was grandiose.
Then suddenly they began to fall
on us, scores Of them whistling
down around the tower. Many fell
on the buildings, and we rushed
downstairs to fiat part Of the roof
and put out two or three.
I'VE then returned to the tower
and watched another dozen or so
fires start in shops and buildings
around the base of the tower.
I'VE thought our own building
was alight. But a phone bell rang,
and a guard in the science block
said they had two or three fires.
We rushed down from the tower
to help them. AS we reached one
of the doors a bomb came kissing
down. We lodged back in and fell
nat.
"A bomb fell just outside. We
went out to put out an incendiary
on q low roof. Then back to the
top Of the tower.
Great Hall Ablaze.
THE science block rang again
and asked us to phone for help
their phone was no good. Outside.
fires were raging everywhere. I
went to the second floor and phoned
the fire brigade.
"On my return, I met colleague
who said he thought the great hall
was on fire. The roof of the great
hall was of heavy oak timber.
The roof was ablaze.
Then the rush started. There
were hoses to pull up and down stairs
and get working. I turned q hose
on the floor Of the hall and played
it on the roof until smoke laid me
out.
Kings College Gondon) had 7 500
books in that hall and the Kings
offlces under it.
I'VE carried on until the police
cleared us out because of q time
bomb. Four bombs had fallen at the
base Of the building. but none on 1t.
Outside, scores Of fires were rag
ing. The anatomy block and geog-
raphy department were done for.
The Art Gallery and Museum next
door both were ablaze. The whole
street was levelled to the ground.
1T was not till the next day that
I saw what happened to the shopping
and commercial center of Bristol. It
is quite true that nearly all damage
was done to shops, houses, ohices,
theaters and cinemas rather than
docks and railways.
But 18th century Bristol Is ruin.
THE next day there was no water
and in some parts no light. Some
Of the streets no longer existed.
Lines Of 80 to 40 houses were Just
rubble
''The vice chancellor of Bristol
and our principal decided to shut
down the faculty of arts till next
term. The rest are carrying on.
Il think Bristol made a rapid re-
covery and that quite literally the
damage though severe was not vital
so much consisting as it did In
shops.
Another raid on the same scale
the following night might have
been finishing blow, but suppose
the Germans thought they would
ge. better results per ton of bombs
If they attacked another town.
"The casualty list was short.
saw it, but by light of torch. I
would say there certainly were not
so killed. Luckily it was Sunday
night, and people all were in the
suburbs"