Evening star., 1941-04-24
British Morale Shows
Hitler Faces in
Effort 10 Defeat Them
Bristol Mayor Describes
One Of Worst Roids os
If 1t Were Bod Storm
Second OF a Series)
By HELEN KIRKPATRICK,

CEicaso Daily News Foreign CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, April 24.-Nothing short
of personal visit to such centers
as Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea
which were visited on the second day
of our tour through nine of Britain s
worst bombed cities-could convey
TO the German mind exactly what
Hitler is up against in trying to
defeat the British
If damage and destruction are
staggering. the wav in which the
people of these points on the Bristol
Channel take it is impossible to
believe unless seen.
In each of these three towns it
was evident that the American relief
money which had been presented to
their Mayors by Bertrsm Cruger,
London director of the American
British War Relief Society, would
be most useful. American food and
clothing had already saved many
lives.
Standing amid the ruins, the Mayor
of Bristol and his wife described
one of the worst raids as simply
as II it had been . very bad storm
Workers Houses Suffer Most.
I'VE were in the closet under the
stairs at one moment" said the
Mayors wife. MY husband was Just
about TO leave the house TO help
the fire-hghters when the bomb
came with a crash. We were Ger
tain that 1t was our last moment
and we said good-by to each other.
1t was wonderful when We diseov-
cred we were still alive, with the
house in bits all about u.s."
In Cardiff, rs in many cities. the
houses OF the workers had suffered
the most and the famous Welsh
fighting spirit was we'll aroused. A
great number of small homes had
been destroyed.
The Welsh seaport of Swansea
seemed TO have had the cruelest
blow and yet had the toughest
spirit OF any place we visited. In
the modern town hall, where the
Mayor and the City Council were
meeting. thanks for the war relief
check were moved by Alderman
Jones in simple. brief speech. As
he spoke of the valley of destruction
through which Britain is passing
the man next to me leaned over to
say that the alderman had lost his
wife, three children and a mother In
the last raid.
Swansea Bombed Nights.
Leaving the town hall we visited
. housing estate where the most
attractive modern workers houses
lay crushed and battered. But the
street was full of children, many OF
whom had their heads bandaged
arms in splintS and faces Still
Scared by cuts and bruises.
Swansea Is the only British city
so far to have received the fun
brunt Of Nszi attack for three sue
cessive nights. Its casualty list wal
relatively small. The sheriff ex-
planned that this was partially due
to the fact that one part OF the city
had TO be evacuated the first night
because of time bombs. When the
Nazis returned the next night and
dumped hundreds OF tons of ex-
plosives into this part of the city
there was no one there to be hit
AS we drove up the Wye valley
in the twilight. through scenes oil
peace which contrasted strangely
with the desolation and destruction
we had left behind. we thought oil
the policeman who had escorted us
from Swansea. His wife had that
day had both legs and one arm
amputated.
Tell our American friends well
win this war il we have to fight to
the last man" he said
tCopyright. 1871, Chicago Daily News, Inc