Evening star., 1941-03-20
Mr.. Hea|y Symbo|izes
British Spirit in
Face Of Tragedy
Bombed Out of Home,
Daughter Hurt, Wife
Dying, He Carries On
BY PAUL c. SMITH,
Editor, the San Francisco Chronicle,

I've met a man I'd like Hitler to
know. His name is Mr.. Healy Sister
Philhomena introduced us at the
Catholic rest center in the east end
Of London.
Mr.. Healy is Catholic, I guess,
but I don't know about that. Sister
Philhomena explained to me, while
was being shown through the CEN
ter, that it is not for Catholics alone,
but is also for Jews, Gentiles-just
any survivor of Hitler's high ex-
plosives in her district.
Mr.. Healy was sitting there alone
IN big room-just sitting there
staring. He didn't look up when we
came in. His face was awful Last
week, I imagine, it was just
friendly Irish face. Today it is in
describable.
1t hadn't been hit 1t was just
that it had been nodded into a sort
of death mask by horror that had
singled out Mr.. Healy in an air raid.
Bombed Out of Home.
That once friendly Irish face was
drawn, and it had the opaqueness of
a morning fog Tired, blood-shot
eyes protuded like bliSters.
He reminded me of a suffocated
man once saw when worked with
a rescue squad in Utah coal mine
This is poor Mr.. Healy," said
Sister Philhomena. He was bombed
out last night"
Mr.. Healy is one of Englands lit
tie people. He's a dock worker He
lives in the SlumS, or did live there
until Monday nights raid.
Like so many of them, it was sort
OF a slum clearance program-Hitler
version.
Mr.. Healy was in a shelter across
the street from his house while the
raiders roared overhead for nearly
four hours. With him were his wife.
whom Mr.. Healy calls mother" and
his 18-year-old daughter Betty. Mr..
Healy told Sister Philhomena and
me about it. His lips moved, but
his face stayed the same as he
talked. You see, Mr.. Healy is suf-
fering today from shock.
Daughter Kept Date.
Monday night his daughter had a
date with John, her beau, John was
2l, and dock worker, too. Mr..
Healy said Betty told him John
would keep the date, raid or no raid.
Mother" though Betty should keep
her date, too, but Mr. Healy tried
to keep them in the shelter until the
all clear had sounded. He lost the
argument, so he went across the
street to his house with mother"
and Betty, and there was John. all
right, waiting.
Then Mr.. Healy said:
Come on, mother. Well 90 back
TO the shelter and leave them alone
while"
Mother" said "righto," but she'd
make them some tea. Mr.. Healy
said he'd meet her back in the shell
ter. He strolled across the street
slowly in that way the English in
sist upon walking.
The raid was still on and Mr..
Healy went into the shelter, sat
down and dozed. He'd worked hard
all day, and now the blasted ferries
were keeping him up late.
Then some one came in and said.
Jerry is giving it to us right over
head"
Mr.. Healy went out 70 get moth
er," Betty and John When he got
out. his house wasn't there. Only
q cloud OF dust and pile of bricks
and timber.
There in the blackout he went
frantic. Police carried Mr.. Healy
on the pile of debris, where he was
digging with bleeding fingers for
mother" Betty and John.
The police and air raid precaution
workers found them.
Both Legs Amputated.
John is dead. Betty had both legs
amputated this morning. Mother"
Is in the hospital with a crushed
chest and near death.
Mr.. Healy stopped talking as sud-
denly as he had begun. He walked
away.
Poor man." said Sister Phil
homena. But you know I went
over to see his daughter this morn
ing and she's taking it all much
better than her father"
We went on through the center.
and in the dormitory was a little
old woman tucked under thin COW
ers thrown over a cot.
Poor woman" said the sister.
~She was bombed out one Saturday
night"
The woman smiled and said:
Good morning, sir"
At one end of the dormitory on
a little improvised stage a couple
OF old men were tinkering about.
We're giving Punch and Judy
show tonight" said Sister Phil
homena.
The sisters center has more guests
now than at any time since Decem-
ber. It's one of the centers in which
the homeless are cared for until
they can be rehoused. It's all
part of the civil defense system.
When the war first began the
main provision was for hospital
space. Authorities estimated cas-
ualties might amount to 10000 or
10000 a day. But the worst blitz
did not produce more than a small
proportion of that number of hos
pital cases.
Every One Carries On.
Emphasis then shifted to caring
for the large number of physically
intact who lose their living quarters
and possessions each night. A large
number of them now enter such
Ey ~ asssa
~ >Nm1Cr -