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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1942-01-01, Page 7t THS EXETER TIMES-ARVOCATE.Tjiiwday, January 1st, 1.&® Exeter Boys Together on '5-hour Flight 3ejrgoant-Filot Harold Elliot and Scotty Easton Cover One Thow sand MU4?® ht the Ah* Sgt.-Pilot Harold Elliot, ing home to h^s parents, Mrs. Sandy Elliot, from says in parti ip Writ-, Mr, and England, Pear Folks; SaturdayScotty Easton came up night and' stayed until Sunday night with me. We had quite a visit to­ gether. Qu Sunday I had a long; trip to make and Scotty was will­ ing to go so I took him along. We took off at a quarter to eleven and landed at 4.15, so it was quite a long time and we covered nearly a thousand miles, Scotty had never been up before and he had quite a thrill out of it,' I got him a helmet, parachute and everything, We were cruising along the north coast of Ireland when we had dinner. Scot­ ty says; “This is the life.’’ He got a little bored on the way home, though, and slept the last hour or so. We ran into some pad weath­ er, but he either didn’t know how dangerous the stuff is or else he didn't show any signs of fear, He got a kick at being up ten thou&and feet with nothing but sea and clouds underneath. We dived down at two hundred and fifty miles an hour. I’ll 'bet that is the fastest he will ever go again. Scotty looks the picture of health. He thinks I am a bit stouter than when he saw me before. He’s ra­ ther fed up with England and I’m glad I’m getting out. I packed some of my stuff to-night but it will be a week or so before I leaVe. I got your birthday card to-day and mother's and Jean’s letter. Thanks a lot, I guess Howard’s really in the army now. Have you got your apartments ’ rented yet? My observer took the afternoon and to-morrow off to see his wife and my gunner went home too. Gosh, we’ll be in the glass-house if they find out,. Lloyd and his gun­ ner went to London to-day and are coming back to-morrow. I’ve still got this cold so I stayed home. I spent all afternoon in bed to-day and I think I’ll go back right aWaj ; I don't feel sick, just tired and done out. If I don’t feel better to-morrow, I’m going to see the doc­ tor. I feel a^out ninety years old, The following day he writes: ; XT got the paper this morning and see where you are advertising your house for sale,t I didn’t sal* ute a Flight Lieut, this morning so he stopped and gave me a bawling out. He looked so mad I couldn’t help laugh so he took my name. I guess I’m in trouble now. These blimeys look so funny when they're mad and this guy tried to be so Im­ portant. I feel a lot better to-day and my obseryer came buck so we did -a test this morning. We were only up two hours though. I couldn’t do the Other because,f my' I told 'thegunner went home. Flight Commander he was sick but he didn't know he was only home­ sick. ,i 4 ’ Good-bye for now. Loving son, Harold . ’ R68262 'Sgt. Pilot H. Elliot, , No. 13 O.T.U., R.A.F., , R.C.A.F. Overseas. 25th Anniversary "A very pleasant surprise party was held on the evening of Decem­ ber 12th, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. ^Wilfred Weido, (Parr Line, in honor of their twenty-fifth wed­ ding anniversary. The evening was spent in progressive euchre, the first prize for ladies going to Mrs. Theo. Steinbach and consolation to Mrs. Leonard Mer'ner. The men’s first went, to Carl Decker and the consolation to Fred Rader. !Fol- 4oWing this the address was read by Mrs. Weido’s sister, Mrs. Louis Rader and was as follows: Dear Lauretta and Wilfred: We have met here to congratu­ late you on this important event in your lives, stones. in a person’s life. To the young* comes first -the courtship', when you live in bliss from day to ddy and life seems too happy to last. Then comes the wedding day 'when a complete change is made. Where one has travelled life’s road alone now two start out to share life’s cares and troubles as well as Its joys and thrills. This road has many bridges to cross but wg al­ ways look ahead for things to come. 1... coipe to another milestone after twenty-five years of married life, called your 'silver wedding, day. You are much richer in experience than you Were the day you married. You have, during years, built a home, one of most -sacred institutions, and added a family to share it I you. There are certain mile- 2._• the better Now you have Were these God’s have with We know that the early love farted twenty-five years ago has the;rown. richer and fuller as llessed in many ways during these rears went by. You have been tears and have ; been allowed to Ive to their close. Now we do hope Lat you Will both be spared to lack the next milestone tWenty-five1 Lars from now. This purse W'e ■esent tonight as a small token of Kr love and esteem'to Wish you Kd’s blessing, in the years that ■1 lie ahead. Kigned On* behalf of the relatives. Mfrs. Weido’s brother, I / Tfr BETTER FACE UD TO IT Unless the statesmen of the democracies are utterly mistaken, the end of the war is anything but in sight. For this reason con­ ditions with us are bound to grow harder. It cannot be otherwise if we are. to maintain our freedom. More men are hound to be re­ quired to enlist and to get at war work. One by one we’ll be obliged to leave our privileges and comforts to one side. Blain living and hard planning are to be our lot for many a long day to come. Al­ ready our cities are preparing for the appalling eventualities of bombing and fire. All this is inevitable. So let us put that extra roll on the sleeve, tighten the belt, quit our foolishness and aban­ don our love of ease fathers who cleaned freedom. Not what call of the hour. and get UP we this like down to duty as did pur pioneer £ore- country, set it going and left us our to do but what must be done, is the ’ ■JR *♦ 4 . -♦ * < 0 / ROBERT BARBOUR, HIBBERT v DIES IN STRATFORD HOSPITAL Robert Barbour, a well-known farmer of Hibbert township, passed away shortly before noon on Fri­ day in the -Stratford General Hos­ pital. He had not enjoyed good health since last September, -and had been in the hospital since last Sat­ urday. Mr. Barbour was born in Brantford on April 28, 1857, and came to Hibbert t’oWnship with his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Ro­ bert Barbour, at the age of three years. 'Fifty-six years ago he was married to MIS's Mary Miller, of Hibbert, who passed away on Ap­ ril 12, 1939, @e was an adherent of the Staffa United church. Mr. Barbour is survived by two sons, Sterling Barbour, 73 Louise street, Stratford, and Alvin Barbour, of Hibbert township; four daughters, Mrs. Wallace Brown- (Mabel), To­ ronto i Mrs. William Drake, (Rho­ da), Stratford; Mrs. Douglas Nee- lans, Lakewood, Ohio, and Miss' Jean Barbour, at home. The body rested at the home of his son, Al­ vin, Lot 19, Con’. 7, Hibbert, where a semi-private service was held on Monday afternoon at two o’clock, with interment in Staffa cemetery. Rev. W. E. AldwOrth, -of Staffa Un­ ited church officiated,--------V-------- - TWO OARS DAMAGED IN COLLISION NEAR PARKHILL Two pars, driven by Percy Nich­ ols, 1 rural maxi carrier, an'd Williaxn Pumfrey, of Parkhill, were involv­ ed in a head-on collision at the top of tlxe' hill, a quarter of a mile north of 'Parkhill, when theix’ cars skidded on the wet pavement. Al­ though both cars were badly daxn- aged the drivers escaped injury. ;----V----- -- Miss Elizabeth Sullivan, of Lu­ can, announces 'the > engagement of her niece, Margaret Kathleen Moore, to Bernard John Page, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Sydney G. Page, of London, the wedding to take place at St. Petei’’s ’Cathedral early January. ■V- in Nineteen forty-ppe The inter­ Capital and labour ’Plain people have asserted them- has been a year of surprises, national seas have been dark with wrath, have been trying conclusions, KU selves. Governments have been learning their impotency when un­ supported by the people, , Hard-Won rights have been surrendered by the people that freedom may hot perish from the earth. Canada has undertaken an economic experiment in price fixing such as no democratic government has hitherto undertaken, an experiment that js fraught not only* with immediate good but which causes many serious-minded citizens to do some q’uiet, suggestive think­ ing, Russia has surprised the world by her power tcr'lay a restrain­ ing hand upon the German military machine, jafrlng every bolt and bar therein .to the point, of making it useless. Japan has ex­ posed at once her perfidy and her treachery. As the year closes Russia and the United States a'hd Britain are drawing closer info a union at once sentimental and practical in defence of enlightened progress. Everywhere in every nation the Most High is Sifting out the hearts of men before His 'judgment Seat. * -Nineteen forty-two begins in mystery. The only light Is the light from above, To those Who recall the emergence of Israel from Egypt, the winning of Magna Carta ahd the Bill of Rights, the triumphs bf Bannockburn and Waterloo and Trafalgar and the abolition of slavery, this light is sufficient. “xMIGHTY IMPORTANT” ‘‘Winston Churchill will give an address that will be mighty important at twelve-thirty,” the fadio told us. We conress a liking for those words. Mr. Churchill, all his life long, has been doing im­ portant things—as a schoolboy, as a newspaperman and as a citizen. To their deep regret many fine people did not see the importance of things he was saying and doing, but he kept on doing thpse valuable things and saying those things to which all the world would have done well to listen. At last came the day and hour when the finest men in the United States realized that he was going to make a speech that was “mighty important.” That’s what we have got to get into our heads, We who have jobs must regard them as mighty important .or get at jobs that are mighty important. Nothing less will db. Statesmen must see that their country’s weal is mighty important or take a few hours ih the stocks of a market day. School boys ihust Idel their task& are in this class or get acquainted with the back of the family hair brush. And so on all, down the line. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,” advised the wise man. We’ve become desperately easy going. The world may not .'see it that Way, . but the job of each man is important, mighty important. The sooner John Citizen works as Churchill works, the sboner folk'“gen­ erally will say that what he is doing is “mighty important.” The ’easy-going fellow is not worth his salt. *• “PREPARE YOURSELVES” ’ “Prepare yourselves,” His Gracious Majesty’ The" King urged the boys and girls of the Empire in his Christmas Day address. ’ His ow-xx children, like all healthy, normal children, play, but they play hard and . to a purpose. They do not loaf when they should be playing hard. But ‘there are no busiex’ people in all the Empire thah are those little folk. Lessons? We should say sol Yes, lefe- sons and scores of things.. besides that keep them on tne purposive go every houx’ of their waking life. Mr. Churchill plays and what fun., he can makel^BUt he'works and he has seen to it that-his chjildron play and,work. “Prepare yourselves,” the King urged his little friends. For what are they to prepare? ’First of all to do their simple duty, whate.vex’ that may be and no matter how hard that duty proves. Those children are to learn to do rapidly certain sums in addition and subtraction and multiplication and division. They are to learn to write legibly ahd rapidly. They are to ldarn to spell and to use correctly words ixi every day use and which may be found in the Bible and in Dick­ ens and Shakespeare. They are to do neatly and quickly and thoroughly and politely the duties of their hoihe§. ’They are to learn to do without a meal once in a while Without are to be able" to put up with cold weather. / they must be lifters, supporters and not leaners. These boys are the stuff out -of Which meh ar© made. As the boy so the man. . jrumbling. They As soon as they cam JOHN ECKSTEIN DIES IN CLINTON HOSPITAL Mr. Wil- (n Decker, made the presenta- p of a purse of money and Mrs. lido spoke a few words and Lxiked the guests, after which a lity lunch was served. B ----------v---------' 1TURNS OVER st., S3 This 1$ the fifth m a Series of a series of blast walls will mini- titles about conditions hi Great Brltuin and other countries vis?- ited hy ft group of Canadian jieirspaper editors, it was w*it- ten for the weekly newspapers of Canada by their special repro sentativ'e Teinplin, Record. I j I I I1 * I I story I told some-, on the delegation, Hugh of the Fergus News- i * •In* a previous thing about the bomb damage in London. The subject of bombing and its results on the people of England is too large to dismiss in a fOW sentences. It is, or has behen, the most important feature., Of f'he war since Dunkirk, London has been seriously bomb­ ed, The raids on the city begap- more thau a year ago and contin­ ued until April or May 1941. When daytime bombing became too cost­ ly for the Germans, the enemy turn­ ed to night bombing, Which -cannot be so effective in hitting particu* lar targets.Since early summer, the night raids on London have stopped. Hitler no longer has the planes to Spare; the R.A.F.has com-- mand of the -air over Britain and) around the coasts; Inland defences are more nhmerOus and better Or­ ganized. Air raids continue, but they are mostly along the eastern and southerfl coasts, ■ I think London looked much as I had expected to find it. I did not expect to see such a large area; east of St,’ Paul’s Cathedral Ao’ thoroughly laid waStA In two other' areas, both of them south of thoj river, the damage struck me’ as terrible. In both ,these cases, it was little houses by the score that had suffered, which seemed to me worse than the Old office buildings or ancient landmarks. That was simply because 'there must* have been so much loss of life; as for the houses themselves, some of them are better gone and the > buildings that replace them will ^improve these districts. Why Churches are Burned mUe the damage. But there has. never been a direct hit. Twice I passed the original Hur- ricane factory. This is an older; one and still makes the famous fighting planes which the R.C.A.F/ uses. It was pointed out to me by a ferry pilot, who was going to the; factory to take a new plane to a fighter station. Above the factory: floated a group of barrage balloons, an unusual sight away from the large cities. . I would have known: it was an important factory, Yet the .pilot told me that the Ger-i mans had never found it. It sounds mystifying, ly, it is simple. The love to show a man Qf camouflaged so that it crouS, That is actually pens. At night, these factories lit­ erally cannot be found. Some of the Bomb Damage It is impossible to mention many: of the buildings that have been- damaged, but I might list a few. By- this time, the streets have been re-c paired, railways are in full opera­ tion, and there is little or no sign of bomb damage in the railway stations. The docks, which must have suffered, are in again. Barges, drawn by continually going up and Thames, at Westminster. fftwT ACTIM HELPS PREVENT MANY COLDS from Oeveloping ilfglit ot Wt At the first sign of a cold, nut a few drops of Va-tro-nol up each nostril. Its stimulating action aide Nature’s defenses against .colds.f.. And Tcmember-when a head coM makes you suffer, or transient conges- ■ lion “fills up” nose, spoils sleep? pose Va-tro-nol gives valuable help as it (1) shrinks swollen membranes, (2) relieves irritation, „ y® (3) helps flush out nasal passages, .Clearing clogging WiCO-. mucus. Enjoy the wnmitikda hi'mb rreliefjt.brings. ' TO’TCO’IWI. i; thattrue, for instance, are almost invariably de- 1and< important factories I I is cylindrical, not over two in diameter and about a length candle. ■ something like a The head is flat, Actual-’' cartoonists a building1 looks ludi-. what hap- the the all es- Ker Stephens, of Calflour K driving west oh No. Kh the Village of Dashwood, Kntrol of his car which climb- lix embankment and turned I. It came to rest With wheels |e air after rolling over anci. was tged t'o the extent, of' approxi- [ly $150.00. The driver emerg- kdly shaken, ' but without, a fch. Provincial officer Tay- ’Cllhton, investigated. LOOKING BEYOND Let us look beyond as we engage, To free man from 'the Wild beast's cage ♦ And usher in the Golden Age. Then truly celebrate^ Messiah’s birth, will to men earth. Good and peace on and let us sing, us nearer win­ Be of good cheer As each day* brings ter, it also brings us nearer spring. Trust in God through the long cam-1’ paign , Till Right wins Might to Con­ quer and to Reign. ■i-*-s. m« sanders the time thbke wishing id help maintain thfeir health and vigour a course of Milburn’s Health and NerVe Pills. A Help to Those Who Are Past Middle Age When men and women get past middle age tlieif •energy and^ activity, in many instances, begin io de­ cline, and their general vitality ispn the wane. Little ailments and sicknesses seem harder to shake off than formerly, and, hero and there, evidences of a breakdown begin ^to appear. „ ,, Now is should take a course — -----------------— ~-------- They help tone up and invigorate th© patient by their tome action on ■the system. Bribe,50c a box, 66 pills, at all dfug counters. Look fbt OUr trade mark a “Red Heart” Oh the package. This T. Milburn Co., Limited, Toronto. Ont. John Eckstein, of Zurich, pass­ ed away suddenly at the Clinton Hospital on Christmas Day in his 66th year. Mr. Eckstein had been in poor health for the last- three months, having been moved to the 'Clinton Hospital tWo weeks ago; He was- born On the BronsOn line, Hay township, and mdved to Zurich about one yeai* ago. He Was g farmer and a member of the Zurich Evangelical Church. He is sUrviv-, ed by his wife, nee Margaret' Zim­ merman; two sisters, Mrs. Albert Hendrich, of Hay- Township, and Mrs. William LeRoy, of New Hav­ en, . Mich., and one brother, Wil­ liam Eckstein, of Port Huron, A private funeral service Was held at the residence oil Saturday, fol­ lowed by a memorial service in the j Zurich Evangelical Church. Inter-: ment was in Bronson lipje cemetery. Rev. C. Heckendorn officiated? MUCH FETED BRIDE-ELECr Miss Alma Ruth Brown, of Parkhill, Who has been head of the English Department of the -Port Credit High School -and a former teachei* in the Exeter High School, has been much entertained in Port Credit in honor of her marriage to James Booking,- Windsor, which took place on December 2'7. Din­ ner parties Were given by Mrs. C, B. Croucher, Mrs. A., P. Ridley and Mrs. Gordon Logan; evening par* ty by Mrs. Marshall; personal shower by MiCs Jean Cameron; the high ^school staff held a tea and presentation; the pfficials Of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Sunday school a presentation; the Port Cre­ dit High School held a dance and own form, Grade en shower, and shoWei’ was givexi Fraser and .Cecille Blockley. —-----W------—- McNlCOL—YOUNG Literary Society presentation; her XII, had a kitcli- a pantry Shelf >by Misses Lenore —V- / BRIEF WAR SCARE A few farmers on the back roads Of Biddulph Township received a brief war scare Thursday as dull explosions echoed across the fields, but it Was the first bombing exer­ cises of NO. 4 All* Observer^’ •School, drumlin. Each equipped with 12 smoke bombs weighing 11J poundSf Avro Anson machines from the Crumliti school- swept over the bombing rdnge at, an altitude of 6,000 feet and released their* streamlined cargoes. Stratford B6ae0n*Herald. “Love round.” “Yes, square it.” ..............V— Remedy makes but it the takes world it rtionoy go to was Rev. Miss Mr. A quiet but pretty wedding solemnized at the home of the Robt. Hicks, London, when Laufena Mabel, daughtei’ of and Mrs. John McNicol, Jbf Hibbert, was united in marriage to James Garnet, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Miltpn Young, of Hensail. The bride woi;e a floor-length gown Of white chiffon over taffeta and a finger-tip veil of white net caught with orange blossoms. . She carried a bouquet of pink and white carnations. The bride was assist­ ed by her sister, Miss Muriel Mc­ Nicol, who wore a floor-length goWn Of pink net over taffeta. She carried a bouquet of white mums. The groom was attended by the bride’s brother, Mr. Alvin McNicol, of London. They motored on a short trip, the bride travelling in a black Crepe dross with wine acces­ sories. The bride and groom will reside in London. jfe I have been asked hundreds. of. questions about bomb damage. Per- hap's other readers would like to know a few Of the answers. Is it •churches stroyed escape? It is true. It is so obvious to a Canadian in England that it seems uncanny until one knows the rea­ sons. • In London and other badly bomb­ ed cities, it is obvious that most of the damage was done by incendiary bombs. They are small and light. I brought parts of one home with me. It inches foot in Roman not pointed like the tip of a high explosive bomb, end. The tail has fin's oh it to keep the bomb upright as It fall& Drop­ ped from a height of 10,000 feet or so, an incendiary bomb will pene­ trate’ through a slate roof or the fender of a car, leaving a small hole. It will hot go through a brick wall. The bomb ignites two minutes after it strikes and devel­ ops a ature large sands out literally by the ton. . Nowadays the British know how to fight the incendiary bomb. Vol­ unteer fire watchers are always on the lookout for bombs. They have the simple equipment to render bombs harmless before they can de­ velop heat. But eVeh yet, the’* churches are not safe. The beafitiful old build­ ings, designed by Christopher Wren and other great architects, have slate roofs. Inside the building is another false roof, often of lead. The incendiary gdes B thro ugh the slate, but hasn’t force ehough to penetrate the second roof. Before it can be reached, It has* exploded and started 'a fire. Sometimes there was an oak ceiling as well. No matter how faithful the watchers at the churches might be, it was impossible to rip off the slates and lead in time to reach the bombs. It wasn’t that churches were de­ liberately attacked. Everything Was attacked. It Was simply a mat­ ter of the way the churches were built. Factories Have Really Escaped The story of the, factories and the production of war materials is something eise again, it is liter­ ally true that many of the impor­ tant ones have never been bombed. I saw a great aero engine factory in the Midlands, built since the war started. It was undoubtedly the finest factory I ever saw. It Was built by a large automobile com* pany solely for the production of radial engines of 1,606 h.p, or so. It is several miles from the near­ est -city. Every precaution has 1 been taken to see that a bomb drop­ ping nearby won’t affect the people inside. If one makes a direct hit, That is 'the heavy operation tugs, are down the I saw a convoy going put the mouth of Thames one day that I visited East Coast. As I said before, the bridges over the Thames caped damage, On one of our first days in Lon­ don, the editors were conducted through the Houses of Parliament by two interesting and humorous guides, Lord Snell, representing the House of Lords, and Sir 'Patrick H?amon, from the House of Com­ mons. They took us even into the basement rooms where Guy Fawkes stored the gunpowder to blow up Parliament centuries ago, and into the underground chapels Where Cromwell stabled his horses to show his contempt for the institution of parliament. The chapels afe love­ ly. There is no longer any hprsey smell. • , , Here and there, I saw the dam­ age done by bombs. In the great Westminster Hall, where the bodie's of the kins lie in state, Workmen were repairing a broad hole in the roof whefre a bomb came through. Big Ben has almost. escaped; One corner of the clock tower, and Obe face were damaged, but the Cluck still goe's. The worst damage is in the House of Commons Chambei’ itself. It simply does not exist any longer. There is no roof, and only a small pile of rubble and twisted girders marks the spot where many a gredt debate ha^ taken place, strangely enough, the rooms it are. almost untouched. St. Paul’s and Westminster that have sttr- behind it I visited the cathedral and found only one large hole in the roof, made by a high explosive bomb that Shattered the altar beneath, plained that supplied the answer, ies and and the the Yet, around i It seems impossible Paul’s Cathedral should vived when all the area •‘is bare and dreary. flame said .to have a temper* of about 5,000 .degrees. A bomber might carry* thou- of incendiaries and drop them Abbey St. .Coventi'y Has Suffered Most■ ... ..... . ••• ••• ... ■ It wasq’t Until I visited Coventry that I realized how bad a qoncen” trated bombing can be. Coventry was ((and is) an industrial city about the bize of Hamilton, Ontario. Twice the Germans concentrated ' the full might of their air force On Coventry in an attempt to de­ monstrate just what they could dn- To some extent, they succeeded; they ,did not stop production to such an extent as they h'ad hoped, and they did not terrify the people. ■ They ffid not even kill as many as one would expect. We drove from LOnctcm to Cov­ entry one £ine September morning, The British Council supplied, us with cars that had Canadian ensigns on. the radiators. I admired the beau­ tiful English countryside (and Won­ dered at the patience of the British (farmers, cutting their second crop of hay, in fields dotted with plane traps. Coventry's city hall remains al­ most untouched on * the border of. acres of ruins. The car in which I was riding was the last to arrive up to the door. A curious crown, mostly women with market .baskets, had gathered. As I stepped out, I . heard someone ask: “Who aro they?” I 'answered: “Canadians.” 4 The nearest 'woman with a basket over her arm responded, to my sur­ prise,- with, “God bless Canada!” Later, I understood. Mayoi* Mos­ ley Welcomed us in a room which . had a model tank and a large vege- « table marrow on the table, symbols of greater production. Mrs. Pearl Hyde, head of the Women’s Volun- - tary Services told me that many of the people of Coventry were cloth­ ed in ’Canadian garments, and they had been fed for days from fleets ' of mobile canteens, donated to cit­ ies around by various Canadian wax* funds. Canada ranks high in the estimation, of Coventry. A few minutes later, I stood amid the rubble in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. On One side stood Mrs* , Hyde and -on the other, Captain S. A. Hector, Chief,of Police. Both, I learned later, are membex's of the . Order of the British Empire because ,of heroic services performed." Major Christie, of St. John,eN.B., moved through the. rubble with the Provost of the Cathedral and laid on an improved altar .a wreath - which the editors had brought from London. My eyes were moist and I thought the Chief wiped AWay a tear. Two days later, Prime Min­ ister Churchill visited Coventry and ' asked about the wreath. He thought • it a splendid idea and the next 1 day, “two beside our Churchill, Churchill. The buildixxgs Coventry are literally wiped out, in two ‘great raids, one in November, 1940, and the other in April. 74,000 houses out of a total of 91,006 in Coventry were damaged. “It was a beautiful moonlight night,” said Mayor Mosley,' “the most beautiful I think I ever saw in my life.” A visit to Coventry now is de­ pressing. Here, it would seem, the German Luftwaffe really succeeded. But they didn’t, even though they sent ovei’ 600 plaiids to bomb for 11% hours in tlxe moonlight, and , even though they had immense luck, fox’ the large water main was brok­ en by high explosives and tlireb lucky shots hit the canal bank and drained away the secondary water supply. The buildings which made ,Up the business section are gone, and -so are many of the houses.* The lies* , pital and the Cathedral and the Roman Catholic church are shells. But amazingly enough 1S46 persons wore killed in both raids, and I saw with my portion of it Sunday after- most of the offices grouped suffered much, yet not Again it was ex- the Voof structure The incendiar- bounced off the great dome the arched roof. Fire engines fire. fighters are massed all time in the senate ih front Of cathedral. If Westminster Abbey Whs hit, the damage must have been re­ paired, although one was closed on the noon I visited it. Fleet Street, .with daily newspaper together, one daily paper ever missed a single edition. The editor of one .of -Lord Beaverbrook’s papers to’d me that £75,000 the two area. I cord Of able, but no more amazing than the attitude of the people at large. It is said that it was a great help to morale when a householder came to his front door after a night of terror and found both the daily paper and the bottle of milk on the doorstep. At Buckingham Palace, only one Small building has been hit, hut the iron fence is being removed to be used to make munitions. Many stores on oxford and* Regent streets have suffered. Tenants hi rich apartments in the West End have lost everything they owned just as thoroughly as the poor in the dock areas, though not such a large proportion, perhaps. It surprised me to find many Londoners still sleeping in air raid shelters after four months pt im­ munity from bombing. X visited the great ‘"Underground” station at Piea'dilly Circus twice during my stay. Some 300 people were still sleeping there, but they seamed to be mostly men and women who had beeiv bombed out of their own homos and preferred the semi-inde* pendence of this life rather than being billeted with strangers. a had been spent to protect buildings he -oWtis in ihat saw • the results. The ra­ the newspapers is remark* more own, the arrived to place ; one from Winston other from Mrs. I in the heart of but only own eyes the war factories going again at full speed. That afternoon before we left to visit a bomber station, a dainty young lady •served tea to a doxen editors. I asked if she lived in Coventry during the raids. She did. She wasn’t in a shelter, eith* er. It was her turn that night to be on Air Raid Patrol. She veiled through those streets flames and death all ardund the sky full of enemies. She tei’rl/ied, she admitted, but never thought of taking shelter; Anyway* sl^e had no homo to go to that night: one of the first bomba got It, » ‘ You can’t defeat people like fchat*. ti*a* with and was she ■» 1' f