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Kent & Sussex Courier, Friday 15 November 1940.
The Countryside Is Taking It.
More Murderous Enemy Attacks On The Villages.
Crowds see German Heinkel brought down. After it had attacked a hunt
meet raiders wreck a public house and a spoil a game of crib. Houses
damaged but few casualties.
With monotonous regularity except on those occasions when weather
conditions and our bombers have so hampered them that their activities
have been confined to small raids - enemy activities have been
concentrated on routes leading to the metropolis, with the result that
the countryside has once again been subjected to some hammering. They
have, however, been surprisingly few casualties.
On Thursday night 10 head of cattle and a horse were killed when 16
bombs were dropped across a village which has previously been visited.
One fell near a Messerschmitt which had been brought down some days
before.
There was plenty of excitement over a south-south town on Friday when
there were some sharp ariel encounters with the enemy resulting in some
of the raiders being brought down. People in the streets or some amazing
"sky writing."
On Saturday morning a German Heinkel bomber made an attack on the meet
of a famous hunt. Those attending the meet were bombed and machine
gunned, but there were no casualties. Shortly afterwards a Hurricane
dived out of the clouds, got in a couple of bursts, and the raider fell.
Two of the crew baled out, and one was seen to descend by parachute.
This airman landed in a coppice, and when rescued was found to be shot
through the legs. The machine crashed miles away.
Dozens of houses were damaged, an inn demolished, and valuable stained
glass at a parish church smashed, when a Nazi night rider dropped eight
high explosive bombs on a little country village on Thursday night, but
there was only one minor casualty. There were many people in the inn,
workers were temporarily cut off from their beer supply, and an exciting
game of crib was suddenly terminated. "The blighter would choose our
pub," moaned one of the company who walked out quite unperturbed.
Houses damaged about a month ago on a council's housing estate on the
outskirts of another town were damaged again on Sunday. Three people
were injured by the flying glass.
There was a deliberate dive bombing attack on the residential area of
another town, resulting in damage to property and the death of one
resident, and some remarkable escapes.
In another district of farmer was killed on going out to see if he's
cattle were alright.
Two houses in a third town were completely wrecked, and of the several
casualties some were fatal.
It was estimated that anything between 100 and 150 high explosive bombs
were dropped over one corner of Kent during the night on Thursday. In
the main the result was further disfigurement of the countryside and the
slaughter of cattle, but in some parts they were casualties and more
extensive damage. At one farm, which is in close proximity to a
picturesque little church in an equally pretty village, the house
escaped serious harm when it came in the line of fire of 16 bombs. After
one had fallen near a hedge behind which was a wrecked Messerschmitt,
another fell at the bottom of a haystack, turning it upside down.
The fencing around it was blown into fields, slates were dislodged from
the nearby sheds, and the roof of the farmhouse also suffered, but it
was under two clumps of trees not many yards further away that the main
damage was caused. below the first clump of trees were five milking cows
which had been killed by a hail of shrapnel. The sight was a repulsive
one. near a hedge lay a chestnut horse that had to be destroyed lying in
agony some hours. It is stated that the farmer telephoned for a
veterinary surgeon to come and put an end to the animal's misery, but
after waiting and waiting, another surgeon was telephoned for and the
animal destroyed. It had its nearside foreleg broken in three places.
Under a further clump of trees were another five cows. These, too, had
been killed by shrapnel. Prior to this attack anything between 8 and 16
bombs had been dropped in the same locality without doing damage.
Hurricane Swoop Down On A Heinkel.
On Friday people in the streets in the same South-east town had a
perfect view of some 60 year 80 'planes, raiders and Spitfires and
Hurricanes, doing battle over a wide area. Flying at a tremendous height
they passed through fleecy clouds into the clear blue sky like rockets
with long white trials of smoke. They did some fantastic turns which
left the sky adorned with a mass of streaks which fascinated the crowds
that watched. In this battle the enemy lost several of their fighters.
There was more excitement on Saturday morning. Business was proceeding
as usual without any interruption from the sirens when suddenly a German
Heinkel and two other raiders were seen to dive out of the clouds. Then
as if from nowhere there appeared a Hurricane which swooped down like a
hawk on its prey. Before the Heinkel pilot became aware of the presence
of the British fighter the Hurricane had giving him a couple of bursts
and he was sent downwards to his doom. Simultaneously there were four
loud explosions, to as though bombs had been released, and two as though
the machine gun fire from the Hurricane and either hit the bomb rack or
the petrol tank.
German Pilot Wounded.
The 'plane went diving to earth and two of the crew were seen to bale
out, but only one came down alive. The one descending by means of a
parachute took some time to get down. When he landed he found himself at
the top of a tree in a coppice only a mile or two from the town where
people in the streets had been thrilled. When rescued from the tree by
the police and taken to hospital it was found that the pilot had been
shot through the legs. The 'plane crashed near Bethersden. Almost as
soon as the crash had taken place an official entered into a room of a
South-east town where the Mayor was holding a reception and acquainted
the company that a Heinkel had just been brought down. The toast was
"The Royal Air Force.
Unpleasant Experience.
It was this Heinkel that had dived out of the cloud to find that a meet
was taking place of a famous hunt. Just as the meet was congregating
'planes were heard overhead, and then a moment the pilot took in the
situation and let loose a number of bombs and at the same time machine
gunned those attending the meet. All threw themselves to the ground -
including a well-known Marques and Marchioness - and all escaped injury.
The Hunt had met in a lane, and there was little covering under which to
take shelter. The hounds, which will further down the lane, also escaped
injury.
An onlooker said it was an unpleasant experience. "We heard the plane
all planes overhead," he said, "and then we heard the whistle of the
bombs as they came down and crashed a short distance away. There could
be no mistake that it was a deliberate attack. There was a shout to take
cover, but all we could do was to fall flat. The horses behave
magnificently. They weren't disturbed the all by the explosions."
Bombs Rain on Kent Village.
Inn gets direct hit but customers walk
out unharmed.
Dozens of houses were damage, an inn half demolished, and valuable
stained glasses at the parish church smashed when a Nazi night raider
dropped 8 high explosive bombs on a little country village on Thursday.
But in spite of the damage there was only one casualty - Mr. F Barham,
who was cut on the head by a piece of flying glass.
Customers at the "New Inn," which stands on a corner of the centre of
the village, had an amazing escape from injury when a bomb fell directly
on it, demolishing the upper part of the building. In addition to the
landlord, Mr. Sellens, and his wife and 12-year-old son, there were
four people on the premises. Ten minutes before the adjourning bar,
which was wrecked, had been full, but the customers present at the time
were all in the public bar and had no more than bits of ceilings fall on
them. Upstairs a sitting room and a bedroom were wrecked and the
furniture was destroyed.
Spoilt A Good Crib.
Mr. W. Cunningham told how he was sitting by the window playing a
hand of crib with another customer when the crash came. "The first thing
I knew was that there was a terrific bang, and before I had time to do
anything a piece of ceiling came down on my back. I had heard a Jerry
going over here, but didn't think anything about that, and I didn't hear
the bombs coming down, so I didn't have time to get a bit of cover. It
didn't upset me though," he added, "but that finished my beer and as it
wasn't very comfortable I walked home.
Mr. Sellens has been licensee of the "New Inn" for only a week, but
he is undaunted, and on Saturday while workmen were clearing away the
wreckage, a notice stood outside the door reading "Open." And nailed to
the board was a horseshoes!
Wife's Photo Intact.
This same bomb wrecked the windows and roof of a butcher's shop
belonging to Mr. F. S. Barham, which is directly opposite. It was Mr.
Barham's son who was injured as a shop window came crashing in. So
violent was the explosion that a bomb splinter cut clean through an iron
framework, through a sheep and finished up in the back room. In a
sitting room above the shop all the furniture was demolished. "The only
thing left is a picture of my wife," said Mr. Barham.
Windows at a nearby forge smashed, and a piece of the bomb cut clean
through a thick branch of a yew tree standing outside. Windows and roofs
of a row of cottages adjoining the inn were also damaged.
Another Church Suffers.
Blast and splinters from another bomb did considerable damage to the
beautiful old parish church. Practically every window on one side was
wrecked, and some valuable stained glass was shattered by the Nazi
vandals, while many tiles were knocked off the roof.
Ashenden, a house which had been damaged previously, was hit at the
back and a garage was demolished and a car inside wrecked. Another bomb
fell in the middle of the road, where it made only a small crater, but
the explosion uprooted stout iron railings set in stone and left bent
and twisted metal.
Three bombs fell around the house known as, Cobb Orchard, smashing
the greenhouse, windows and tiles and blowing down fencing and trees.
Houses Twice Damage.
Damaged by bombs which fell about a month ago and only just repaired
and made habitable again, some houses on a Council's housing estate on
the outskirts of a South-eastern town were again hit early on Sunday
morning. Altogether some dozen bombs were dropped, but fortunately the
greater number fell in a wood. No house was directly hit, but two fill
in the roadway, and one landed on an oak tree and it was the blast from
this which one which so severely damaged the houses. All the inhabitants
were in bed at the time and because of this there were no serious
casualties. Only three people were injured, two by flying glass.
Altogether some 40 houses were damaged, about half of them badly, and
many of the families had to find other accommodation. The St. Saviour's
Hall was used as a rest room and canteen, and this was opened and
functioning within an hour of the incident.
Those who received injuries necessitating treatment were Pearl Green,
aged 13 years, who was sent to hospital with abdominal injuries caused
by falling debris; William Richard Reed, aged 76 years, who had cuts on
forehead, and Henry Shoebridge, aged 19 years, who also had small cuts
on his forehead.
Farmer Killed.
Pursuing his usual practice of going out to see if his cows were all
right whilst enemy bombs were dropping on Friday evening, Mr. H.
Welfare, a farmer, was himself instantaneously killed. High Incendiaries
fell on two sides of the farm, which is situated in a hamlet on a main
road between two towns in the South East of England, and the same bomb
that killed Mr. Welfare also destroyed live stock. His daughter, Miss G.
Welfare, who was in the house, was dazed by the concussion, and was
afterwards conveyed by car to a friend's house. Mrs. Welfare has been a
patient in hospital for some time.
Neighbour's say that several bombs were dropped, which shook their
houses. Damage was caused to Mr. Welfare's house and farm buildings, and
the windows of a Methodist chapel across the road were shattered. One of
the bombs almost struck the kerbing on this side of the road.
Some pedestrians related how they threw themselves down when they
heard the bombs falling, afterwards picking themselves up covered in
mud.
During Friday's air fighting cannon shells fell and exploded near a
South East Village, and a small boy receives slight injuries.
Deliberate Dive Bombing.
Outskirts of the town suffer, but the flag was kept flying.
A deliberate dive bombing attack on a residential area on the edge of
a South-eastern town on Friday resulted in damage to property and the
death of one resident, but a number of people have remarkable escapes.
The resident, with his wife and her sister were upstairs at the time
when they heard a plane approaching. The ladies started to make their
way down stairs, when the house received a direct hit from one a stick
of bombs.
"The next thing I remember after starting for down stairs," said the
lady of the house, "was finding myself, with my sister, on a heap of
bricks in the hall."
They were both suffering from bruises.
"I at once called out to my husband," she continued, "but as I got no
reply I realised what must have happened."
Her husband, who had no time to make his escape from upstairs before
the bomb fell and laid half the house in ruins, was killed instantly.
Help Came Quickly.
This lady paid tribute to the speedy help available. "Help seemed to
come very quickly, she said, for as soon as we had made our way out
there were already A.R.P. workers and neighbours in the road.
Damage was also caused to the house next door, but fortunately none
of the occupants were injured, but a member of the staff of the school
nearby who was in the roadway at the time suffered concussion and a
fractured leg.
The sports pavilion of a well-known school for boys was wrecked by a
direct hit, with debris being scattered over the playing fields. Other
bombs severely damaged the rugby pitches, other parts of the playing
fields and the private road leading to the fields. Amid the wreckage of
the pavilion a mirror hung unbroken on the wall of one of the badly
damage dressing rooms.
The Old School Flag.
Next morning, when the boys went to survey the damage, one of them
lost no time in hoisting the school flag on a flagpole at the pavilion.
The flag, with its emblem symbolical of British toughness, waved gay
defiance to the enemy!
Near the pavilion stands the house of a prominent official in the
town and here the kitchen wall was badly cracked, while damage was also
done to the garage and two windows and roof tiles of the house.
This official said they were all in the lounge on the side of the
house away from the bomb and no one was hurt.
"But," he added, "my daughter was just about to leave the house, then
stopped have a glass of sherry, otherwise she would have been outside
just as the bombs were falling, and would most probably have been killed
or injured.
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