Seven People Killed in Explosions; A.R.P. and Germans Urge Women to Evacuate Oslo No Raid Alarms Sounded When R.A.F. Attacked Fire Fighters Turn Out in First Big Emergency London, May 1.
"Late last night, enemy aircraft approached the east coost at several points," the Air Ministry and Ministny for Home Security announced today.
"Anti-aircraft. guns went into action, and one Heinkel bomber crashed over Clacton-on-Sea (Essex) and burst into flames.
"Casualties were seven people killed and over 100 injured, 39 of whom were admitted to hospital. It is possible that other bodies are under debris. Four of the seven killed were Germans, while the others were civilians, "About 50 houses were damaged," and dropped a flare in an effort to find a landing place.
The crash occurred near the town's busiest junction, and close to the principal shipping thoroughfare.
A resident of Clacton-on-Sea told a Reuter's representative that "it was a terrible scene. Houses were lying in ruins, and from various places, clouds of smoke were still rising-from piles of tangled beams, brickwork and plaster, on which firemen were still playing hoses."
A surveyor, viewing the scene just after dawn, estimated the damage to amount to at least £100,000.
The crash caused the biggest turnout of Air Raid Precaution services, under actual war conditions, yet seen.
Within a few minutes of the crash, approximately 100 of the personnel were in action—wardens, rescue squads, ambulance workers, and stretcher parties.
The "stand-by" order was given at all Clacton fire stations, and auxiliary Paris, May 1. Women and children have been urged: by the Germans to evacuate Oslo, according to information received from Oslo, via Stockholm.
It is reported that-the German authorities did not sound the air-raid alarm during the attack by the Royal Air Force on Monday, on the Oslo air base. This was not done, it is alleged, in order to avoid a repetition of.the scenes of panic observed in recent raids—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.