London, Feb. 21.
Air raid warnings were sounded in the London area yesterday and anti-aircraft batteries opened fire, but ne warning was sounded in London proper. The all-clear signal was sounded fifty minutes after the first warning was heard.
Lifeboats were launched at Norfolk after it had been reported that steamers were being bombed by Nazi planes thirty miles off the coast, An S.O.S. was picked up from one vessel which announced it was being attacked off the Norfolk coast.
The rattle of machine-gun fire was heard south-east of Essex. It was believed raiders were strafing a vessel under attack. An air raid warning sounded in south-east Essex, but the all clear signal was sounded 50 minutes later.
Naval experts attributed the increase in ship losses to unrestricted U-boat warfare, Sinkings last week brought the total Allied and neutral shipping sunk since the war to 1,056,- 766 tons.—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.