Fishermen Describe Planes' Attacks On Trawlers
MACHINE-GUN FIRE
AT WOUNDED
cam-
The German warplanes' new paign of terror against fishing traw- described by graphically lers was members of the crews of vessels at- tacked in the North Sea.
"I never thought white men would do what these German airmen did to us," said Mr. John Ross, skipper | of the trawler Craigie Lea.
before
"The gave us no warning they started to bomb and machine- gun us. They circled round us re- peatedly and sprayed the vessel with
The crew bullets.
were on deck attack, when they made their first and I told my men to take cover im-
We had
amazing mediately.
escape."
an
into the
passed right through engine-room. Their small boat was riddled with bullets.
the that
Samuel Buck, of Edinburgh, mate of the Compaganus, said Swanney was killed within five min- utes of the start of the attack at 10.20 They were trying to get away a.m. the fishing gear, and he shouted to Swanney to run when the attack
came.
Their wireless was put out of ac- tion by the gunfire. After the attack two hours they steamed for about
and with the Colleague as escort, at about 12.30 p.m. the second attack was made.
BURSTS OF FIRE
he
stern.
of
"We tried to get to our small boat, We the Three other trawlers,
Eileen but it was riddled with bullets.
Colleague, which Wray, Compaganus, and Pearl, were signalled to the similarly attacked. The Eileen Wray came alongside, and we got on board
north-east port. her, carrying the cook with us," was towed into a One member of the crew of the Com- | added. paganus, James Swanney, was killed
The vessel was badly damaged machine- and another wounded by
the Pearl's and there was a number of holes on three of gun fire, and crew were wounded, the ship being he water line. When we last saw her
she was going down by the abandoned in a sinking condition.
The three men wounded by ma- The planes fired several bursts
Colleague, aboard chine-gun bullets
the Pearl machine-gun fire at the were landed at an East Coast port hitting the vessel, but no by the trawler Dereham. They are: board was hurt." J.
Stanley-street, E. Loveday, of Grimsby, a trimmer; J. H. Thomas, of Corporation-street, Grimsby, cond engineer; and H. Thrower, Wellington-street, Grimsby, a hand, Loveday, it was understood, had seven wounds and was in a serious condition. The other two had wounds in the hand and ankle.
se-
of
deck-
one on
the Craigle Lea half-an-hour later.
GESTAPO
COMPILING
DOSSIERS
Suspicions that the Gestapo la compiling dossiers on the "repa. triated" Baltic Germans have been aroused by a peculiar re- quest broadcast and published in all the German newspapers. Per- sons in the Ralch who have lately received correspondence from forced migrants are asked to for- ward these letters to an address in Berlin.
No Indication is given for what purpose the letters are required. Senders are assured, however, that their friends' correspondence is being merely "borrowed" and will later ba returned to the addressees.
ESSENTIAL
STRENGTH OF EMPIRE
LONDON, TO-DAY.
THE ESSENTIAL STRENGTH OF COMMONWEALTH
The attack on occurred about Five bombs were dropped, but only THE BRITISH one hit the ship.
LAY IN ITS BEING AN ASSOCIA- This crashed through the engine-
TION OF FREE PEOPLE, SAID MR. the engine room
OF room skylight to near the chief engineer, Lewis Mac- | ANTHONY EDEN, SECRETARY
not explode. Two STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS, Donald, but did men were wounded by machine-gun IN A SPEECH ON SATURDAY. and fire-William Innes, fireman,
Some short-sighted observers had Alexander Murray, second fisherman.believed that on account of this free- Capt. John Robb, of the Craigie Lea, dom the Dominions would not stand said that sunk.
two German aeroplanes came from the north-west and flew
the ship. about 100ft above
BOMBED AND SUNK
the Later it was announced that Granton-trawler-Isabella_Grieg had also been bombed and of the crew of 10. and Ronald Tweedie, both of Gran-
ton, were injured.
Andrew
being As the crew were
trawler the aboard another
down 'planes again swooped machine-gunned them.
Two Banks
The
at Britain's side. This view "falled-to understand the spirit of the British Empire, which lay in its greater free- leading plane started machine-gun-dom. We were fighting not only to takenning them.
Nazi and
When the Nazi planes made their attack on the Eileen Wray they circl- ed the trawler one behind the other, the first dropping eight bombs and the second following up with bursts of machine-gun fire.
ta As the crew made efforts
*planes lower the lifeboats the swooped again and again, and no fewer than 16 times the men had to leap for cover. Only the last of the eight bombs
It struck fell near its mark.
the water a few yards from the vessel and damaged the engine-room.
off, water As the 'planes made
Capt. began to leak into the hull,
the Hartley, the skipper, said that attack occurred after the trawler had been fishing for 12 hours.
of tracer
"I could see the track bullets each time the 'plane swept round," he said, "but as in the case of the bombs the marksmanship was bad. Not a man was injured. As we made attempts to lower the boat we were jumping in and out of cover like jacks in the box."
COAL SHORTAGE IN BRITAIN
London, To-day. Throughout Britain, con- siderable difficulties are be- ing experienced in obtaining supplies of coal owing to transport problems occasion- ed by the severity of recent weather conditions.
a
Glasgow is among the big cities that are suffering and the expedient is being adopted of cutting down number of trees in these cities' parks and supplying the wood for fuel.
the However, a leading official of Glasgow fuel control office said that although still acute the position was of the improving while an official Mines Department has said that the general coal shortage was being over- come and that the general coal overcome and shortage was being
be
that they hoped supplies would greatly increased by Monday.-British Wireless.
FRENCH PREMIER AND RAILWAY BOMBING
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
Paris, To-day. The Premier, M. Daladier, confer- red with the Japanese Ambassador, Mr. Renzo Sawada, about the recent bombing of the Yunnan railway. Havas,
SALE OF 'AIR COBRAS’ TO FRANCE APPROVED
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
Washington, To-day, The War Department has approved
He told the crew to get maintain that but also the possibility of the sale to France of a new high- of progress in freedom of mind and speed super pursuit monoplane “Air spirit of which the British Empire | Cobra," capable of reaching 400 miles was a living example.
to
below.
The second aeroplane dropped yards from a bomb about five their starboard quarter,... rocking the ship. Another bomb dropped In the water about six yards away. "I signalled to the aeroplanes allow the crew to get away in the small boat, but the only reply was more bursts of machine-gun fire and crashed more bombs, one of which through the engine" room skylight but did not explode," said Capt. Robb.
entered the Machine-gun bullets store room in which Innes and Mur- ray were sheltering. Innes was struck on, the back and head and Murray the in the back, Soon afterwards German aeroplanes made off.
THE "ASAMA”
AFFAIR
(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")
LONDON, TO-DAY. INFORMED QUARTERS ARE CON- FIDENT THAT THE ASAMA MARU INCIDENT WILL BE SETTLED NEXT WEEK.
RUSH FOR SHELTER
Settlement will result more from The crew of the Compaganus, which
semi-official talks by the British Am- was struck by a bomb, were rescued
official and landed by the trawler Colleague.bassador in Tokyo than from
the two A member of the crew said that they Notes exchanged between were fishing when they were attacked Governments which dealt mainly with
the legal aspects of the case. by machine-gun fire and bombs from two German areoplanes. Four bombs hoped that settlement of the incident were dropped, but they did not strike will facilitate solution of the Tientsin the ship. The crew rushed for shel-blockade.-Havas. ter.
James Swanney,
who
was
killed,
was struck by machine-gun bullets while running along the deck. "The attack lasted half an hour.
About an hour and a half later two 'planes reappeared and re-
Ten sumed the attack,
bombs. were dropped on this acompion, and and one struck the
vessel
It is
SHARP CLASH ON WESTERN FRONT
Paris, To-day.
A communique issued last night states that early yesterday morning a sharp encounter with an enemy connoltring party "turned to our ad- vantage."-Reuter, 2.
re-
Reuter.
per hour.
Havas
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