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Aircraft Factories.
63. The only aircraft factory sustaining damage during the week was General Aircraft Ltd. of Feltham, where four shops, including the repair shop, were gutted on the 10th. Although three aircraft factories were hit in the attack on Coventry on the 12th, the damage in each case was negligible.
Electricity, Light and Power.
64. A considerable amount of damage was done to utility services in London during this period. Six gas works were hit; at Wandsworth the coke handling plant at the Fairfield Street works was damaged, and at Croydon a gas holder was demolished. The electric power station and the substation at Bankside, S.E.1 were hit.
65. Outside London, the only case of severe damage was a gas main hit in the Foleshill gas works at Coventry, and the resulting reduction in pressure will have some effect on industrial output.
Industry.
66. General industrial damage is slight. The only outstanding incidents
are:-
(a) Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd., Vauxhall Works.
Loss of production for some time; gas, water and electricity have
failed.
(b) Negretti and Zambra, Ltd., Barnsbury, N.1.
Factory gutted.
(c) Thames Ammunition Works, Erith.
Production stopped for three days.
(d) Siebe, Gorman and Co., Ltd., Camberwell.
Fire caused damage to all sections and destroyed one section
completely.
(e) Rollason Aircraft Instruments, Ltd., Mitcham Junction.
Building severely damaged. Production suspended for some time. (f) Triumph Engineering Co., Ltd., Coventry.
Railways.
67.
Considerable damage was caused to some of the buildings on the 14th. Production suspended in some departments, including the machine shop.
Many hits have been made on the railway system, especially in the London area. Traffic has been retarded generally by raids and warnings, and London yards and sheds are still somewhat congested. Although the daily number of U.X.Bs. on the railway system is not great, forty still remain to be dealt with.
Other Damage.
68. Damage to civilian property and public buildings has been widespread in London and in other areas. A feature of the damage has been the number of buildings of national importance which have been affected. St. Paul's and the cathedrals of Canterbury and Coventry must take first place. In London the Royal Courts of Justice, the National Gallery, Kensington Palace, St. James' Church, Piccadilly, the Natural History Museum, the Treasury, the War Office, No. 10 Downing Street, have all suffered damage.
The south-east coast towns have again suffered damage to civilian property, especially Hastings. Other parts of Kent, Surrey and Essex have sustained considerable damage and there has been damage to residential property in Liverpool, Manchester, Coventry, Luton, Birmingham and Middlesbrough.
Civilian Casualties.
70. The approximate figures for the week ending 0600 hours, 16th October, are 1,567 killed and 4,634 injured. These figures include the estimated figures of 1,380 killed and 3,729 injured in London.
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