BBC Bombed

One night last November in the sub-basement of London's Broadcasting House, BBC Commentator Bruce Belfrage began to broadcast a summary of the news. Well aware was Newscaster Belfrage that somewhere over his head lay an unexploded bomb. Just as he was finishing his talk, saying "The postscript tonight--" there was a muffled explosion. Its vibrations were still audible when listeners heard an urgent voice whisper, "It's all right," and Belfrage wound up his talk amid ominous background noises. Meanwhile in BBC's overseas department, a broadcast in German went placidly on with only a few seconds' interruption. Score for this bombing of Broadcasting House, belated details of which were suppressed until last week: seven deaths among men and women who went right on working in the record library where the unexploded bomb had lain.

In another raid Broadcasting House was hit again. First seen by a spotter on the roof, Bomb No. 2 was announced to the A. R. P. control room in the basement with the comment: "There is one coming so close I could almost catch it." After the bomb exploded beside the already damaged building, the control room gibed to the spotter: "Butterfingers." Score for Bomb No. 2: Policeman John Charles Vaughn, recently engaged to Jean Orr Ewing, daughter of Brigadier General Sir Norman Archibald Orr Ewing.

The nearby offices of NBC and CBS were also hit by bombs that same night and completely wrecked. Among those injured was NBC's Fred Bate, who last week was headed for the U. S. to convalesce. When the bombing occurred, neither network had to interrupt its comment from London. Their copy can be prepared anywhere, and their broadcasting is done from BBC's bombproof basement studio.

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