Bombing of the East Coast

Image: Enlistment poster [Wikipedia] 

Thursday 17th December 1914: Mr R. W. Whittington has written from Scarborough to his parents at Ampthill describing the terrible events that took place there yesterday morning, when the town was bombarded by German ships:

“At 8 o’clock this morning I was in bed and I heard an awful noise out at sea. I thought it was a naval battle, but soon found that Scarboro’ was being bombarded. I dressed as quickly as possible and went outside to find the streets crowded with half-dressed people. We were shelled for about half an hour and houses all round us have been blown down, so I think we are very lucky to have escaped. The way some of the poor people were blown to pieces made me creep. You remember the “Grand Hotel”? Three shells went right through it, into a house at the back. Our manager’s wife was ill in bed at the time, but he managed to get a motor car and got her moved and it cost him £10. I have a piece of shell which I picked up, and I hope to bring it home at Christmas to show it to you. A large shell that killed a woman in her shop passed right over our house, and the butcher two doors off got one in the back of his house, so we were right in the think of it. Only we up here know what that half-hour was like; it was a terrible affair and I shall never forget it as long as ever I live.”

Source: Bedfordshire Times 25th December 1914