TWENTY SHELLS IN SIX MINUTES.

Some twenty shells were fired, and the time occupied by this bombardment, a leading townsman thought, was about six minutes. At first a star shell was sent up by the enemy at about eleven o’clock that lit up the town. This was the prelude to the fusillade, which he described as a continuous rattle. “It is a marvel,” said the informant, “that much more serious results did not accrue.” It was blowing hard at the time, and the prevailing weather conditions no doubt accounted for the fact that the residents with very few exceptions were indoors. The fate of one couple is particularly sad. The husband was formerly a carpenter. They had retired for the night, and the wife was killed outright, the survivor succumbing to his injuries soon afterwards. A child sleeping in a cot in a bed-room in another house had a narrow escape, the entire contents of the apartment being thrown about and an iron stove blown to pieces. This was the third occasion on which Yarmouth had been subjected to bombardment. The first visitation was in November, 1914; the second was at Easter, 1916. In 1914 the raid was altogether ineffective, and in 1916 damage to property was done without any accompanying loss of life. The man who was instantaneously killed last night was in lodgings. One of his comrades had a remarkable escape. A door fell upon him, and he remained covered in a prone position until the danger was over. Several of the residents have spoken of the absence of any very great measure of excitement as a satisfactory feature of the event. “We are,” remarked one, “getting inured to this kind of experience.” According to another correspondent no one saw the enemy craft and she apparently carried no lights. A few persons who were out spoke to hearing a whirr and a whistle of shells overhead. Many people had wonderful escapes from falling wreckage. Yesterday morning the inhabitants went round to view the damaged properties, on which repairs were started with an astonishing celerity. Neighbourly kindness found fresh quarters for those whose homes were damaged. There has been no exodus from the town.