The Pittsburgh Press (August 26, 1940)
3 Girls Killed; Dublin Protests to Berlin
Dublin, Aug. 26 –
The Éire government announced today that German planes bombed three localities in County Wexford this afternoon, killing three Irish girls. An immediate protest to Berlin was ordered.
The German planes dropped bombs in the vicinity of Campile, Ballyneety and Bannow, all in County Wexford on the southeast Irish coast.
The area adjoins St. George’s Channel, an entrance to the Irish Sea where German planes have been active for a week in an effort to harass shipping between Ireland and Britain.
The German wireless reported only today that negotiations between Éire and Germany were underway concerning the exemption of Ireland from the German blockade of Britain.
Announcement of the bombing was made by the Government Information Bureau which said the attack occurred between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The girls were killed by flying masonry when a creamery at Campile was struck.
The bombs all fell within a small area just east of Waterford. Bannow is a port on Bannow Bay, a few miles southeast of Campile.
The announcement said that three planes “of German nationality” were involved in the attack.
It was the first time since the outbreak of the war that bombs had fallen in neutral Éire. Last week, a German bomber crashed in Éire and its crew was interned.