WAR WEAPONS WEEK

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 186, 21 May 1941, Page 5

WAR WEAPONS WEEK

LONDON AIMS AT £100,000,000 HUGE DONATIONS GIVEN

LONDON 1 , May 19. London’s War Weapons Week, by which it is hoped to raise £100,000,000, is now in full swing. Speakers at ithe opening ceremony were optimistic that the goal would be reached. The Lord Mayor of London (Sir George Wilkinson) opened the appeal with a message from the King. Messages of goodwill were received from London, in Ontario, Canvada, East London, in South Africa, and Little London, in England. Contributions poured in steadily from everywhere.

After the opening ceremony, city workers filed through the savings centre in London to the music of the Grenadier (Guards’ bands.

The atmosphere of the bomb scarred capital resembled a country fair with flags and banners everywhere and girls selling kisses for. Cd. Businessmen handed in cheques for millions of pounds. Mr P. C. Crump (joint secretary of the Prudential Assurance Company) handed Sir George Wilkinson a cheque for £5,000,000 worth of 2-J- per cent. National War Bonds.

Two companies subscribed' £3,000,000 each and 20 companies contributed a total of £31,000,000. Crowds jammed the selling counters to buy stamps, certificates, and bonds. Sixty-two local committees, consisting of 1000 voluntary workers, gathered in contributions tln-oughout greater London. Subscriptions poured in through 1800 post offices, 1800: branches of hanks and 750 selling centres. Collectors on the Stock Exchange took £200,000 - from brokers.

Southgate’s objective was £250,000, hut £300,000 was gathered in by the middle of the afternoon.

Tottenham has already doubled its objective of £250,000. General Sir Walter Kirke, a former commandoi’-in-chief of the Home Forces, said Londoners were fighting valiantly on all fronts and those at home were obviously determined not to let them down. The Munich agreement signed by Mr Chamberlain and the Dictators is on show at the Hammersmith Town HaJi with tho treaty by whic-li Germany guaranteed Belgium’s neutrality before the last war. Uganda has now raised a total of £IOO.OOO for the purchase of fighter aircraft and a squadron will he named after tlie Protectorate.