CHANGED MOOD OF BRIM

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23494, 24 November 1941, Page 4

CHANGED MOOD OF BRIM

Mr Duff Cooper Predicts Long War DOUBLING OF EFFORTS URGEt^ The changed mood of the people of Great Britain since September, 1939, was vividly depicted by the Rt. Hon. Alfred Duff Cooper, the British Minister on a special mission to the Far East, in an address at the civic welcome to him and Lady Diana Duff Cooper in Christchurch on Saturday night. \ Although Hitler had had many failures recently, the war was not over, Mr Duff Cooper warned the audience. He believed that it would be a long war, and he appealed for a doubling of efforts so that victory could be gamed more quickly. The longer the war lasted, the worse it would become. “Tell us about England,” was the request made when he asked on which subject he should talk, said the Minister. Opinion but not mood, facts not feelings, action but not ideas could be telegraphed from England. He described the way in which the people at Home were going about their duties as usual, yet with added enthusiasm and zest to do more to win victory. ]

Describing London on the Sunday war was declared, Mr Duff Cooper said the feeling was that the bombing would soon come and everything was going to be obliterated. The banks and other big institutions had already arranged to have their affairs carried on in other places. But London had to wait for six months before anything happened. That was a curious period in English history, when the people were prepared to face the worst and nerved themselves for it; but then found that nothing had happened. It was a war without any event. People clutched at events such as the Battle of the River Plate and the rescue of men from the Altmarck. They were really small incidents in a great war; but they stood out in those six months, in which the English people grew accustomed to the war. They began to ignore airraid precautions and air-raid wardens became almost a figure of ridicule as they walked up and down the streets seeing the black-out and telling the people to put out their lights night after night. A happy characteristic of the English people—it did not matter whether they lived in England or New Zealand —was that they were good natured; and they believed that other people were good natured, too. They did not believe In evil and they felt It was incredible that the ordinary people of Germany could submit to the rule of a vile, murdering gang of robbers, thieves and murderers. Still in England people could hardly believe the violence of the present regime in Germany of an inhuman monster who was attempting to grind down Europe and ultimately the whole world. It was difficult for any English people to understand; but it was just as true as there were poisonous snakes crawling about the earth, and sharks swimming in the sea. “Faced Defeat" “We in England for 20 years allowed the Germans to build up the hideous machine of war we had broken down in 1918. In the first six months of the war, a sense of unreality crept over England and the people found that the war was not quite so terrible as 1 they had expected. Indeed it was not. . The people grew a little unconscious, a little lazy and slightly slack about their obligations and their, duty. ■ And then came in swift succession the terrible victories of .Germany and finally Frarlce, In which we believed so deeply and with which we had fought so determinedly 20 years before, was wiped out In a comparatively few d^ys, “Then a new mood took hold of the British people—a mood which, I think, you can always be assured, the English people will assume in moments of great danger. They realised, then for the first time in the history of most men or women that they were facing something they had never faced before—not a vague possibility of defeat, but defeat staring them in the face, defeat - 20 miles away, defeat drawn up on the Straits of Dover, the defeat of England, of Great Britain and of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It would all go together. D6n’t imagine that one single Dominion could withstand for one month the attack that would be levelled against it if Great Britain fell.” A healthy reaction came in the British nation, 'it was not a desperate reaction. It wag a confident reaction. They realised then what they were fighting and that they had to destroy the hideous menace then so close to them. What had they to defend their own country? A remnant of the Army fought its way to the beaches of Dunkirk, and by the glorious assistance of the Royal Navy and the independent men and women who had set out in fishing boats, yachts, and small craft —anything they could get their hands on—the soldiers were brought home to England. But it was a remnant of an army, without equipment. That was all there was, and the spirit of the people, to protect the shores of Great Britain in 1940. It was very little. Invasion Prospects “The people say now, and I have said often, that the Germans missed their chance: but I do not believe for one moment that if they had taken the risk then and invaded Britain they would have been successful (applause). I believe they would have met not refugees pouring down the roads but resistance. In every village, on every lonely farm, they toould have met a man with a gun and he would have sold his life before he gave up (applause). “That was the mood of the summer of 1940. And, then, when we were ready, the attack began. The big air offensive which was to herald the invasion began, and we know now how that attack was beaten by better machines and better men than the Germans had ever produced. The German Air Force was beaten in the air in that July 16 months ago. “That was the first big English victory and great credit should be given not only to the superb young men who won that war but also to the men who prepared and organised it. Among those I would mention your ‘own Governor-General (applause). If there had been anything wrong with the air services then, he would have been blamed, and I believe he deserves greater credit than he has yet received for the Air Force in those fateful days.” Driven out of the daylight air, the Germans turned to night bombing, thinking to break the British spirit in that way. They avoided attacking centres of military activity, but attacked the civilian populations. It was a deliberate policy which the Germans thought would break the morale of the people of England. They tried it for six months. They did a lot of damage, but they failed, because the more they attacked the big cities the higher grew the morale of the people who lived there. It was a great experience to live in England in those days, to go to work in the mornings and to see the people at the usual hours sweeping up the debris and damage, clearing the broken windows and opening up their shops and young men and women hurrying to work, although their trains might have been held up by the line having been bombed the night before. Above all was the experience of seeing the people carrying on, as usual. But not quite as usual. They had just a little added zest. vim. and determination to do more than they had ever done before. That was the mood of England through the long winter months. Russia’s Resistance "Spring came’ The situation improved. The raids became less frequent but more terrible. There were less of them, but they were on a greater scale. Then came the new treachery of Hitler, when he turned against the man with whom he had

most recently signed a treaty of friend* ship. Without a word of warning,- hi attacked Russia. The tenacious Rus* sian resistance had shown again how impossible it is, even with- all thl equipment modern science can give to ' an army, to crush the heart of a great people (applause). All through this summer, that resistance has heartened our people. And there is the know* ledge that Hitler now has to confess to so many failures—his failure to defeat us by invasion, his failure to break ■ our spirit by night bombing, his failure to defeat Russia, and, above all, his failure to implement that most dangerous weapon of all kinds, the weapon - of starvation and of blockade, which he sought to do by sinking our ships in the Atlantic and cutting- off:oi|r . supplies. That attempt has been a failure, perhaps never more mig. nificently than when in the summer the Prime Minister, the most precious . Hfem the Empire to-day, sailed across : the Atlantic in our latest and best 1 battleship to meet the President of the United States. s. Over-Gonfldence Deprecated ! ‘ [ “These have been great victories. When I left England on August «, I felt that the mood of our people wis almost too high, almost too confident, as it is apt to be owing to their know* ledge of their own capabilities, and I would have warned them then that we must not believe that three, lour, five, six, or seven victories are going to mean the end of the war. For II months or more, I was Minister for Information, and In that capacity I coftsidered it my duty to keep my flngef , as close as I could to the pulse of flic people and to regulate to some exteht their feelings and their emotions—in the darkest days to give encourage*ment and in the brightest days to strike , a note of caution. “Now as much as ever I would say to any British audience do not bellevi , that the war is over. , Do not believe that the battle is won. It still need* the exertions of everyone of usd. W« are supremely grateful fortheeffoa New Zealand has made in this We recognise that the adoption of cgjV> „ scription in New Zealand is a treniE? T/ dous asset to the battle. It shows you people < here have realised v that everyone had to do his and her utmost in the task. Women in this war, played a bigger part than ever before: in the history of mankind, ,v because *s; war grows more scientific *ao mtioh' more do the capacities of women pli® their part. At Home now, there M hardly, a woman who is not doing herj , bit in the war effort. There are ex* ceptions, as there are of men. There are always a few who do discredit to" .the many. We at Home ,have/beett,M grateful to the wbmen of New Zealand for packing parcels for the troops a?d Sed Cross. There are many thou* of ways in which women, can help in this war effort. .Each of. us should ask every day: ‘Are we doing our utmost to contribute! to toe, victory?’ • ’ft“Although I believe toe cannot 1016, 1 and I know that ,I could not hvfc.to; see defeat, Ido feel- that the’ war .Will; - be very. long. The longer It is/ uto worse it will be for all of .us and dor everyone in the whole world. Our forces should be directed towards vie* vtory. I believe they are doing that, < but since leaving Europe. I .have realised the difficulty of appreciating fully the urgency of the conflict and the immensity of the stake at issue. As a traveller abroad, I feel each day ■■ an amazing impulse, and 1 impress it on you, to double the efforts for the culmination of victory. These are days of decision for the future Of the human race. Let us spare no time or . effort to serve the country we love and the Empire we are proud to belong to and the world in which to# live.’’ ■ :