BRITISH VICTORY CERTAIN

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 110, 3 February 1941, Page 8

BRITISH VICTORY CERTAIN

Prime Minister Tells Bombed Port OVATION FOR U.S.A. Day Of Test Approaching-, Says First Lord (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, January 31. The Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, with Mrs. Churchill today toured the bombed area of Southampton. In an address to the city council the Premier, speaking of the way in which the tables have been turned on Italy, said that instead of marching on in triumph to Athens and Cairo the Italians were now forced to bring Germany to rescue and rule them. “We shall come through,” Mr. Churchill declared. “We cannot tell when or how, but that we shall come through none of us have any doubts whatever.” Mr. Roosevelt’s personal representative in Britain, Mr. Hany Hopkins, accompanied Mr. Churchill, who called out, “Three cheers for the President of the United States!” The response to the appeal was deafening. After inspecting representatives of tlie various civil defence services, Mr. Churchill visited the civil centre and a dockyard, and made a rapid tour of the town. He was received everywhere with tremendous enthusiasm. In a visit to Portsmouth lasting three hours, the Prime Minister inspected the dockyards and saw bomb damage in the city. Throughout the dockyards he was cheered by the crowds. There were shouts of “Are we downhearted?” answered with a terrific “No!” in which Mr. Churchill joined. At the end of the tour, Mr. Churchill congratulated the Lord Mayor and members of the council on the manner in which Portsmouth was standing up to the enemy’s onslaughts. Conquer or Perish. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Alexander, speaking at a Press conference today, said that what Britain had already accomplished had given us our chance to win. He said our heaviest task and severest testing time lay ahead. Inevitably, the day must draw nearer when the full weight of the mightiest military machine the world had ever known would be hurled against us. We would have to meet the onslaught single-handed, said the Minister, and we must conquer or perish. Having realized the nature of the crisis that lay ahead, there was no need to quail. The greatest and the grandest hour in our history was approaching. We would rise to it. One of the greatest contributions made to the British Commonwealth under Mr. Churchill’s leadership, said Mr. Alexander, was the drawing together of Britain and the United States. While engaged in the one war aim, we should look to the future. It must not happen again, as after the last war, that, promises made and hopes held out were never fulfilled.