A YEAR Of WAR—1941

Evening Star, Issue 24082, 31 December 1941, Page 3

A YEAR Of WAR—I94I

The year began with Wavell s army sweeping across Libya and Cyrenaica. Bardia, Tobruk, Benghazi were victories that followed in quick succession. By April 5 Berbers (East Somaliland), Asmara (Eritrea), and Addis Ababa (Abyssinia) had been captured. On March 1 Bulgaria joined the Axis. A German invasion of Yugoslavia, begun on April 5, was quickly successful, thanks to heavier enuipment, and Imperial, Australian, and* New Zealand troops who landed in Greece were forced to tall back and withdraw from southern ports. British and New Zealanders landed in Crete were ejected by German parachute landings, thenpositions being made untenable by lack of fighter aeroplanes and artillery. 'I he North African army was weakened to supply these and the Greek forces, and had to fall back later before a German counteroffensive. On March IX the United States of America passed the Lease and Lend Bill, described by Mr Churchill as “ the most unsordid act in the whole of recorded history,” .and pledged itself to all aid for Britain short of. war. - On April 8 the British took Massawa. On April'ls it was announced that Japan had’ made a treaty of non-aggression with Russia. „ , ■ At the beginning of May there was trouble in Iraq, where a pro-Axis usurper expelled the Government and British cantonments were fired on. Prompt Butish action restored the situation. . On ,May 24, H.M.S. Hood. Britain s largest battleship, was sunk, and on May £1 the Bismarck. Germany’s most powerful battleship. . . . Early in June German infiltration ot Syria with Vichy’s complicity, required a five-week campaign by British and Fi ee •French, as the result of which an independent Syrian Government was set up. On June 22 Germany declared war on Russia, prefacing the declaration by bombardment of a number of Russian towns. Rumania and Finland allied themselves with . Germany. An offensive was begun on a 1,500-miles front. ... On July 12 Britain and Russia signed an agreement for mutual war assistance and against the conclusion of a separate peace. To check German infiltration, British troops entered Iran from the south amt Russian troops from the north on August 24. The Shah resigned, and was succeeded July 0 26 the Vichy Government signed an agreement allowing Japan naval and other bases in Indo-China. America and Britain retaliated by freezing Japanese credits in the United States of America, and Britain notified the severing of trade relations. . v . On September 21 the Germans took Kiev, on October 16 the Rumanians and Germans took Odessa, and on October 29 Kharkoff, the “ Birmingham of Russia,” was occupied. On November 13 America revised the Neutrality Act to allow the arming o. merchantmen and their voyage to ports of destination in (he war zones. On November 15 the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, after many false reports, was torpedoed and sunk with one casualty. On Nc-vember 19 a general advance was begun by the British troops in Cyrenaica. On November 23 Bardia was retaken, and on December 25, Benghazi. From December 1 Russian news took a more hopeful cast. The Germans were re- • ported to have been ejected from Rostov and in retreat along the Sea of Azov and south of Moscow. As the retreat developed it was'revealed as Germany’s first military reverse and a major one. . On December 6 Great Britain proclaimed a state of war against Finland, Rumania, and Hungary. On December 7, while Japanese envoys were still conferring with the Government in Washington, Japanese air squadrons launched an attack on Pearl Harbour, doing heavy damage, and Japanese forces attacked Hongkong, Malaya, Thailand, Guam, the Philippines, . ; and.-: Walje Island.. The Thailand Government agreed -after five hours’ fighting to allow a passage through its country. Penang was evacuated, and on December 24 Hongkong fell. On. December 11 it was reported tbat the new battleship Prince of Wales and . the battle cruiser Repulse had been sunk in naval operations off Malaya. On December 23 it was- announced from London that Mr Churchill had gone (by air) to Washington to discuss the creation of a Supreme Allied War Council to direct and co-ordinate strategy c-n every front and at sea. The Australian Government was defeated on October 4, and Mr Curtin (Labour) became Prime Minister. NEW ZEALAND. Sir Cyril Newa-11 arrived to take up his duties as Governor-General of New Zealand on February 2. At the municipal elections on May 17 Mr A. H. Allen was returned again as mayor. Labour lost scats on all the local bodies, and throughout the other chief cities polls resulted in a heavy setback to Labour tickets. . Jit a by-election (July 19) for Waitemata caused by the death of Captain W. J. Lyon at the front, the Nationalist Party did not put forward a candidate, and in a field of four Mrs M. M. Drearer (Government) was elected by 420 votes. Mr M. Douglas, candidate of the Democratic Labour Party, was third with 908 votes. A by-election, held on December 13, for Bay of Plenty, required by the death on active service of Lieutenant A. G. Hultquist, was -won by Mr W. Sullivan (National), with a majority of 1,593 votes over the Government candidate!. The House sat for eighteen weeks of the year. No additional taxation was imposed. An amendment to the Social Security Act provided for general medical services (begun on November 1), with a fixed rate for consultations to be paid out of the fund. If the doctor did not wish to deal with the Social Security Department the patient might pay direct and recover the fee fixed. Doctors were allowed to fix fees in other cases by mutual consent, but not to sue. The General Elections were postponed for a year. A Rehabilitation Act and Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act were passed. THE YEAR’S DEATH LIST! The year has taken its toil of famous and familiar personalities. Those of Royal blood who have passed away include ex-King Alfonso of Spain, the ex-Kaiser, and Prajadhipok, ex-King of Siam. Among statesmen who have departed were Count Csaky, Foreign Minister of- Hungary; General Metaxas, Prime Minister of Greece; Lord Lloyd, Secretary for the Colonies; M. Titulesco, ex-Foreign Minister of Rumania; M. Corisis, Greek Prime Minister; Lord Parmoor; Lord Willingdon, ex-Viceroy of India; Lord Stonehaven, ex-Governor-General of Australia; and Mr J. C. Watson, first Labour Prime Minister of Australia. Authors who are no more include Countess Elizabeth Russell, Miss Virginia Woolf, Mr John Oxenham. Sir Hugh Walpole, Mr James Joyce, Mr A. B. (“ Banjo ”) Paterson, Sir Rabindranath Tagore, Dr H. W. Nevison, and Mr P. C. Wren. Other obituaries of the year have been Henri Bergson (French philosopher), Sir Frederick Banting (discoverer of insulin), Lord Stamp (economist), Lord Auckland (naval architect), lord Austin (motor manufacturer), Mr Ignace Jan Paderewski (pianist), Sir Hamilton Harty (musical conductor), and Sir Walford Davies (musical conductor), Amy Johnson (airwoman), Lord BadenPowell (Chief Scout), Sir John Lavery, Sir William Llewelyn, and Sir John Longstaff (artists), Lord Wakefield, Rt. Rev. Cecil Wilson (Bishop of Banbury and former Bishop of Melanesia), Archbishop Head (Melbourne), Lord Cadman (oil magnate), Sir Arthur Evans (arohasologisf), Lord Rennell. Mr Julius Knight (actor), and Mr Hugh J. Ward (theatrical manager), Mr Tom Mann (Labour leader). New Zealanders and persons associated with New Zealand who have passed away include Lord Liverpool (former GovernorGeneral), Sir Janies Parr (ex-High Commissioner), Mr David Jones (ex-Minister of Agriculture), Sir Charles Luke, M.L.C., Bri-gadier-general Andrew, Mr Thomas Mark (Public Service Commissioner), Sir George

Shirtcliffe, Mr P. D. Hoskins (New Zealand president Society of St. Vincent do Paul), Sir George Troup (ex-Mayor of Wellington), Mr P. Selig (ex-president New Zealand Trotting Association), Mr Wyvern Wilson and Mr F. W. Platts (ex S.M.s), Mr S. G. August (poet), Lieutenant A. G. Hultquist (M.P. for Bay of Plenty, killed on active service), Lieutenant-colonel J. M. Alien (M.P. for Hanraki, killed in Libya), Major A. N. Grigg (M.P. for Ashburton, killed in'Libya), Captain W J. Lyon (M.P. for Waitemata, killed on active service), Hon. .1. Alexander, M.L.C., Mr R. W. Hawke, Mr C. H. Clinkard, Mr A. E. Glover, and Mr G. Witty (exM.P.s), and Mr T. D. Burnett (M.P. for Terauka). Belonging to or particularly associaled with Dunedin were Mr G. A. Lewin, Mr John Loudon, Mr James Coombs, Mr R. H. Price, Mr J. H. Fisher (Tasmanian Trade Commissioner), Mr James Rodger, Mr \V. F, Edmond, Mr R. J. Barrett, Mr W. B. Steel, Mr N. K. Sligo, Mr W. A. Judge, Mr F. E. L. Forrester, Mr Peter MeSkimming and Mr A. E. Anselt (ex-M.P.s), Mr R. D. Poison, Mr J. C. AVillis (ex-Snperintendent of Police), Mr W. Allen Bollard and Mr A. H. O’Keefe (artists), Mr Frank W. Mitchell, Mr C. C. Cox, Mr Duncan McLennan, Monsignor Morkane, Arch deacon Neild, Rev. A. Wingfield, Rev. I. Sarginson, Mr P. J. Priest, Mr Robert Brim ton, Mr F. G, Gumming, Mr Kennetli Cameron, Mr W. A. Scott, Mr J. A. Johnston, Mr Ralph Harrison, Professor A. R. Andrew, Mr T. VKane, and Mr R. J. Bennell. Associated with Otago were Mr C. C. Sanders (exMayor of Cromwell), Mr Robert Templeton (Waikouaili), and Mr Patrick Kinney (Clyde).