MR. CHURCHILL’S BIRTHDAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1940, Page 8

MR. CHURCHILL’S BIRTHDAY

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES. [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.] , RUGBY, November 30. It is understood that the Prime Minister (Mr. Churchill) spent his sixty-sixth birthday to-day at work, but he hoped during the week-end to attend a small family gathering, of which the youngest member will be his grandson, seven-weeks-old Winston Churchill, son of Mr. Rahdolph Churchill. Congratulatory messages poured in to No. 10 Downing Street this morning from all parts of Britain and the Empire. ATHENS DINNER LONDON, November 30. The King of Greece, General Metaxas, Sir H. Palairet and M. Papagos attended a dinner to celebrate Mr. Churchill’s birthday, and British and Greek pilots were also present. NEW ZEALAND GREETINGS. AUCKLAND, December 1. Tribute to the Prime (Minister of England, Mr. Winston Churchill, on his sixty-sixth birthday was paid.on Saturday night at a public meeting in the Town Hall, from which cablegrams of greeting were sent to Mr. Churchill in Maori and English. Special arrangements enabled replies from Mr. Churchill to be received and read before the meeting ended.

At 9 p.m. a telegraph messenger was conducted to the platform and delivered two replies from Mr. Churchill. The cablegram to the citizens was in the following terms: “Pray convey to the people of Auckland my warm thanks for their message on my birthday. The future of the whole world depends upon our victory, and if we all stand together in loyalty and courage, I feel sure it will be won.” Mr. Churchill’s reply to the message from the Maori people was as follows: —“My warmest thanks to people of the Maori race. I am touched and honoured by the kindness and encouragement of the message they have sent me on my birthday from their far-off island home. I also saw, a few weeks ago, splendid Maori soldiers marching past on English soil and eagerly awaiting a chance to strike at the invader, should he dare to come. The Treaty of Waitangi shows that justice and peace can be made‘to reign under the flag of freedom.” The reading of the cablegrams was received with loud applause.