FIELD MARSHAL IN QUEST OF WORLD PEACE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23288, 24 June 1950, Page 6

FIELD MARSHAL IN QUEST OF WORLD PEACE

(P.A 1 WELLINGTON, June 23

“I come here not with any idea of warmongering—l am a bit like you. 1 have seen too much of wars. I have got too manv holes in tne to want to go to war again." said Field Marshal Sir William Slim. Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in a brief address to the annual conference of the N.Z.R.S.A. today.

“I want peace on terms, simple terms. I want peace on terms that I can live my life as an Englishman. If I cannot have peace on those terms I shall have the other thing. I am not afraid.”

Field Marshal Slim said flint the countries behind the “Iron Curtain" were ■nit to eomrriitvse the world because they did not believe that a Communist State could r, xi.s! side bv side with other countries The British Empire, he said, would never start an aggressive war. The nn’v people who did that were dictators.’fanatics and criminal lunatics. Best Insurance

On the o'hw «dde of the “Iron Curtain" thev had the first two. He did lot know about the third, but he was a bit suspicious.

Defence, he said, was the best wav lo ensure peace and the first to be ready should be the British Empire, the greatest force tor peace in the world today. T am not out her? to rush, people to wars, but to slop war bv getting the peonies of the British Empire together.” continued Field Marsha! - Slim, ‘but if 'he oocw'on crises we wMI know what to do and have good and firm leadership from our leaders." Ha said that New Zealanders whom he met during the Gallipoli campaign were some of tb- finest soldiers he had ever ' known. Unfortunately in the •Second World War he had been sta tinned in a part of the world where they did not let New Zealanders serve. “I asked for you.' he said, “but l asked for a lot I did not get.”