Churchill’s Tribute to Good Old London

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 110, 11 May 1945, Page 5

Churchill’s Tribute to Good Old London

Received Friday, 1.10 a.m. (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Cooyright.) LONDON, May 10. Mr. Churchill, after his tumultous reception in Whitehall last night spoke to Londoners from a Whitehall balcony—unofficially unrehearsed, free from all ceremony and straight from his heart, says the Evening Standard. The Prime Minister amid roars of cheering said: “My dear friends, I hope you have had two happy days. By discipline, morale, industry, good laws and fair institut ions—by those means we have won through to happy days for millions of people. You have been attacked by a monstrous enemy but you never flinched nor wavered. Your soldiers were everywhere in the field and your airmen in the skies. And never let us forget our grand 'Navy. They dared and did all those feats of adventure and audacity which have ever enabled brave men to wrest victory from obstinate and bestial circumstances. “You people at home have taken ail you had to take—which was enough when all is said and done. You never let down the men at the front. No one ever asked for peace because London was suffering, London like the greatrhinoceros and the great hippopotamus saying: ‘Let them do their worst. London can take it.’ “London could take anything! My heart goes out to the Cockneys. Any visitors we may happen to have here to-day—and many great nations are represented here- in all those who have borne arms with us in the strugglewill echo what I say when I say: ‘Good old London!’ ” In every capital of the victorious world there are rejoicings, but in none is there any lack of respect for the part which London played. “I return my hearty thanks to you for never having failed in the lone monotonous days and in the long nights as black as hell. God bless you all. May you long remain citizens of this great and splendid city. You may long remain as the heart of the British Em pire.’* Mr. Churchill, as he ended, almost broke down, but all night long he was gay.