“Snowball of Empire Effort Will Crush Nazis”

Northern Advocate, 30 November 1939, Page 6

“Snowball of Empire Effort Will Crush Nazis”

(Received 2 p.m.) RUGBY, November 29,

Field-Marshal Lord Milne, who for seven years prior to 1933, was Chief of the Imperial General Staff, in a speech on the Address-to-the-Throne in the House of Lords, declared that the great snowball of national effort of the British Empire and its military efficiency was gradually but steadily gaining weight and, if properly directed, would crush to pieces the German menace. This confident prediction followed a survey of the ideals which had inspired Britain’s war effort. Scene at Coronation. Lord Milne retailed the unforgettable scene in 'Westminster Abbey at the Coronation when, in front of His Majesty was carried the Sword of Mercy, flanked on either side by drawn Swords of Temporal and Spiritual Justice.

Those emblems stood for something real and tangible, for the dominating belief of this nation in the quality, of mercy as in the fixed resolution that every man should be accorded justice in things spiritual as well as temporal. Again at Stake.

Those were the ideals for which this nation had drawn swords today, and, if they had not drawn their swords on this occasion, the swords of pageantry would have been empty baubles of no meaning.

Freedom and liberty which we had fought for before, were again at stake. As a soldier of 55 years’ service, under five Sovereigns, nothing had caused greater admiration to him fnan the attitude of the country in the present crisis.