The Editor’s Saturday Night

Northern Advocate, 2 December 1939, Page 6

The Editor’s Saturday Night

The week has been productive of horrible conduct on the part of a Great Power afainst a small and comparatively unprepared nation. Russia, as it was feared would happen, has invaded Finland, and, by means of heavy artillery and bombing planes, wrought havoc in open cities, particularly Helsingfors, the Finnish capi--1 tal, which is in flames. 1 In the opening days of the week | there were ominous signs that Russia, \ following the methods Germany [ adopted towards Poland, was about strike Finland. £ Events then began to move with \ dramatic rapidity. f When Finland suggested further negotiation to settle the points in dis- • pute between the two countries, Rus?sia replied by denouncing the non- | aggression pact into which she and ‘Finland had entered. This was fol- | lowed immediately by the Soviet \ breaking off diplomatic relations and | invading the territory of the Finns. | The cabled story of the murderous | bombing that has taken place has | horrified the world. Finland is reported to be making a valiant stand, t but there is reason to believe reports 4of a request for an armistice. The 'world awaits developments, which ' | may be of a sensational character so i • far as the general war position is con--1 cerned.

The week’s happenings at sea have made reading that has stirred the hearts of British people. An armed merchantman, the Rawalpindi, a P. and O. liner which was converted into a cruiser at the outbreak of war, was attacked by the German pocket battleship Deutschland, off the coast of Iceland, and, after a gallant fight, reminiscent of the epic battle which Grenville fought off the Azores, was sunk. The deathroll is 38 officers and 226 ratings. In the face of overwhelming odds, the Rawalpindi put up a fight, the story of which will

never be forgotten. British airmen have made history during the week. Outstanding among their exploits was the raiding of the German seaplane base at the island of Borkum. This was eminently successful.

The sowing of magnetic mines, which aroused worldwide expressions of horror, do not seem to have stopped British and neutral shipping as Germany hoped; on the contrary, counter-methods have proved effective to a large extent, and the future is regarded with confidence. That Britain is determined to be ready for all eventualities may be gathered from the fact that "be is calling up another quarter-million men.