Vital Importance Of Seapower, Ships To Britain

Northern Advocate, 1 August 1940, Page 5

Vital Importance Of Seapower, Ships To Britain

[British Official Wireless] (Received noon.)

RUGBY, July 31

The Minister for Shipping (Mr R. H. Cross), broadcasting to the Empire, spoke of the vital importance to Britain of her seapower and shipping.

He said that nearly all the materials essential for Britain’s war effort came from overseas, and that, though these materials could no longer be fetched from Scandinavia, the Baltic, the Low Countries or France, it is possible to get them from the Dominions, the colonies, and from North and South America.

Dominion Troop Transport

Referring to the transport of Dominion and colonial troops to and from all corners of the Empire, Mr Cross said that movement had taken place of:

“Canadian troops from Canada to Britain, Iceland and the West Indies. “Newfoundland men to Britain for the Army and Navy, and for log cutting.

“Australian and New Zealand troops to the Middle East and Britain.

“South Africans to East Africa and Egypt. “Indian troops to East Africa, Egypt and Britain.

“Gold Coast and Nigerian troops to East Africa.

“Palestinian and Cypriot trqops to France and Britain. Not One Life Lest.

“Moreover,” he said, “troops from this country have been moved to Bermuda, Jamaica, Iceland, St. Helena, India. Ceylon. Singapore, Hongkong, Egypt, East Africa Mauritius, Malta Gibraltar, Cyprus, Palestine, Aden, the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Nigeria." In these movements many types of passenger ships had to be used, the Minister added, and in all of these operations not one ship or life had been lost through enemy action.