GOOD QUALITIES OF BRITISH

Southland Times, Issue 25669, 11 May 1945, Page 4

GOOD QUALITIES OF BRITISH

ABILITY TO OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES It was characteristic of the British people that they were always at their best when they were facing apparently insurmountable difficulties. Many had been the disappointments they had had to face during the early years of the war, said Mr W. Bell, president of the Invercargill R.S.A., when speaking at the thanksgiving service in the Civic Theatre last night. “We have only to think of North Africa, of the victories and the retreats,” Mr Bell said. “Many of the home critics deplored the fact that there were no Rommels in the British Army. Once our men were fully equipped, we discovered that we had several Rommels much better than the one possessed by our enemies. We, in this Dominion, naturally had a special interest in the Bth Army as our men from this country formed part of that great fighting machine. Although perhaps their numbers were small, they proved to be equal to the best, and many are the compliments that have been paid to our men for their great fighting qualities. It was important to remember what had been’ accomplished on the home front in Britain, Mr Bell said. While New Zealanders had been living in the lap of luxury, the people in Britain had been passing through great tribulation. There had been more than 100,000 casualties, many of them women and children. More than 60,000 had been killed. It was impossible to realize the part that these people had played to bring about the position we were in today. Women and children had been ma-chine-gunned in the streets by German airmen. Children had been slaughtered in the schools. All this had ben done in an attempt to break the spirit of the British people, but theix - spirit had not been broken. If they had not stood fast, all the heroism displayed by our fighting men would not have, won the war.