UPHOLDING HIGH TRADITIONS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21784, 14 October 1940, Page 7

UPHOLDING HIGH TRADITIONS

Navy Meeting Heavy Strain Splendid War Record British Official Wireless (Received October 13, 7.50 p.m.) RUGBY, October 12. The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr A. V. Alexander), speaking at Manchester inaugurating the local war weapons week, said he was proud to be the political head of the war work of the Navy. Its task had been greatly increased and complicated by the loss of the French Navy and valuable French base positions, which had made it far easier for the enemy to conduct the U-boat campaign. The whole of the convoy and escort work consequently fell on our ships alone. They had also to contain the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean. That was a situation never reckoned with, but the strain had been met. The menace if the magnetic mine had been faced and overcome. Great convoys carrying food, raw materials, arms and men from the dominions and reinforcements to our garrisons overseas sailed and arrived with clockwork regularity. Demands for special service came from the Army and Air Force and those charged with safeguarding our shores from invasion. That had to be done with forces far fewer than our naval staff could wish to have, but it had been done “and every time you eat you ought to say thank you. Now I am glad to say, a stream of new ships is coming steadily to hand from the yards. What is the state of the war? I am continually asked if I think we can win, though less often now. A great many problems have to be overcome and a great many dangers faced. There may be many new fields to be entered. Suffering and tribulations are certain, but I see the situation in sharp contrast to those nights in early June when it was touch and go if we lost the whole of the British Expeditionary Force or not, when even friendly observers doubted our ability to stand the strain. But, contrary to the gloomy anticipation and fears of those days, the battle of Britain is not proceeding according to Hitler’s plan and, given a continuance of unity, endurance and pressing forward to the high aim we have set ourselves we cannot be beaten.”