TO-DAY YOU WORK!

Camp News (Northern Command), Volume 1, Issue 17, 23 August 1940, Page 2

TO-DAY YOU WORK!

BE GLAD— BE GLAD—because in this r because you / way you are have the helping to chance to bring victory. work. Twenty-five years ago the people of this country were undergoing a similar ordeal to that of to-day. Many of you will remember the exact facts. . Some of you were not born; others have forgotten. But in-1915 you or your parents were feeling very much the same as we are to-day. s Let us examine the major, events that were in progress then—and the temper of the people. . ' A ■ A * ... ❖ * * Britain, in 1915, was in a serious mood. There was no time for relaxing. Thousands of. wounded soldiers were landed in England. On May 8, 1915, the Lusitania was sunk. , A Here is a newspaper headline of that period: “KAISER’S WAR ON CHILDREN.” It is the same story to-day with a different cast. But the crimes in 1915 were nothing compared with the crimes prevailing in the World to-day. Britons in that year took no holidays. They rallied round the flag, steeled to the dangers that faced them. They were infuriated when they read this headline: “HUNS MURDER WOMEN IN ZEPPELIN RAID ON SOUTHEND.” ’'. The fighting spirit of Britain rose like a rocket. The wounded had reached heavy proportions. Helpers were required to nurse; them. ... . . In factories ; workers were toiling incessantly to produce the requirements of war. The idea of . holidays was not even contemplated. 1917 was a bad period for British shipping. . No fewer than forty-six merchant ships were sunk. \- There could be no relaxation. .Nobody wanted to relax. Britain was fighting more pugnaciously than at any earlier period in her history. The Huns were now conscious of our real, fighting strength. Every able-bodied person was, in some measure, making a contribution to the national effort. . " ’ . . The British Empire of old was prevailing. These days were perhaps the darkest of the whole war, but theywere greatthey were great in so far as they proved to the entire world that the British Empire was not merely a fair-weather sailor. We took the enemy’s punishment bravely, and withstood what many thought were knock-out blows. : > By 1918, we had the enemy’s measure. The peoples of the Empire were hardened to war. z There was still no time for relaxing. Everybody was ready to help to deliver the final blow that would knock out the Huns. At that time the Germans were as “resourceful” as they are to-day. Their barbaric leaders thought that they could demoralise the 1 people by bombing defenceless women and children. In 1918, however, they had the biggest thrashing in the air they had ever had. : . People in the street were saying: “There’s still no time for relaxing now, but there will be shortly. A? That’s now confident we were. We all know the end. We all know-how the Germans ran like rabbits back to their own territory. They will run again. And in the same direction That is our iron resolve in 1940. 7A!; If we are worthy of our race we will do as everybody did !=.E ™ even helps l mattcrs not how small our contribution, for every little The thing to remember is that the harder we hit the Hons the sooner we can relax and really enjoy life. M ’