The Bay Of Plenty Beacon. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th, 1940. COURAGE BROTHER . . .

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 178, 26 June 1940, Page 4

The Bay Of Plenty Beacon. Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th, 1940. COURAGE BROTHER . . .

GLOOM, depression, uncertainly, fear . - these are. the seeds of the spirit of defeatism which however foriegn to the British nature have the habit of taking root and casting a pale chilly shadow over public opinion. The unwelcome element exists even in our own small community and Whakatane a thousand times distant from the danger zone has its own crop of prophets of calamity. But this is no time to cry 'cave!' Admittedly the Old Lion of England is now fighting a lone battle, but this is nothing new! She: has won through in the past and every Britisher cherishes the conviction that she will do so again, come what will, come what may- With the Motherland, stands shoulder-square the Lion cubs of Empire and if our destiny is to fight for freedom 'in a world of bondage then our calling is a proud and lofty one. What we want today is more of the medicine that gave to the world the interpretation of "Hearts of Oak" and "Boys of the Bulldog Breed". We shall not be intimidated even if the whole world be against us. The call is to action and with fearlessness and determination we as Britishers will meet it, bequeathing to our children's children, the same glorious traditions which have been handed down to us from our freedom-loving ancesters There is no room for despondency while there is a task to do. Long faces and dismal prophesies will not help the situation which will put Old England to the test as she has never been tested before. Therefore who are we to foresee calamity? No, the Empire which has been founded on freedom, emancipation and tolerance is far from being overcome. Our navy, remains paramount in the world today and carries with it the spirit of Jellicoe, Beatty, Nelson, Blake Collingwood, Brake and a dozen others back to the time of its foundation by Alfred the Great. Our Air Force, manned and controlled by the cream of the nation's youth has proved itself superior to any opponent worthy of its mettle. The fighting land forces, numbering 4,000,000 in the Old Country alone have been twice sold by treachery, on the continent and twice have been miraculously delivered. Not since the time of William the Conquereror have British troops fought the invaders on that native soil and. the leader of Nazi Germany if he still cherishes the hope of repeating 1066 can be assured of a grim reception. The time for gloom is far from us; fear is an essence foreign to our nature and defeatists in our midst must be shown no quarter. We will win, we must win! Though the imposing array of our enemies appears to be overwhelming, yet our faith in the final victory and the triumph over might must never waver. Misgivings are inevitable, but never open talk of defeat, for every Englishman knows that as surely as the sun rises the day will dawn when the forces of militarism and brutality will be overcome a,nd banished from the earth for all time. The fact that it is our own people who have been entrusted with the task is no small privilege in itself.