PUBLIC SPIRIT ADMIRED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 2, 3 July 1939, Page 10

PUBLIC SPIRIT ADMIRED

MESSAGE BY THE KING

KEEPING THE COUNTRY STRONG AND SAFE

(Received July 3, 2.20 p.m.)

LONDON, July 2.

The Prime Minister, broadcasting an appeal to citizens to join the national service organisations, read a message from the King as follows:—

"It gave great pleasure to the Queen and myself to witness the march-past in Hyde, Park of national service volunteers. It was a most impressive de^ monstration of the spirit of service which is everywhere present in the nation today, and which shows-itself in the determination to make the country ready to meet any emergency, whatever sacrifices and inconveniences are entailed.

"Our civic defence force is now established. The call has been answered and the volunteers are already at work. I want them to know how much I admire their public spirit. I want also to express my' appreciation to wives who are giving up much of their home life to; let their husbands spend evenings in,the national service. I feel sure that the volunteers, whether men or women, feel rewarded by their consciousness. They are helping to keep the country strong and safe."

His Majesty referred' also to ■ the prompt and cheerful response by the new militia reservists and Territorials. "You know that all our preparations are designed not to provoke war but to preserve peace," he said. "We still preserve the hope that the nations may learn to live together in fellowship and harmony, but in the meantime we are resolved to leave nothing undone to maintain the country's security."

Mr. Chamberlain confined his own remarks to national service. -He said that the civil population was how in the front line. It was the. duty of every citizen to help in defence of the home front. A million and a quarter volunteers had been added to the defence forces in a few months. The spirit shown was beyond all praise. "We are living in critical-and dangerous times," said Mr. Chamberlain. "We are ourselves a peaceful nation and desire no quarrels with anyone, but let no one make the mistake of supposing that we are not ready to throw our whole strength into the scale, if need be, to i-esist aggression, whether it is against ourselves.or against those whose independence we have undertaken to defend."