DEFENCE CALL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19979, 3 July 1939, Page 6

DEFENCE CALL

BRITISH SERVICE CIVILIANS’ TASK RALLY BY VOLUNTEERS ROYAL APPRECIATION CH AMBER GAIN’S WARNIN' G “LET NO ONE MISTAKE" (F.ioc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. July 3. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON. July 2. The Prime Minister. -Mr. Neville Chamberlain, -broadcasting an appeal to citizens to join the national service organisations, read a message from the King as follows: “ft gave great pleasure to the Queen and myself to witness the Hyde Park march past of the national service volunteers. It was a most impressive demonstration of the spirit of service which is everywhere present in the nation to-day and -which shows itself in the determination to make the country ready to meet any eineigcney whatever sacrifices and inconveniences

are entailed. -Our civil defence force is now established. The call has been answered and volunteers already are at work. I want thorn to know how much I admire their public spirit and want also to express appreciation of the conduct of wives who are giving up much of their home life to let their husbands spend their evenings in the national service. Cheerful Response “I feel sure that the volunteers, whether men or women, feel rewarded by the consciousness that they are helping to keep the -country strong and safe.” I His Majesty referred also to the prompt and -cheerful response of the new militia reservists and the teiritorials, and added: “You know that all of our preparations are designed, not to provoke war, but to preserve peace. We still preserve the hope that the nations may learn to live togcthci in fellowship and harmony, but 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 now in the -front line. It was the duty of every citizen to help in the defence of the home front.

Volunteers numbering 1.250,000 had been added to the defence forces in a few months, and the spirit shown was beyond all praise. “We are living in- critical and dangerous times,” continued 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 Ibe to resist aggression, whether against ourselves or against those whose independence we are -undertaking to defend.”