BRITAIN’S PART.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1873, 5 September 1918, Page 3

BRITAIN’S PART.

WARM AMERICAN TRIBUTE. “SACRIFICE EVERYTHING BUT HONOUR.” A splendid tribute to the part of the British Empire in the war is published in Die San Francisco Call of 3rd August. Following is, in part, the summary ot our efforts: — Anniversaries are the pauses on the moutain side whence we may turn about and scan from the higher vantage point the road we have just passed over. On this day the British nation is making such a pause. Four years ago, on the 3rd day of August, Germany, having presented to Belgium her demand for the free passage of her troops across Belgian soil, made to Great Britain the cynical proposition not to use the Belgian coast for warlike purposes on the condition that Britain remained neutral in the war. The refusal of (he British Government to sell its national honour, and the indignant rejection of the German price, brought the AngloSaxons into the wav. To-day from Lands End to the Cape of Good Hope, from Halifax to Bombay, from Cairo (o Melbourne, the Union Jack is whipping the winds of every continent and every zone in observance of this day on which begins Great Britain’s fifth year of the war. On this day 400,000,000 people, who cdmitrise the British Empire, are renewing their pledge of four years ago to fight the common enemy until the crime of Belgium has been atoned, the Kaiser asks for peace on his bonded knee, or the German people remove from their own neck the yoke which dragged them into this war. It was England’s entrance’ into the conflict four years ago to-day which changed its character immediately from a European to a world struggle. It was England’s entrance into (lie condid four years ago to-day which instantly changed for the Kaiser what had up to that moment appeared as a short war and a certain victory into a long war and an equally certain defeat. Fully acquainted with the peaceloving character f (he British people, and the political difficulties which confront' any democracy when war clouds approach, the German general staff had counted upon British neutrality as a certainly, regardless of what it Had already planned to do in Belgium. When these calculations went l<- pot four years ago to-day, and the British ultimatum reaehed Berlin in reply to the Belgian coast proposal, the whole war wra ( h of the Teuton was instantly shifted from urn other cnmies to his An J ■■ Saxon cousin. Sima- that 'lay the British have never wavered, nor swerved one inch from their set purpose. Day by day as the war progressed the bulldog character of the British people him become more pronounced. Their losses did not daunt I hem. Their men, their treasure, their ships—they have sacrificed them with never so much as the twitch of a muscle. Each casualty list which has come, each shower of gold iliat has been blown away into the furnace of the v.ar, each slop that has gone down from a U-hoal shell or torpedo—has hut strengthened the will and (he determination of the people to win through. After dealing with the Zeppelin raids, Britain’s furnishing of money and munitions, and the splendid war work of her people, the article continues ;

“Guided hv liot high purpose, curryingl the Calvary for Belgium’s sake, Great Britain has closed her eyes (o her own losses. “Her greatest grief through the whole four years of this terrible struggle has been the questioning of her own high motives in this war, and the persistent effort which has been made to belittle her losses and decry her efforts. “Seven and one-half million soldiers have marched to the battle front since this day four years ago under the British flag, and of these one-third listed in the casualties. “The official ligures of the British War Office show that to dale more than 500,000 have been killed in bailie, as many more maimed cruelly for life, ami 1,500,000 either taken prisoners or injured more or less seriously. “Unprepared when war came, England faced the (ask of preparing for it. The colossal character of this job, which Unit nation has carried out, forms one of (he greatest of the siories of this war."