DEFENCE OF BRITAIN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 160, 6 June 1940, Page 7

DEFENCE OF BRITAIN.

FORMATION OF “IRONSIDES.” PREPARATIONS SPEEDED TIP. LONDON, June 5. Mr Churchill's call “to de.fend our native soil to the death” has set a new and more urgent tein)io to Britain’s preparations. The authorities have announced the formation of “Ironsides,” small bodies of highly mobile and strongly armed, troops for home defence. It is ako announced that a total of 400,000 local defence volunteers have now been enrolled to co-operate with the “Ironsides” to guard against parachute troops and troop-carrying ’planes. Many hundreds of the Ironsides will be drawn from the Regular Army. Their main duty will be, firstly, to prevent small parties of the enemy landing by parachute and ’plane unobserved, and, secondly, to prevent' their assembling and check their mobility till decisive forces of mobile troops can wipe them out. j Lord Croft, speaking in the House of Lords, said that apart from conscription more than 3G0,000 volunteers had been recruited for the Army and an increasing number for national defence, enabling the regular soldiers to be relieved from guarding aerodromes and docks. PROTECTING IRELAND. The Lord Privy Seal (Mr C. ItAttlee) said the military authorities had been empowered to assume complete control of all civil defence authorities if necessary. He added that appropriate measures had been taken to, deal with any enemy attempt to order by radio the cease fire or tlie laving down of arms. , Mr Attlee declined to reveal plans for the defence of the western seaboard or discuss the possibility of an invasion of Eire. The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (Lord Craigavon) lias gone to London from Belfast to discuss defence matters. He announced that'he ,liad created a special all-party committee to advise the Government on further action to protect Northern Ireland. Prominent American organisations in Britain are equipping and ''maintaining a fleet , of ambulances and first-aid units. The American Ambassador, (Mr J. P. Kennedy) is honorary president of the organisation, to which the Minister of Health (Mr Malcolm MacDonald) has been appointed British liaison officer. Large contributions are pouring in from American banks and business men. S’cores of Americans are volunteering in any capacity.As a precautionary measure the quantities of live stock in SouthEastern England are being reduced and a proportion of the store animals is being transferred to other countries.