RESOLUTE AND READY

Southland Times, Issue 24230, 13 September 1940, Page 6

RESOLUTE AND READY

Spirit Of People

In Britain

MR CHURCHILL WORSHIPPED

The courage and resolution with which the British people are facing the threat to Britain and the fine response they are making to the calls for service are described by Mr Alex Lindsay in a letter to his parents in Invercargill. Mr Lindsay is studying music in London and recently gained the diploma of Associate of the Royal College of Music. No matter what was to come the British people would face it with courage and optimism, wrote Mr Lindsay. One night a member of Parliament would appeal over the air for aluminium and the next day the salvage centres would be inundated with pots and pans. It was the same with everything. England needed no fascists to order the people to join this and that—it said a lot for democracy that plain asking was enough. “The people worship Mr Winston Churchill, and with the working class getting good wages for their long hours in munitions factories there is practically complete unity,” he says. “No matter how many times a day the Germans may come over and bomb us we all have such absolute confidence in our Air Force that it isn’t going to make the slightest difference. If the enemy did attempt an invasion and landed troops he would certainly get a warm welcome. There are parachute patrols all over the countryside, which teems with soldiers. We have had to leave our beds several times. However, I have not felt at all scared—just annoyed.” Only once was the grim reality of the war really brought home to him, said Mr Lindsay. A very cheerful sergeant of the Grenadier Guards acted as doorman at the college and was a good friend of all the students. A month or two after the outbreak of war he was called up and they saw him just before the evacuation of the troops from France when he came home on leave to be married. After the return of the Guards to England they were told that he had died, a hero, during the defence of Calais. They were all deeply shocked. Only two of his battalion got away.