NATIONAL SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 July 1939, Page 6

NATIONAL SERVICE

FINE RESPONSE IN BRITAIN APPRECIATION EXPRESSED BY THE KING. ENROLMENT OF VOLUNTEERS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright, (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, July 2. Broadcasting' an appeal to citizens to join the National. Service organisations, the Prime Minister (Mr N. Chamberlain), read a message from the King:— “It gave great pleasure to the Queen and myself to witness the Hyde Park march past of National Service volunteers. It was a most impressive demonstration of the spirit of (service which is everywhere present in the nation today, and which shows itself in a determination to make the country ready to meet any emergency, whatever sacrifices and inconveniences are entailed. Our civil 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 and want also to express appreciation of the attitude of wives, who are giving up so much of their home life to let their husbands spend their evenings in national service. I feel sure the volunteers, whether men or women, will feel rewarded by the consciousness that they are helping to keep the country strong and safe.” His Majesty referred also to the prompt and cheerful response of the new militia reservists and Territorials and added: “You know all our preparations are designed not to provoke war, but to preserve peace. We still preserve the hope that the nations may learn to live together 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 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 a million and a quarter 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,” Mr Chamberlain said: “We are ourselves a peaceful nation and desire no quarrels with anyone, but let no one make the mistake of supposing we are not ready to throw our whole strength into the scale, if need be, to resist aggression, whether against ourselves or against those whose independence we are undertaking to defend.”