UPS & DOWNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 March 1942, Page 2

UPS & DOWNS

IN COURSE OF WAR DISCUSSED BY BRITISH PREMIER. DEFENCE OF CORPS OF OFFICERS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.5 a.m.) RUGBY, March 26. At the annual meeting of the Central Council of the Conservative and Unionist Associations in London, the Prime Minister (Mi- Churchill) said it was almost a year since he had addressed them. The country then had made its great recovery after the collapse of France, but perhaps they would remember that he had warned them that we could not have successes uncheckered by reverses. Since then we had had an almost unbroken series of military misfortunes, including the loss of Singapore, which had been the scene of the greatest disaster to the British Army. The Battle of the Atlantic, too, which had been turning markedly in cur favour for five or six months, had now for the time being, but only for the time being, worsened again. But as last year he had warned them that we could not expect success uncheckered by reverses, so now, in 1942, we need not expect reverses unrelieved by successes. Mr Churchill referred to the fact a year ago we were alone, but now three of the greatest nations in the world were sworn to us in close alliance. It now seemed very likely that we and cur Allies could not lose this war. After referring to the fact that we had succeeded, despite our difficulties, in preserving ou’r traditional free speech, Parliamentary government and free Press, Mr Churchill added that there was only one limit which must be respected and that was on propaganda to disturb the Army, which was now strong and solid, or to weaken the confidence of the country or the armed forces in the quality and character of our devoted corps of officers—Guard or Line, staff or regimental—to whom we all must look as leaders of audicious enterprise abroad and as an indispensable weapon against invasion at home.