SUPREME PART

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 May 1943, Page 3

SUPREME PART

FOR BRITISH HOME GUARD IN EVENTS NOW TAKING SHAPE DEFENCE OF LION’S DEN. MR CHURCHILL'S ANNIVERSARY BROADCAST. LONDON, May 14. Tn a broadcast, address today from the White House in Washington, the British Prime Minister (Mr Churchill) made his contribution to the celebration of the third anniversary of the establishment of the British Home Guard. Mr Churchill spoke of the days when the members of the Home Guard assembled armed with shotguns and sporting rifles, and of the generous and timely gift by the United Slates of a million rifles and 1,000 field guns. He went on to trace the organisation and development of the Home Guard to its present strength of two million men. well trained and fully equipped. Some people, marking British mastery of the air, not only over the United Kingdom but over increasing zones of enemy territory, were asking, said Mr Churchill, whether the danger of invasion had not passed. The danger of invasion would never pass away until the enemy had been finally defeated. The Home Guard was organised to repel that danger and to deal, if necessary, with the most modern form of invasion—a mass attack by parachute troops. If the Germans attempted an airborne invasion of Britain they would find that they had not come down in a poultry run, a rabbit farm or a sheepfold, but in a lion’s den. “THESE ARE GREAT DAYS.” Observing that he was speaking from the White House, where he was staying with his honoured friend President Roosevelt, Mr Churchill said these were great days. They recalled the days of Lord Chatham, in which it was said that one had to get up very early in the morning to keep abreast of the news of victories. Victory, however, was not a conclusion. Even final victory would leave the United Nations faced by the need for further great endeavours. The Allied leaders had gathered together, Mr Churchill went on to state, with the chiefs of the fighting services to concert plans of action. It was not enough to plan one march ahead. March after march must be planned until their goal was attained. They had in mind Russia, China and the crushed and oppressed peoples of Europe.

There were strong armies in Great Britain, said Mr Churchill, which was also the advanced base for the armies coming across the Atlantic. They must prepare for the time which was approaching, and would surely come, when the bulk of these armies would advance across the seas into a deadly grapple on the continent. At that time the Home Guard must be prepared to take on themselves a great part of the defence of Britain. The Home Guard had a supreme part to play in the events now taking shape.