LONDON IN THE CRISIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 42, 20 February 1939, Page 3

LONDON IN THE CRISIS

WHEN CHAMBERLAIN RETURNED TEARS AND CHEERS OF REJOICING (Concluded.) Next day it was reported that the sudden German broadcast from London, had been picked up by hundreds in Berlin ana was wed spread through Germany. That day, (September 28) Roosevelt again cabled to Hitler, fixing the responsibility for War on his shoulders and appealing to him to re-open negotiations. The Pope broadcast for peace. And the ! King signed the mobilisation order for I the fleet. At once all German ships |on the high seas were recalled to i port. By that time, of course, the I evacuation of London was well on the I way—children had already left by the hundred and the roads were blocked with out-going cars. Appeals over the wireless for less telephone calls freed some of the lines—which were blocked for hours. They began to put up the gun mounting just opposite from our shop. It was the realisation of the extent to which they intended to evacuate London that worried me most somehow. You see it became more and more obvious that we couldn’t carry on—if war came we would be ruined. Last war the cry had been “carry on everything as usual” this time it was “evacuate all large towns at once.” It seemed so horrid to be forced to give up one’s business and home. I am very glad to see that now it is over, they have decided not to do that evacuation again if there is war, they’ve decided that it is better to try to provide protection in the towns instead. Of course we have been very hard hit, as it is,— actually business has been badly affected for weeks, there was no trade. Crisis week and the next week we had the worst storm London has had for years. Its steadying up now, but we will have to be very careful for a long time—thank Heaven for Christmas. i At 2.45 p.m. that day (September | 28) Parliament met to hear ChamI berlain’s speech on the situation and | to discuss our attitude. As for the I dramatic and historical scene s ? which • marked the close of his speech—l can . add nothing.

Chamberlain Comes Home. At Munich Hitler and Chamberlain ■ just went on talking till it was settled, from 12.45 p.m. on September 29, with a couple of short breaks till 12.30 a.m. on September 30. And as soon as London got the news, they began to make for ’ Heston, Whitehall and Downing Street, to welcome Chamberlain home. But does he leave yet—no—reports come through that he is staying and will see Hitler again—then he has seen him. and they have signed a pact between the German and English peoples—the famous piece of paper that Chamberlain waved so freely to the crowd on his arrival at Heston, I went to Downing Street towards evening and got quite near to the door of No. 10 —had to wait three hours before he came but it was an unforgetable experience. He went first to the Palace, where they had got Mrs. Chamberlain there to be with him “for a surprise.” “The Queen lent her a coat and they ail came out on the balcony in the rain and the crowd went mad. As soon as Chamberlain’s car entered Downing Street the crowd went raving—they got him to the door by the aid of “Mounteds” and then the crowd closed up and just went on and on closing up. All Whitehall seemed to come packing in. We all screamed and sang and he said his few words from the window and then everyone sang again. Then he said we’d better go home to bed. so we went, and that was practically the end of it—all over bar the talking, I should say, because of course since then a lot of people : have been able to think up how much I better they would have run the busi- ’ ness—at the time they were only too j pleased to let him get peace for them i ’ on the only possible terms there were, j Joy in the Streets. In the streets there were scenes of joy and amazement. Already the first evening editions were out —carrying the reports of the first part of his

speech. A friend had been in to see ■us and had gone again. It seemed ! certain that war would break ovei | Europe in two days—a fire only to be 1 quenched by years of blood and tears. I felt tired out—l went upstairs in the shop and went right to sleep; and somehow when I woke up I felt better —different somehow, as if things were

j better—and suddenly called out j “Something must have happened I there are vans going past with a new ; edition. There are headlines about ; postponed mobilisation. Out we I rushed and saw them putting out the

I papers with reports of that historic I scene in the House. Everyone was ‘ buying papers. People rushed across ■ the street to read in the doorways of I shops—many passed our shop weeping. Next day Chamberlain left England for the final settlement. One of the workmen stacking sandbags opposite No. 10 bawled out after him ’Keep it up mate”—and Cabinet “secretly” planned to go to Heston in a body to see him off. Halifax was marvellous, he’s usually so stern and serious and there he was bawling his

head off. Maxton and Duff-Cooper. Next week there was a short session of Parliament—mainly distinguished for the fact that “Red Hot” Maxton made a remarkable speech upholding Chamberlain’s actions. He calmly informed the House that opposite political opinions could not blind him to the rightness of the Premer’s actions—priceless, wasn’t it? Uh, and of course, Mr. DuffCooper resigned—but the almost invariable comment on that was “I see that little rat Duff-Cooper is going.” You see, he chose that day to put in his resignation—thereby gaining the right under Parliamentary rules to speak first when Parliament opened and try to take the gilt off Chamberlain’s triumph. No one lb '’flowed to interject or comment when a resigning Minister is making his speech so he can say anything. As a matter of fact he put his foot in it, with a country very fed up with thoughts of war, by saying straight out that he believed in the mailed fist. Anyway he took his wife and party for a cruise on a Naval destroyer recently —five weeks at a cost of £2OOO a week to the taxpayer. (Finis.)