11/1/40 ... . . . .. No, 1 • FRENCH OFPICIAL C_OI/IlJlUNIQUE (MORNING) The follm1ring official com.i·mniriue was issued this morning from French G.H.Q:­ Nothing to report during the night. Two enemy planes were brought down within our lines on January 10. xx ++++++++++++ 11/1/40. -no, 2; REPNI1RL.T~-;_p-GERM.i;.NS . j_OO sent h.@l~. f~.-~a~gnnyika. Of just under 1,000 Germans interned in 'I'nnganyika at the outbreak of war 9 165 have been released on parole. Other enemy aliens in that territoryt not militarily efficient9 are being r e:pa triated. Some 300 German men, women and children hEVe nlready left Tanganyika in this way, and further pnrties will shortly be dispatched. Those Germans who ccmnot either be allowed parole or be repatriated will bG kept ~n internment for the duration of the war. The permrment Internment Camp is at . Dc~r-es­Sal aam, and there is a subsidiary camp on Quarantine Isl EJ.nd. ---oOo--­ EMPIRE l\.FFi,IRS 11/1/40 -No. 3. N. RHODESIA TROOPS' TREK. A column reaches East Africa. After travelling through 700 miles of bush country, and traversing the Chambeshi River by ferry, the First Battalion of the Northern Rhodesia Regiment and the Northern Rhodesia Army Service Corps have arrived "some­where in East Africa" with no casualties. Their camouflaged lorries, equipped with tarpaulins for shelter from the rain and concealment from enemy aircraft, were reminiscent of the old tented wagons of the Boers, but they travelled 100 miles a day instead of 15. With them went food lorries, three mobile workshops, and the Northern Rhodesian Army Service Corps to nurse the column through possible mishaps$ At Broken Hill, the Governor of Northern Rhodesia entertained the European members to a farewell dinner. The askaris were presented with special rations of cocoa and sugar; and the natives, through the Native Welfare Association, added to this contribution 1,200 bags of tobacco, with sugar and razor blades for the non-smokers. EMPIRE AFFAIRS, AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN. 11/1/40 No. 4. AIR ACTIVITY AT SYLT. The Air Ministry announces: With reference to the numerous reports of intense air activity and bombing in the region of Sylt during yesterday 9 no RoA~F. aircraft were in this area after approximately 1 o'clock yesterday (Wednesday) morning., AI3 already anriounced 9 there was an air engagement far out at sea, but the Air Ministry has no knowledge of any events vvhich would account for the reports referred to& +++++++++ 11.1.40/No. 5. P.N. 1610. PRESS NOTICE. Postal Comnunication with Persons residing or detained in Enemy Territories and Prisoners of' war. Authority has now been giveri to pennit postal communication with persons residing or detained in enemy territories subject to the following conditions. Communications on private matters with Persons residing in enemy Territories. (a) Letters and postcards on private matters may be sent to persons residing in enenw territories subject to the usual conditions of the censorship provided that they are despatched through a British firm or other association duly authorised for this purpose. Messrs.Thomas Cook & Son, Limited, Berkeley Street, Piccadilly, London, W.l., have been authorised to undertake this work as from the 15th January, 1940, and application should, therefore, be made to them by persons desiring to send such communications. (b) Under arrangements made by the British Red Cross Society and Order of st. John,, with official approval, brief messages may be sent by relatives to persons residing in enenw territories. The messages are limited to twenty words; they must relate only to family matters and must be written in English, French or German. They should be handed in at the Citizens' Advice Bureaux which have for some weeks been undertaking this work in most dist~ in London. As from the 15th January, 1940, the scheme will be extended to provincial centres. The address of the nearest appointed Citizenst Advice Bureau will shortly be available at Post Offices. Communications on business matters with Persons in Enemy Territories. Correspondence on business matters with persons in enenw territories is permitted only in approved cases. Anyone who desires to communicate With suoh persons on business matters should forward the conmunication to the 'fre.ding with the Enemy Branch (Treasury and Board of Trade), Alexandra House, Kingsway, London w.c.2., or, in the case of oommunications regarding patents, designs or traqe marks to the Fatent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London w.c.2 (enclosed in a stamped open envelope addressed to an intermediary in a neutral country), under cover of a letter explaining the circumstances in which it is desired to send it. Communications with Internees and Prisoners of War in EnemY Terri_tor~es~ CorTespondence of this nature is subject to special regulations. Enquiry -should be made at any Post Office. GENERAL POST OFFICE. 11th January, 1940. 11.1.40. No .6. BOARD OF TRAD~~ A.l\l'TOUJJ_CBMEN'[. The President of the Board of Trade hus appointed Professor> Alexander Gray, :rvz.A. s to be Chai rnian of the local Pr-ice Regulation Cornmi ttee, set up under the Pr·ices of Goods Act, 1909, for the South-ee.stel'n Region of Scot1and. The Secretai--y of the Committee is Mr. C.D. Kinnear and the address of its offices 12 9 Shaudwick Place, EtHnburgho The Chairmen of all ·l.;he 17 loccil price regulation committees have now bren appo j_nted, and their names s.nd the addresses of their offices announced . The names of the members of the 8ommi ttees will be announced shortly. Board of Trade, 11th January, 1940. MINISTRY OF LABOUR & NATIONAL SERVICE Press Notice 7/11.1.40. THE carTON WASTE RECLAMATION TRADE BOARD (GREAT BRITAIN). The Cotton Wacte RetJlaniation Trade Board (Great BrHain) unanimously decided at a meeting in Manchester on 9th January, 1940 to give notice of proposal to increase the present minimum rates of wages in the trade by 1~ an hour for male workers of 21 years of age or over and by ;id an hour for female workers of 18 years of age or over, with proportionate increases for younger workers. The increases were proposed in the light of the present higher cost of living, and the employers' side of the Trade Board undertook to put the new rates of wages into operation from the first pay day in February, and to recommend all employers in the trade to do the same, without waiting for the making of a confirming Order by the Minister of Labour and National Service. Press Office, Ministry of Labour and National Service, Montagu House, Whitehall, S.W.1. Telephone: Whitehall 6200. H.Q. 192-480 A.J. (5H5-H29l Wt. 88887-5885 20,000 12/39 T.8. 677 No. 8. Tt.e ci..1.rrent Basic Hation Books for private cars and motor c:,cles e='":pire on 31st Januc.ryo Nevi b 0oks 9 wh:Lc::h will cover a peI•:i_od. of' three montl;s er.ding on 30~h April, v~ll be available on nnd eftcr Saturday n2xt~ the 13t~ ~~nu~ry, at L0cel Taxation Offices and at Post Offices Ct!,; vvi.1i ch no·i~o:i.~ licensj_nc; 1ms:i.·'1e ss j_ s t:L"ansactedo The Registrution Book of' the vehicle must be produced e.t the time of 8.pplicationo Incre aoed ration for J.o.r,fi:e I.lotor cycles.. . ---·~---------------------·-·--­ Motor cycles will in future be divided into two classes, those with a c:,rlindc:!:' capacity up to 250 Ca c 1 s and those with a cylinder C!3.pacity exceeding 250 c., c ~So 1.rhe Pation. f'or the l arger machines~ which will incluc.o trj_cycles , ho.s been increased from two untts to three ur~its e, rnont~10 A separt:.i:~e book :for autocyc les vrill be discontinued~ and thesG vehicles will be inclt1ded with motor cycles of the lowe2 capacityo Appljci::ti.ons mey be made for supsjlementary allowances f'or a :::-·er:'..oG. o:f' t'.. o mcnths er~ding 31st Ms.rcha ·ov:ners of' private c <=.rs and motor ~yr.:;J.es are particularly re(1uc steC.. not to suhmi t claims f'or supple:.-.ientary a.llowance s unless these are needed for essential purposes. The exercise of' tll,3 strictest eco:i.10my in the const11~}Jtion of petrol is necoss-::trys and the allow.:::~nce as1rnd for should be kept as low as !c!OS s:l_'ble" Where 311 applj_cati.on for a supplementary allowance is w"lavoi C.:,1bl0 th0 appropriate wn to be quite incorrect. The greater number of the men captured have been com­pletely bewildered and apathetic. They seem to have been told by their Commissars and officers thnt thE.y would merely have to walk into Finland as they had done into Poland. Some have admitted being threatened with death if thE.:~.r did not advance. They have not known what they were fighting about, fore-ren the most i gnorant and stupid of them••••• -3 ­ them couldn't believe that Finland had attacked Russia o In short, they had no guts for the waro For the rigorous climate of the Arctic Circle they were unsuitably clothed and equipped, and they have suffered much from frostbiteo They have been badly fed, and knew that if they fell they would die of coldo The effects of the frequent past purges of the officer class have been apparent . The standard of education and intelligence of officers captured seem to be extremely low and military knowledge and leadership almost entirely lackingo It was supposed that the r ··:ssian artillery, at least, would be good, but this has not been the case . Its shooting has been bad and much of its ammunition useless , In spite of the number of their machines their mechanisation has been a failure , The Russian proverbially has no mechanical sense, and many of his tanks and armoured vehicles have broken down from lack ·of care and sheer ignorance on the part of the driverso Their tactics, the "new technique" of' which we heard two or three years ago, when the Red Army was still an unexploded myth, seem to have changed l i ttle since the Crimean War, or Tannenberg in 1914, or the Polish War of 1920. Without imagination, they cling to their traditional practice of mass attacks in a country utterly unsuited f'or themo Their leaders relied on the blind obedience of their troops, who were in every way unfitted to be pitted against the initiative and mobility of the highly intelligent Finnso Their only advantage has been numerical -and that has often proved to be a disadvantage, for it has led them to herd together in difficult country where supply is almost impossible. The Finns, on the other hand , in addition to their higher morale, have shown themselves better than the Reds in organisation and in the tactics suitable to their own country, in which they have been assiduously trained. They are superior, also, in markmanship. Their favourite manoeuvre has been to allow the Russian masses to advance in the very difficult country, to outflank and surround them and cut their communications, and then to let the weather and starvation do the r~st~ They have shown themselves past masters in enlisting the f orces of nature -country and climate -on their sideo This has t o a great extent made up for their numerical weakness. Even more significant perhaps than their victories in the North-East and East has been the failure of the Reds to make any impression on their positions in the Karelian Isthmus, where the Russian front lies no more than fifty miles from Leningrad from which the lines of communication are both short and goodo Here the Russians have had no excuse. The defenders of the Mannerheim position have played the part of' the Spartans at Thermopylae. What of the future? The Finns are still fighting as if inspiredo They proclaim that they are in the front line of the defence of civilisationo That is true o It seems to me that if Fi: ::.and goes, Scandinavia will be threatened -possibly by Germans as well as Russians o But it is i mpossible to pro,~10cy for if 9 Russia were to overrun Finland and get inconvenient}.y close to the Swedish iron mines, Germany mi ght intervene on the other sideo 4 I have been nsked to say a word on the n2ture of the curious international and diulomatic situation which is created when two nations -such as Chinn and tTapan, or Finland and Russia -fight without hnvj_ng made an;y declaration of war. Finland and Russia nre now carrying on a struggle -to the death so far as Finland is conc0rned -quite undeterred by the fsct that they are not officially belligerents. This has the effect of leaving other Powers technically not bound by the obligations of neutrality, and it is open to them to supply the combatants with munitions of war, other material assistance, and possibly even troops. We, ourselves, arc giving the Finns all the material help we can. ~nd in so doing, we are acting in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the League of Nations a few weeks agoo Similarly, Italy has been supplying them with war material. Unfortuantely, however, her contributions have to pass through Germany, where it appears, the largest and last consignment has been held up on the grounds that to allow of its passage would be against the interest of Germany's good friend Russiao This has probably been done at the instigation of the Soviet Government. But now the Italians are protesting on the perfectly logical grounds that neither Finland nor Russia is at war. This incipient dispute between Germany's two good friends may have far reaching consequences and implications. -----oOo----­ T.& B.ll PF-ESS f':~)TICE. ~ _ ..__ ~--·...· '"'>ol~ A deputation from the BU;i.JQ..ng I:ld:..istries N::i..tional Council was received. ~n the ~~'Jf the 11th JfJllW,cy by tile :tlir.i..st,er of Supply. Mr. Burgin was accompa.ni.ed by Col. Llewellin, the Parl.ian..enta.ry Secretary to th(ll Mini.stry and Mr. Ralph Assheton, F8.l.'1.U:i..£lff'M.!ll'y Secretary to tb.e M.i.1'.istry of Labc.ur, and by other representativ~ cf these Departments and of the :M.inistry of Heal.th, the Scottish Office and t~g Office of Worka. The deputati~~ wa.s presi.\ted ovor by :M..r . H.J.c. Johnstcn, President of the Hatci~ Council, and includ~d the follovd.ng gentlemen:­ Mr. H.J.C. Johnston, President. Mr. George Hicks, M.P., Vice-President, Mr. Stanl~y Hall, P.R.I.B.A. :Mr. Howard M.Robertscn, M.C.,F.R.I.B.A. Mr. Sydney Tatchell, F.R.I.B.A. Mr. John M. Theobald, PP.S.I. Mr. R. Coppock, L.c.c. Mr. G~orge Park0r Sir Jonah Walker-Smith, M.P.,M.I.E.E.,F.S.I. Mr. I. Ernest Jon0s, M.A. B.Sc. Mr. Horac~ B~ot, M.Inst.C.E. Lt. Col. C.W.D. Row0, M.B.E. Mr. H. Halliday, F.C.I.S. Mr. C. Roland Woods, M.B.E., 11.B. Mr. J.L. Gibson, B.A. Major v. Lefebure Mr. H.B. Bryant Representing Natione.l Federati@n Qf Clay IndustriM. Natioll..al Federation of Building Traci~s 1 Opera:.ives. Royal Ins~itute of British Architects. ,, II 11 I.I " II 1\ II II II CharterP.d Surveyors' Institutien. National FederatiQn cf Building Trades' Operatives. National Federation of Building Trad0s' 1.m.ployers. ,, ,, ti 11 " " 11 11 11 11 National Federation of Clay Industrfas. II II 11 l1 11 11 II 11 11 II Br~ti~h Constructi~nal Steelwork Association. Lead Industrias Development Council. Imperial. Chemical Industries Limitod.. Secretary, Building Industri~s National Council. A full discussion tock plac6 on the problems of the industry gene~ally and with particular refenmce to suppli~s of materials, an'\ the Minister und01"'.:0ck t o r.~port to his coll~agues the views axpress~d. It was arrang~d that c8rtain cf tha mat.ters rais~d should be discussed further with the :Jepartments concernc;d, Ministry of Supply, The) Adelphi, London, W.C.2·. 11th January, 1940. 11/1/40 -No 2~~ Mrs. ANTHONY EDEN AT LONDON HOUSE. Mrs. Anthony Eden paid a visit this afternoon to London House, Guilford Street, the headQuarters of men from the Dominions and Colonies who come to the capital for a. post-graduate and other studies. These headQuarters are now being used as a hostel for officers of Dominion and Colonial contingents from overseas. Mrso Eden was met by Mrs. Goodenough, widow of Mr. William Goodencugh, founder of London House; Mrse Crofton , the wife of Commander Crofton, Controller of the hostel, and Colonel Gaskell, who supervises arrangements for the welfare of overseas officers. EMPIRE AFFAIRS. ++++-IH-+ 11/1/40 No. 26. Two well-known Natal men 9 Sir Charle.a Smith and Mro George Crookes, have made a gift of 1,000 tons of sugar to the Royal Navy 9 equivalent to two million pounds nei .:;ht in sugar. The sugar will be refined Natal sugar and immediately placed at the disposal of the Naval authoritieso An attempt will be made to have shipments sent to uni ts which do not visit South. Africa. t-+++++ EMPIRE AFFAIRS. 11/1/40 • No 27• BRITISH SHIPS SAVED FROh GERMAJ.\T RAIDER. (Not to be q_uoted as an Air Ministry announcement) Three Roy-al Air Force fighter air~raft saved three British cargo ships from damage by a German raider in the North Sea this morning• . After a running fight, the raider was last seen with smoke Pou.t'ing from one wing and his \1ort engine disabled. The three pilots, all Sergeants, were on patrol off the Norfclk coast in their Spitfire fighters when they sighted a Heinkel bomber circling 50ft above the ships. As soon as the enemy spotted the fighters, he hurr:i.edly dropped a salvo of bombs, missing the ships, and fled eastwards. The Spitfires, diving thousands of feet, el\ased thQ.He;inkel for forty miles out to sea~ Each fighter in t"ilrn fired bursts at the enemy as the Heinkel skimmed almost at sea level. One British pilot, swerving round from the attack, could see the bullets of another Spitfire hitting the Heinkel, When the enemy was last seen the propell~r of his p~rt engine was turning slowly, and smoke was coming from his port wing. AIR AFFAIRS. +++++++++ 11/1/40 _______N_o....._2_.8.• REL~EF FOR FINLAND Twenty five cases and four bales of Red Cross and relief goods for Finland have been released from the .American steamer 'MOORMACSUN', at present detained at the Contraband Control Base, Kirkwall. These goods will be transhipped as soon as possible~ ++++++ MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC WARFARE. ll/1L4.0 -No. 29 Not to be published or broadcast in this country or in any other country before the morning of Friday, 12th January~ SIR EDWARD JACKSON. The Colonial Office announces that His Hajesty the King has been pleased to approve the appointment of Sir Edward St<> John Jackson, O.B.E.. , Legal Secretary, Malta, to be Lieutenant-Governor of Malta in succession to Mrb John Adams Hunter, who has recently been appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of British Honduras. ---·-oOo---­ (Sir Edwarcl. Jackson, Yvho was born in 1886, was appointed IJega1 Adviser in the Gambia in 1918. After serving as Attorney-General and Judge of the High Court in Nyasaland, Attorney-General in Tanganyika, and was Attorney-General in Ceylon, he retired in 1936~ He was re-appointed to the Colonial Service as Legal Secretary in Malta in 1937.) EMPIRE AT""AIRS. __..__.,..,_. ------­ 11/1/40. -No.3Q. FRENCH OFFICIJ\L. COMMUNHJ,UE. The follovJ'ing official co:rrrmunigue was issued from French G.H. Q. this evening :­ "An increased artillery activity on either side, also a fair amount of activity on the ~art of both air forces was noticeable to-day. An enemy reconnoitring 11lane was ·brought dovm within our lines." -----000-----­ 11/1/40. -No.31. DETAILS OF AIR BATTLE OVER NORTH SEA. (Not to be quoted as an Air Ministry announcement.) Further details are now available of yesterday's clash over the North Sea between British aircraft and German Messerschmitt 110s, in which one British aircraft was lost and one enemy fighter was brought down. Another German aircraft made a forced landing in Denmark, its crew being interned. The Messerschmitts concentrated their fire on the outside aircraft of the British formation. "I thought at first there V"Grc only two of them", said one of the British Air Gunners ,"they attacked in turn, obviously following a pre-arranged plan. Then wo saw the others waiting up above to take their turn, and soon things got busy. We came down from 5,000 feet almost to sea level as soon as we were attacked, so that they could not get beneath us. We kept close formation." "The fighters attacked in a shallow dive, usually from the quarter or from the beam, opening fire v.:ith cannon and machine guns from a distance of about 600 yds. but seldom closing to nearer than 200 yds. 11 "They seemed anxious to get out of range of our guns, and usually turned away r'hen we opened fire. As they brol\:e away, climbing for another attack, they showed us their bellies, and '.our tracers seemed to be going straight lhnto them." · "Certainly some of them must have gone home heavier than they set out, because some of our chaps fir~d more than 500 rounds during the action and they didn't all miss," The engagement was continuous for some 25 minutes, each fighter making from 8 to 10 attacksp The only British casualty occurred early in the action, when one of our aircraft -annarently hit in one engine -was forced to drop bo.ck and was immed.lo.tely 11 pounced" on by a fighter which closed to within 100 yds, while a second fighter waited above to reinforce the attack. A few minutes later a German fighter was forced down. In seeldng to break up the British fonnation it dived bet ''een two sections of our aircraft~ and, turning to launch a beam attack, it was caught by our fire and crashed into the sea at high speed. Soon afterwards another fighter wns seen to be in difficulties. This is believed to be the one which later in the day was reported to have made a forced landing in Donmarko AIR AFFAIRS. ---------000--------­