FRENCH Q.:f.f.ICIAL Crn].:1.If!]QUE. (}!10RN INGo_l The follovling official cornmuniq_ue was issued this morning from French G.HoQ:­NOTHING TO REPORT. r .. ty i ersity of T ··a1. ,_ The Secretary of the Admiralty regrets to following casualties from H. M.S.SPHINX. OFFICERS. Killed. --.­ AustiD1 '.J'exa 9/2/40 -No.2. announce the Commander J.R.N. Taylor, R.N. (in command). Missing presumed dead. F.A. Braham9 Commissioned Engineer 9 R.N., Probationary Temporary Sub-Lieutenant J.S.G. Comfort 9 R.N.V.R. Lieutenant A.H. Nicholls9 R.·N. 9 Temporary Lieutenant A.L. Tessier, R.N.R. 9 RATINGS. Killed. Hobbs 9 H.F. Acting Leading Stoker 9 Ruthen9 B.F. 9 Acting Leading Stoker. Skiggs, I •• A. S. Able Seaman. Died of Injuries. Snook9 Frederick. Stoker Petty Officer Missing presumed dead. Ashdown ; s.H. Bell9 D.D. Bell~ Richard. Carroll, R.C. Chalmers 9 W.C. Cooper, Joseph. Crayston, Leonard. Duce, Henry. Dunnell9 E.J. Flanagan? Gordon. Garthwaite, John. Gooban, Frank. Gregson, C.K. Grimson, E.E. Hardy. W.G. Holmes, G.T. Acting Leading Stoker Able Seaman Acting Petty Officer Telegraphist. Ordinary Seaman9 R.N.V.R. Stoker 1st. Class Ordinary Seaman. Able Seaman. Engine Room Artificer. Telegraphist. Able Seaman. Ordinary Searran. Stoker? 1st Class Stoker 9 1st Class Able Seaman. . stoker Petty Officer. Leading Cook. Able Seaman. C/KX.86188' C/KX.86866 C/JX.1L~8335 C/K.64452 C/KX.83393 C/JX.143652 C/JX.135463 LD/X.4846 C/KX.75266 C/JX.152078 c/ssx.19003. C/MX.47979 C/JX.133853 C/JX.139875 C/SSX.27930 C/KX.85634 C/K.51768 C/JX.130572 C/K.56747 C/M.38185 C/JX.128152. Karman, Frederick Kenny, James McDowell Co Wo McKessick~ JoP. Murray, D.F. Nickells Cecil A. Poulson, Co W" E.egan, Jo Ho Roffey, HoWoJ Rolls, Harry Ryall, Ronald Smith>' ToAo Smith, WoVlfoHo Stimps-·:1 Fo Wo Surgeon 9 J.Bo Taylor 9 Robert U:psall~ Kenneth Webster, Eo Ao Wentworth G.E. Wheeler, HoNo WooltortonJWilliarn Yorkstone, Williarn ~4..'i-..&0 ~~~l\l .J:~!'.?..9.l!ne1o Bontoft, Johno -2 - Stolrnr Petty Officer. Chief Stoker Chief Petty Officer l 0eading Supply Assistant Stoker, 1st Class Able Seaman stoker~ 1st Class Writer Steward Stoker, 1st Class OrcUnary Artificer 1st Class Ordinary Seaman Ordinary Seaman Stoker Petty Officer Stoker Petty Officer Officers Cook 92nd Class St8ker 9 1st Classo Leading Stokere Stolrnr, 2nd Class Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class Steward Able Seaman Leading Steward Signalman Ord:i.nary Seaman Ordinary Signalman Petty Officer Steward Canteen Managero -----oo-:)-·-· -·-,,__ .• C/K. 60070. C/Ko64651 C/Jo 96677. C/MX. 52826 C/KX.81076 C/J.81418 C/Ke62212 C/1VIX51565 C/LX.22743 C/~Ca96207 C/M. 35339 C/SSX.29226 C/SSX.29551 C/ICC.75331 C/K~63153 C/Lo14079 C/KXo85039 C/KX:.,80708 C/KX.. 95972 C/M1138791 C/LXo22427 C/JX. 156332 C/Lo13711 C/JXo 147608 C/SSX.. 29519 C/JX., 152600 C/Lol3751 ManLJ_factG1'eI"3 01' coaci1 "bn.ilde.rs re•J.lliring imported softwood for tile Pl'')Otlcti')1: of rnuto1· ve:1i.cles for civilian u.sa in this country must appl~' to t~1e 11.ar:1stl•y of Transport for a Certifioate to J:'urch8se. .11.rpl ic. t i r"Jns should be made in triplicate on Fo~em TC. 3/8/1 9 vrhich may be obLiined from th~ Timber Control Area Officer, and forvmrded to:­ The Secretary , Ministry of Transport , (Room 349), Metropole Buildings, NoJ.'thuwb erland Avenue, London, vi . C. 2. The quantity of imported softwood applied for should be expressed in standards Ol' paJ.•t of a standard, and should not exceed one month's re~uirewents. The application shoLJ.10 be acc•")mpGnied by a certificate that:­ (1) no suitable tiailier for tne purpose is readily available 1'rom ap1.ilicants stock.; (2) no practical substitute can be used in its place; (3) the quantity asked for has been determined with due regard to the urgent need for economy in the use of timber; and (4) any timber purchased by the authority of the certificate applied for will be used only for t he manufacture of t!1otor vehicles for civilian use in this country, and for the specific vehicles referred to in the application. Ministry of Transport, Metropole Buildings, Northumberland Avenue, London, d.C.2~ 9th February, 1940, 1640. ?/2/~..0 -No.4. BO.APJ) OF °J~RAD:C ANNOFNCJ:Jrr:N'l'. -·----·--·---·------­ ~he President of the Board or Trade has a~pointed Iv~r. Di11gvv"all Bateson, vvl10 ;,1s s Chai~1E1an of' the Local I)rice Regulation Con;;1i ttee for the lforth l'·lidland Ret:.tion, to be Chairman of the Lo eel Price Regulation Cor:rr,1i ttee for the London Re;rion in succession to Mr·. L. 8.Her1.Jcrt , v(;:,o has resign(~d in order to tske up o.nothe:t Government apJ.))intment. J-. P ., to be Chairman of t l1c Local }'rice Regulation Committee for the No:cth 1.1idland Recion in succession to Mr. Dingwall Bateson. Board of Trade, 9th F c.;\)l'uary, l £t10. iI::'. Dingwall Bat8son is a ~.J::>licitor of ----·--·-·->.! . ....,.. ---·-·-. ------­ the firm of Walter & Co. of London. of Nottincliam, whc;.1 0 he has held v2.r ious public of'i'i ces. 9/2/40. No.5 ILiPORT LIC~~NSING-D .. '.PAR.:\ ;~NT -~.... - HEAT . At the request of the lhnistry of P.ood the BoaPd of Trade have issued an Order ('1..'he Import of Goods (Prohibition) (No. 6) Order, 1940) adding the following crnmnodities to the list of goods, the importation of vrhich is prohibited except under licence;­ Sausa0es, except canned or otherwise preserved sausages. Beef~ veal, mutton, lamb and pork and edible offals of beef, veal, Lmtton, 12r-:1b and por>J..:., i ncluding beef, veal mutton, lamb, pork and ectible offals preserved (with or v:i thout vegetables or cereals) in airtight conta iner>s. The Hihistry of rood 1.-:ish to emphasise that the pUJ'pose of the Order is to enable the Llinistry to secure a proper control of the coinr.ioc1it i es, in order to regulate prices and to ensure the best use of the quantities of meat which can be imported. The lhnistry have provided for centr•alised purchase of the corn:modities in question. The Order will co1i1e into force on the 1Oth li'ebruary, 1940, but any goods covered_ by the Orc1-er vvhich are proved to the satisfaction of the Custrn1s authorities to have been despatched to the United Kingdom before the Order came into effect will not require a licence . Importers a:r>e W8.I'ned that no Open General Licence permittin.c; the ir.1port without specific licences of meat :f.'ror.1 Eire or from ~-~i;1;_1ire countries generally has been issued. Any enquiries by importei>s on riiatters arising out of the Order should be addI'essed to~­ The Ministry of ?ood, (lleat Branch), Great \'restminster House, HorsefePPY :?oad, London, S. h .• 1 • Import Licensing Department, Board of Trade, 25, Sou,chanpton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London , V. C.2 . 9th Februa:..'y, -19L~O. 9/2/40 -No.-6. P R E S S N 0 T I C E. The following is the text of a notice which has been addressed to shipping companies by the Ministry of Economic Warfare : "The term 11Harmless Chemicals" is sometimes used in ships' manifests to describe chemical substances which do not require special stowage. The Contraband Committee wish to bring to the notice of Shipping Companies that this description is inadequate for the purposes of contraband control. Consequently 9 when parcels of chemicals aI•e thus described 9 the Cammittee is often compelled it> give directions for the detention of the consignments while the exact nature of their contents is being ascertained. It will be appreciated that this m&y involve delay in clearing the vessels. Shipping Companies are advised9 therefore, in their own interests to ensure that full particulars of all consignments of chemicals are entered in ships' manifests. Failure to do so in the future will compel the Corrimittee to treat all consignments of "Harmless Chemicals" as potential contraband, and may render them liable to seizure11 • MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC WARFARE. Le -fy iversity of Tex 1 • .ustiD, :;rexas 9/2/40. No. 711 PRESS NOTICE. FLARE-UP LIGHTS (SHIPS) ORDER. By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. In Pursuance of Regulation 43 of the Defence Regulations, 1939, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty hereby make the following Order.. 1. This Order shall apply to all vessels not being either ships of war or hospital ships, except that it shall not apply to Dominion or foreign vessels outside the territorial waters of the United Kingdome 2. The use of flare-up lights, as provided for in Schedule 1 of the Order in Council Consolidating Orders in Council Making Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and Rules as to Signals of Distress (Statutory Rules and Orders, 1910, Noo1113) shall be discontinued except as provided hereunder. 3. This Order shall not interfere with the use of (i) Any signal of Distress commonly used by vessels at sea in accordance with the Statutory Rules and Orders, 1910, Noo1 ) 13. (ii) Flares commonl y exhibited by a Light Vessel when driven from her correct station. (iii) Flares commonly exhibited by a Light Vessel for the purpose of attracting the attention of passing vessels, when necessary, with a view to avoiding risk of collision with a Light Vesselo 4, The Flare-up Lights (Ships) Order 1939, dat ed 14th Bovember 1939 is hereby cancelled~ 5. This Order shall come into force forthwith and may be cited as the Flar e-up Lights (Ships) Order, 19400 BY COMMAND OF THEIR LORDSHIPS, (Sg~) RoHoAe Carter. ----000--·-·­ The Minister of Infor-.mation Sir John Reith, M.P., has a.:ppo:l.nted a small Ceramittee to advise upon the choice of Advertising Agents for Publicity Campaigns which the Ministry will be undertaking. The Chairman is 1.t.-Colonel N.Go Scorgie, C.VoO. C.B.Eo, Deputy Controller of H.rvr. Stationery Office, and the other Members are Mr. F. P. Bishop, Chairman of the Advertise!!1ent Comraittee of the Newspaper Proprietors Association, Mr. George Mills, Chairman of the British P0ster Adve:....tising Association, and Mro Gordon Selfridge, Juno The Secretary, to whom all enquiries should be addressed, is Lady Grigg, Ministry of Information~ Malet Street, WoC.1. 9/2L40 -No~. RECENT ADMIRALTY pg·:.SJj_J:TOTICES : ­ 1. Royal Naval and Royal Mai" j.11e Officers -Allotment to Wife~ etc. 2. Parcels sent to Members of :i::;. M. Forces (including Dominion and Colonial FoI'ces) y and Allied Forces, in Canada -Exemption from Ca11adian Customs Dutjr. 3. Shipwrecked Mariners and. >~a.ssengers Landed in the United Kingdom -Instl"l1.ctions to Superintendents of Mercantile Marine Offices. 4. Training of Junior ~xecutive Officers during Hostilities. have been received from the Aclmiralty and are available for inspection in Room 34B> :.--:·o.vEtl Affairs~ if desired. NAVAL AFFAIRS. AIR MINISTRY• . ..._9-"-._2._4......0_____ } T_o_.1_0~­ ·--­ German Raider Successfully Attac~~ossible 9 be tied together in bundles of tenc ADMIRALT"Y 9 S. W. 1. +++++++++++ /~ ADVANCE COPY OF SPEECH BY THE SECRET.ARY OF STA'rE FOR AIR, SIR KINGSLEY 'WOOD, AT BRISTOL ON SA':WRDAYi FEBRUARY 10TH, 1940. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST BEFOH.E 2.30 P.M. G.M.T. ON THAT DATE. Am_ MI NI STER pn rNTS THE ROAD TO VICTORY. We have much that gives us coufidence and strength at this hour. Never in any great conflict in our history has this count ry been so united and so resolute. With every day that passes -and as we witness fresh acts of German barbarism and brutality -that unity and determination grow stronge1" still . It was the Nation -not a Government or an individual -that decided for us the grave issue of peace or war. It was the decision of a free people. We need not regret the many and patient efforts we so constantly made to secure the peace. We are all the more fortified by the endeavours we then made. Our conscience is clear - our hands are clean. There is no doubt where the war guilt 11es. /Whmt What we are fighting for., We are not engaged in this war for any material thi~g. We seek no territory -we have no vindictive purpose. We ask no nation to su~render anything tha t should be enjoyed by any honourable and peace loving people. We, with 01.ir gallant allies France and Pol and are fighting things evil -0utrages against the spirit and the soul of men and women which t:i.... ar:.sccnd al l other things. We are fighting for all those principles of international order and decency without whi~h the world would be intolerable. We a-r>e fighting for· the small peoples. We are :righting for our own existence. As has happened with oi0~r~, we know our own turn would surely come if we, for a momefit, abandoned our ef'f'o1• 1.r.s. ,:i e 2u: ;;; .:fJz~ -~ ''JR for a real peace not ~ p~tched up pact which would leave Europe 011ce again thv s:i~) ject of o.ssault c.nd violation. We and our allies are determined to secure the world against the possibility of a repetjtion of the atroci t ies and inhumanities which have repelled and shocked mankind and so that all people may dwell together in friendship and i n peace. Therr have never been for us and the world such grave and vital issues at stake. /Neutral Neutral States and Se11 Povrnr. We must and shall win this war and V>'e hope all those who understand the nature of this life and death struggle will realise that we cannot omit from our armoury any legitimate weapon. We realise that the exercise of our sea power and the use of the economic weapon entail inconvenience and even at times hardship for neutral States, We sincere+y regret it and we are doing our best to reduce such case to a minimum. But we feel that we are justified in asking those who are affected to remember that we arc not only fighting for our existence as a nation, but also for the existence of all those principles without which life would not be worth living. We would urge them, when they feel the in~onvenience that necessarily is imposed by war on neutral states, to ponder also the alternative of the whole of Europe suffering the unspeakable horrors which are even now being perpetrated on the unhappy Polish people. Germany and the Small :Nations. There is in fact a gulf between our 01rm and Nazi conceptions that cannot be bridged. We believe -and vte /have have i n the Brit.5.sh Empire a great and living example -that all Nations big and small should not only live peaceably side by side; but that they can and should all virork together for the advancement of t he common well-being. Our system of international relations is based upon the respect of rights and sovereignty of other nations ­however small and however weak. Hitlor1 s conception -as we have seen -is th.at tho rights of ether nations are to be measured not by justice or their individual contributions to civilisation but by their armed strength alone. Tho whole world has indeed witnessed how, without excuse or pause? Hitler has carcfUlly planned and ruthlessly carried out his attacks on one small state after another and then outraged and enslaved tp.em. ~hey will rise again. !h.£._Q9ndi_ti.OJJ.~~I) ~rhcre: is no poss iblc doubt that the conditions in Gc1~man occupied Poland are simply ~bominable. They are far worse than in Russ i.an occupied Poland. The Vatican broad­cast of January 22nd spoke of nthe horror and inexcusable oxcosscs committed on a helpless and homeless people" which has been 11~stab' ;_shed by· the unimpeachable testimony of eye­ witnessas11., /German German methods in occupied Poland since Septombor havo passed through two phases. They tried first to terrorise the population by shooting individuals picked at random from the towns. In Konin for instance they decided to shoot 35 people and they collected 34 victims and then, finding they were short of ono, went into a chemist's shop and seized the first person they found. They then realised that these methods would not avail them and lead nowhere and they decided to decimate the na,tural .leaders of the national movement -the Polish Government estimates the number already shot at 15,000. There have indeed been cases of actual torture.-Conditions in the concentration camps are appalling. Religion is systematically persecuted. The crowning iniquity in the words of the Vatican Broadcast 11lies in the cynical suppression of all but the merest suggestion of religious worship in the lives of one of the most pious and devotional of the peoples of Europe". It is no wonder there is uneasiness in Germany to•day. 4,he ;present position of Germany and Russia. Prolonged repression and individual privatibns also do not make for confidenoe and gaiety. Her dete~1-0~ating /fitle.noial ~inancial and economic position cannot provoke anything but serious concern amongst many of the German people. But there is another and more compelling cause of Germany's uneasy state of mind -it lies in Germany's connection with Soviet Russia. The scale of their understanding is unknown outside tho Kremlin and tho inner circles of the Nazi party. It may be wide or it may be narrow -but one thing is certain and that is that it will be broken just as soon as it suits the book of Germany to break it. There is another matter. Not even Ribbentrop would suggest that Germany has drawn any great advantage either political or material from this uneasy partnership. Russia has swallowed up a third of Poland. She has established an undisputed mastery over the Baltic States ­hitherto regarded by Germany as an essential part of her living space. No wonder doubts are spreading among the people of Germany -doubts which were fostered and intensified by the arrival of the German exiles from the Baltic States. It is not only that, but she has ·seen the virtual dissolution of the anti-Comintern group which she had so laboriously built up. What about the material side -where Hiti.er and tho Nazis expected to recoup their political losses? Here /again again thoro has boon nothing but disnppointmcnt. Russian transport difficulties -many serious -together with tho anxious preoccupations of tho Finnish Yifar rrmst have greatly damaged any hope that there may have been of Germany obtaining adequate supplies of oil and raw materials from Russia. It is clear -whether it is wide or narrow in its scope -the agreement is an uncertain and doubtful bargain based on nothing but what seemed to bo a temporary political advantage. Britain and France. What a striking contrast is provided by our alliance with France! Never in the history of the two countries have they been so close and confident. Unity of command on land, co-operation at sea and in the air, close economic and financial collaboration -all these have welded France and Britain into one mighty weapon for the defence of Liberty. I can speak particularly of our co-operation with France in the air. In staff matters there is the closest contact, we have a comprehensive scheme of pooling information, production problems we study " systematically together and secret equipment is exchanged and new developments shared. And as a practical test of all this -on more than one occasion reconnaissance aircraft /approaching approaching this country have boon pursued and shot down by French fighters! The present cou1se of the War. There is one thing wo should parti~ulnrly realise at this moment. We should not be deceived by the present course of the war. SUddcn ruthless blows designed to terrorise and destroy have not as yet been delivered, but the comparative inactivity of to-day must not delude us. Nor should we minimise or underrate the power of a relentless enemy. Indeed "In cases of defence; tis best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems". We must always be prepared and ready -and realise this is no time for self-satisfaction or sitting back. Wishbones are not a satisfactory substitute for backbones. Let us fully appreciate we are engaged in a critical struggle and be always prepared for heavy and serious attacks$ storne~ times and many perils. That is the way to achieve victory. The "Black Out". In this war more than in any other the civilian has an important part to play. We have not only in OU.I' different spheres to do all we can to win the war but to undergo discomforts and suffer many war-time restrictions. /But But we may well compare our lot here at home with the seaman often in peril on the icy ocean, the soldier in the trenches or the airmen in combat with the enemy over the North Sea, Restrictions are designed for the safety and security of the country. The "black-out" for instance is not imposed because of anyone's desire to make regulations or to restrict the individual citizen -We have always/· endeavoured to mitigate its inconveniences and we shall continue to do so. We know its danger to lif'e and limb ­But we have to insure so far as we can against the bomber finding targets which are of the greatest moment to us and the destruction of which would have many serious consequences. I would like to commend the work of our Civil Defence Forc~lil. Like the Observer Corps for months now men and women who have joined the Ambulance, A.R.P., Fire Brigade and other organisations have been engaged in our many considerable preparations against air attack. This is vital work. Because attacks have not as yet buen made it does not mean that anyone should relax for a moment, When the call comes everyone nrust be prepared and ready, and all that has been done will, I have no doubt, be abundantly justified in the great assistance this work will give to the defences of our country. We need not doubt the aapacity of our Fighting Sc!*Vices ... powerful and :i.ntrepid .t'oroea whioh are growing /stronger stronger every day. Undor modern conditions it is h2rd to imagine an operation which concerns one of the thre8 defence. Services alono. Most operations1 like the conduct of the war as a whole~ call for the united and harmonised efforts of all throe. In meeting for instance the throat of air attack we roly upon the fightors of the Royal Air Force 9 guns o.nd search-lights from the Army as wel], as upon the civil defence services. And in all thot is done the Navy provides the shield which keeps our base secure and enables supplies to reach us from every corner of the globe. This co.n be said with certainty, that there exists to-day such co-operation and mutual understanding tho.t each Service not only augments and strengthens tho efforts of the others, but secures for all the maximum degree of strength and efficiency, which is so essential to victory. The Navy. We have a supreme Navy. They have shown once again that they have not and never will lose the touch of Drake and Helson. The stranglehold on Germo.ny is being steadily maintained 9 and despite the inhumanities she is perpetrating every day 9 the supremacy at sea of the Allied Navies remains unimpaired~ '.··1' Lile / The A~. We are making great efforts to increase rapidly our land forces Upwards of 1~ million men are already o under -:..rme. We know that these men and those that will join them will worthily maintain the high reputation of honour, steadfastness and resolution which have always been the distinguishing characteristics of the British Army. The Royal Air Force,, What of the Royal Air Force? At the supreme hour of victory in the last great war H.Ma King George V sent an historic mess~ge to all ranks of the Royal Air Force. He recalled how our aircraft had ever been in the forefront of the battle and referred to their pilots as the keen-eyed and swift­winged knights of the air who had given the world a new type of daring and resourcefUl heroism. The men of the Royal Air Force to-day are the worthy successors of those men. Now, as then, amongst their ranks are the finest airmen in the world. Many of the Royal Air Force have already given a great and gallant account of themselves in combat with the Germans. Those who have not as yet engaged in battle, exist in what /can .. can only be described as a state of "exasperated antici.pation" -always on their toes and desperately keen to take their full part for liberty and freedomo It is difficult to make the men who carry out the flights talk . about their experiencesc They seem to regard the work as ordinary routine and rather monotonous in the absence of enemy a0tlvity" Even after a fierce engagement the other day one of them wrote simply in his log "Fire and bombing practice Heligo1and11 Another after a reconnaissance o made the entry "Subsidiary task sighted .and attacked a submarine11 0 Their Perilous Tasks. Much of their task is indeed perilous and arduous. During these winter months many of them have been starting out at any time after dark and their first lap takes them 360 miles across the North Sea. To do this alone at night under the conditions in which they fly is a fine task in itself. They can see nothing at all but the black void of nightc Often they fly the whole distance in cloud and the fact they have reached Germany is often conveyed to them by the night suddenly emptying into a chaos of hate. Our men describe it as "fireworks". Soon they pass out of range of the coast defe~ces anQ then have to lay their course for thej r objective, wherever it may be. Flying /over over the totally blacked-out country they are met here · and there with the sudden blast of bursting shells and flaming onions and searchlights. And all the time they are looking out for the enemy aircraft and being prepared as we know to deal with them~ Our men have performed unprececented feats and have invariably pressed on to their objectives with the greatest gallantry and endurance. More Eµemy tha.n British aircraft shot down .. As regards results in actual combat, it is not surprising -at any rate to us -that that part of our Air Forc·e which has been engaged in pitched bat.tles with the enemy has shot down many more enemy aircraft than we have lost. Between the Thames and north-east Scotland out merchant ships in large numbers move up and down on their peaceful business each day. The German airman emulates his naval confederate in ruthless and murderous attack on them> He does not discriminate between British or neutral ahipping11 He obviously prefers those vessels which canno't defend themselves. We can mark the depths of infa~y to which the German air force has fallen when its airmen are employed to machine gun and b:omb helpless fishermen,. and to continue to attack the men struggling /for for their lives in the icy seas. It is aston:i.shirig that the German High Command seek to condone these atrocities and authorise attacks on lightships and the shelling of the men who man them and whose sole purpose and lives are dedicated to the greater safety of all those who sail the seas. It was only a few years ago that the Nations of Europe under the Nyon arrangement condemned all attacks without warning on merchantmen as acts of piracy, Our greatest admiration is for our orave and courageous merchantmen and the men who man the lightships. They may be assured that the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force will not rest until these evil things cease to be and these nox~ous attacks are wholly defeated. Despite the difficult conditions of the last few weeks our airmen have done well. We can visualise their task. Our fighters may have to find a single enemy aircraft hiding in f'og and dodging in and out of clouds at a speed of over 200 miles an hour. The enemy is not out to fight, out as soon as he sees one of our fighters he darts into the cloud and makes home at top speed. To me as I am sure it ;i.s to you -it is a remarkable feat that under these conditions the fighter finds his quarry. /The The toll in fact our airmen take is often much heavier than official reports can of necessity reveal. Many of the enemy machines our airmen have damaged -we find later -never reach Germany. The rubber boats containing the crews of Germain aircraft which reach our shores~ and the bodies of German airmen washed up on the coast bear their own witness that despite the German 1 tip and run' tactics heavier casualties are inflicted than are generally appreciated. The work of the Coastal Command. The work of Coastal Command in its daily sweeps to the farthest limits of the North Sea, and its close and hourly co-operation with the Royal Navy in the work of convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol, deserves all praise. The generous tributes which the First Lord has paid to this Command have been greatly appreciated by the whole Service. During the Arctic weather of January aircraft of Coastal Command flew close on a million miles. I think we can confidently say that Europe's recent great freeze-up has shown that out air personnel are pretty weather proof. The first half of January provided the most severe flying weather ever lcnown. Yet throughout the bitter spell not ·a single day'is halt was /called called i.n the vital work of' the Coastal Command. day passed without fighter patrols taking off to guard our shores. Training went on practically unimpaired. The ceaseless hunt for U-boats and for mines went on by Coas tal aircrafto Our records show that during all this trying period, subma!'ines were sighted and bombed, enemy aircraf·t; were shot down or driven off, nunes were destroyed, convoys escorted and "leave ships" accompanied safely to port. 1,he Empire and t he A:Lr. The Empire in this warj as in the last, has sent us some of the finest airmen in the world. In recent exploits of gallantry and skill the pilots and airmen from our Dominions and Colonies have mada a remarkable contribution. I often think t hat the great Empire Air Training Scheme which is now under way is an outstanding feature of thG war. It is one of the greatest efforts and one of the biggest den1ons trations ever made of Empire powe~ and unity« It will provide the Air Forces of the Empire with tens of thousands or keen and fine young men as pilots and crews ­living proof of their devotion and loyalty to the cause of liberty and freedomo It will also enable us to use for /training training purposes large areas entirely free from the restl'ictions imposed in this country by operational requi r•ements and in a climate which will enabl e far moro hours of flying traintng to 'be put in than is possible here,, The Su7erior;tty of 0£!'._Airc.£..§.f.h The least we can do for our airmen in their arduous tasks is to provide them with aircraft and equipment .of the best. Our aircraft have now been in contact with most of the latest German types. The n,umbe?' of engagements as we know has so far been limited and any conclusions we draw must obviousl y be provisional. War, it is well to remember, is full of surprises a But we can certainly claim that the war in the air has not only demonstrated f>,he indomitable courage of British pilots, but the definit~ t echnical superiority and power of ma~y of OU!' machines. Before the war much had been done by long and patient work in increasing th~ power and efficiency -of our machines. The Hurricane and the Spitfire today carry twice ao many guns as their pr•ed6cessors, while the policy of fitting our bombors with power•-driven turrets has represented a r•evolution in the design o1' military aircraft~ Our eight g-un fightel's have acquitted th.emselVea /magni:t'icently magnificently and we believe them to ·oe the best machine of the:ir• kind in the world. We cannot and must not rest on what has been achieved. We must go on eve1•y da;y· -as we are doing -perfecti ng p.Pesent types and introa.uc:i.ng others with eYen higher speed, longer range and better armamen~. The war is being fought ,in the design departments and on the drawing boards as well as in factories and in the air. D~velopment and aivance must continue to be OU19 watchwords. High quality has always been the constant - policy of the Br1tish Air Miniatry; it has certainly paid and we dq not intend to forego it. Since the outbreak of war we have been steadily increasing our strength and perfecting our air defences. New squadrons have been formed and the improving and re-arming of others has been going on continuously. Ana we have also been able I may say to give considerable assistance to our friends abroad. /increase Increase in Aircraft Production. I would like to thank that great army vID.o nre strenuously engaged in aircraft production. Th~y have worked hard anq successfully. I n the year they have doubled the numerical output of air•craft. This doubling, I may sayj meant not a t wo-fold but a manifold accretion of strength, b ecm,ise the new types which are now passing out of the factories show a great advance in fighting °rualities and performance over the types which were in production a year ago. All this we owe in great part to the many thousands of men and women who are engaged over the whole field of production of aircraft engines, armament, equipment, instruments and accessories. I know they will continue to realise how vital is their work -as vital almost from the point of view of our air e.rrn as that of our pilots and airmen. We should alwayt;J remember that the war will be won not least by those v1ho v10rk in our factories and workshops. In the i.'ield of our aircraft production the numbers already employed today are lligher than in the poak of proquction j.n the last war. But we shall need great number~ during the next twelve months ­our aircraft production is planned on a vastly increased scale. Many new factories will shortly be coming into productipn and and there are many extensions of the present qnes., /We We shall ags.J.::-1 be extending very considerably our sub­ contraotin.g work. All this wi 11 mem11 much more labour, 2nd the continuation of' our progress in aircraft production Viill contim1e to depend to a very lar ge extent on our success in this vital matter. Let us all realise that in t:his great struggle every citizen is enlisted. ·vve are all in the front line ih many w~ys. I t i s upon t he unceasing endeavour, the cou~age and t _p.e fortitude of eaoh one of us that the issue largely depends. It is the Nation t:1at will w~n the war., Vle must therefore i n ev~ry direction intensify our efforts. We ave a Irntion slow at first perhaps to move. But throughout our history our reoolution and determination have been not dism~yed but strengthened by the difficulties and da~ers w~ have had to encounter. It will be the same in this great struggle,. . Let us theref.ore go f'orward with determinatj_pn, endurance Rnd confidence until victory is won~ 9/2/40 No. 15. 11.1he following announcement will be included by the Secretary of State for Air in his Bristol speech on Saturday, February 10th. This addition will probably be inserted after the passage dealing with the Empire Training Scheme. ++++++++++ NOTE: THIS IS NOT TO BE -PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST BEFORE 2.30 p.m. G.M.T. ON THAT DATE~ ++++++++++ "I am nlso glad to be able to say that not only are we employing on a considerable scale Canadian aircraft firms in the production of different type aircraft for the Royal Air Force, but the Group Organisation which we established as a result of the Mission to Canada in 1938, has now been widely extended and entrusted with further orders to the value of roughly £6,000,000 for covering the production of aircraft of the latest type". --------000--------­ AIR AFFAIRS PRESS NOTICE .. Messrs. O.G,. Smith & Company of Durban have offered a gift of 950 tons of refined sugar to the Royal Navy, the gift to be pl aced unconditionally 'at the disposal of the AdrniraJ.ty. This very generous offer has been gratefully aecepted. ADMIRALTY, Whitehall, s.w.1. -----000----­ 9/2f40.__::..Jio• 17. MORNING OF SATURDAY? 1Oth FEBRUAHY7 1940 (Simultaneous publication in Englanq and in India has _?een ar-ranged.) The Secretary of State for India has appointed Sir Courtenay Latimer 9 J:C.C.I.E. 9 c.s.I. 9 as one of his Advisers under Section 278 of the Government of India Act 9 19359 in succession to the late Sir Reginald Glancy. INDIA OFFICE 9th February9 1 940. UNOFFICIAL NOTE Sir Courtenay r.atimer has been Secretary to the Crown Hepresentative (the Vicero~ r and Governor-General of India acting in his capacity as His Uajesty's Representative in relations with the Indian States) since the 1st December 9 1938 9 and has served in a variety of posts in t he Indian Political Serivice almost continuously since 1908. He is expected to join the India Office in June next. 9/2/40 No• '.!-8• RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION AFTER 9o30 R.m. ON FRIDAr,__FEBRUARY 9, 19 o. MEM. T_9_9_1[B-EDI TO RS: As this script is being i ssued in advance, it is necessary to check it against the actual broadcas t at 9.15 :p.m. this (Friday) evening in the B.B.C. Home Service on 391 or 449 metres. 11 0 N C E A W E E K11 TALK BROADCAST BY 11 0NLOOKER11 • The B.B.C. annourm.ces tha t "Onlooker" broadeast the :Lollowing talk.9 entitled 110nce a Week" this (Friday) evening:­ In Germany this ·week, a comedian appearing in a Cabaret Show felt he would like to rn2ke a joke, sb he said this to the audience:­ 11 In the old days we could not complain; everything was all right. Now, everything is even better; but how happy we would be if everything Y@:.§. all right". Not a very good joke; but good enough to get the poor comedian twelve months' imprisonment! Well~ things are better here; and it's our business to keep them so. To be able to speak freely is a very precious thing, and esi::iecially if we can speak freely about those things ·which touch us most closely. You know the kind of thing I mean -small things as well as big thi~gs -not only about Freedom and Democracy and the future of Europe; or Unemployment and Social conditions, but the smaller things as well, which have such power to sustain and comi'ort or to cast clown and distress -in short, all the tilings big ana_ little which r:12ke up our war-time life. I 1m told there's no danger of my getting twelve months' if I talk freely about these things . I hope it's right, though you may think that people don't always get their deserts! But out of free ond f'riendly talk comes something enormously worth while! How very much worth while we never know until we lose it 1 I c1on ' t know what's happened to you but the lot of war-work I've undertaken to do has t aken me away from the f'riends I've worked vrith :Lor years, and I haven't seen any of them for nearly :five r:ionths . I don't mind saying that I miss therri, but I miss most of' all the tasks we used to have together and the encourage­ment they gave. I expect mo.ny of you are like that too, and I'm quite sure there is room for a t alk of the kind we used to enjoybefore ~riends got separated. /For -2­ For one thing it will help us to look at things in the ~roper way, and in these days that1 s above rubies~ . Some people call it 11 attitude of mind.11 ; but whatever you call it, in time of vvar, particularl;sr in a total war like this, when our way of life is turned topsy-turvy, there is a danger that our way of looking at things gets topsy-turvy too. We must get things in their right proportion; that's the only way of salvation: Of course , it doesn't always work out like this, for as they say in the North Country -"there's nowt so g_ueer as folk" o You've heard of the old lady who was terrified of air-raids to whom a neighbour said by way of comfort ­ "Well, you know, London may never be bombed11 ­ and with indignation the old lady said ­ 11 \/1/hat! and after all the expense we've been put to! 11 Still I'll try to look at things with you, week by week, with reason and with common senseo And now as I give you a friendly shake of the hand, as it were 1 just to introduce myself, let me conclude the intro­duction in this way ­ This is no philosopher t alking to you who has achieved for himself the miracle of the serene mind! not a bit of it; rather ~s it somebody beset on every s~de, as you are, with the daily a~ties and difficulties~ but who yet believes that it is enormously important to face them in the right way. Now, there's rather a good illustration ready to our hands for the remainder of this first talk0 The Black-out I should imagine, is one of the things which has really come closest to us! I don1 t suppose we'll ever get really reconciled to it, and some things we still say about it are as Jack's brother in Garrison Theatre would say -11 very much Blue Pencil! 11 Getting Black Material for windows from shops which hadn't got any; being dragged out of the house because of a chink of light from the kitchen window, and sitting in railWf!Y carriages in utter darknessL Yes -very much Blue Pencil! But things improved as time went on -as things (Heaven be praised!) have a habit of doing, and now we've settled down to make the best of it -and to forget the irritations and the inefficiencies. But there have been some curious conseg_uences. I expect you1 ve been doing what I've been doing these last five months; you've been turning the knob of yoar wireless to get foreign stations -just to hear what they were saying! And the things I've heard! One of these nights I'll t alk to you about that and I think it will be g_uite interesting; But the turning of that knob to which the Bl ack-out drove you is a most remarkable thing if you stop to think about it. Just run up and down the scale and you hear voice after voice in all sorts of languages crying out from all sorts of countries ­for the world to listen! Day and Night the voices are calling! • Some/ 3 Some are speakinry to their own neople; some are speakins for the Neutrals to hear; and some are sDeaking to the enemy. That last is the most remarkable thing~ For the first time in the history of war we can listen to the voice of the enemy': Ths.t' s worth thinking :::ibout~ It is the voice of the enemy, and of course, a voice anxious to injure, to poison, to destroy: -and p~rticularly to injure you and your peace of mind. The voice may be honeyed -or it may not -but it is the voice of the enemy! It seems hardly believable, but if we had done in Germany what we've all been doing with perfect freedom here for five months, we might have been sentenced to death -and by the Axe at that! Have you ever seen a man sentenced to death? I have -and it's an awful moment -never to be forgotten ­never! The cold detached voice setting a term to a man's life -11 you must die" -but that man hadn't just turned a knob! And if we had escaped the Axe, we might have got a long term of imprisonment. A little inn-keener in Hamburg turned on the French Radio for his customers -and he got three years hard l abour for doing it. Well, all this is dreadful enough; but the things that go with it are dreadful too -the Police spying round your house -more dreadful still somebody in your own house betraying you to the Dolice, possibly your own daughter (the thing is not unknown) the child having been brought up by the Nazis to think this was the proper thing to do! Well, what's the Doint of this little side-light on the Black-out? This! People are threatened with death and imprisonment ­because their Rulers dare not let them hear the truth! They black-out the mind and the intelligence, and, above all, they try to black out the truth! But in England you can read in the newspapers everyday the hour at which the voice of the enemy will speak from Germany! There's the pr oper way to look at that! Another i;oint occurs to me in this t oy.lie too. Whilst Germany won't let her people listen, not even to the harmless neutral s, nevertheless she Dours out an unending stream for other countries. And she doesn't mind a bit how the facts o.re twisted, Here's a. good example; -4 ­ Many of you heard for yourselves the speech Mr. Churchill made at Manchester the other Saturday. You lmow there Y'las some i nterruption because you heard it. Well, the Germans made a record of it. Then they chose certain passag~s, addsd a commentary of their own, and sent it out broadcast! From Bremen they added. a commentary in Dutch: from zeesen in Greek: from Leipzig in E.. rench: and from Hamburg in English. But when they told the story to America they really let ·themselves go! They said the speech was made "amid moans and boos and cries of 11 stop the war" "Give us jobs" "We want more food11 • In another broadcast to America they said the speech was a "terrible fiasco" and finally t hat Mr. Churchill was shouted off the platform by a r ebellious Lancashire audience. Ana_ lots more like it: Well, that's the technique applied pretty well to everything -great or small. Distorted, exaggerated 5 twisted to suit their purpose. The purpose ~here was to give an impression of a di vision between the people and the Government. It springs, of course , from a deep-seated wish on the part of the enemy; and as He listen, as we can and do, it's sometimes difficult to remember that it is the voice of the enemy, and it is a voice being used for the enemy's purpose -tQ.defeat .~ou! To look at this in the proper way it's good to remember that in this country o:t:ir-public men can go freely from city to city to aa_r ess public meetings , announced well in advance, 8nd where they are not afraid of reasonable interruption -and where people can interrupt -and do! What do you suppose woul d have happened to an interrupter in Germany: or even one who didn't cheer at the right moment? You know the answer: and there's the great gulf that lie~ betwen that land and ours! Now the time is almost gone , but there's still a. moment for a last important word seeing that we are talking about the black-out. Perhaps the most important! It's about the deaths on the roads. Do you lmow that over a thousand a month are killed on the roads, and over seven hundred a month are pedestrians over fifteen years of age killed in the black-out1 It really won't bear t hinking about, if you've a little imagination~ Well, what's to be done? Penalties, rc,ntrictions, safety devices -yes, certainly -but all useless unless we take care, and infinite car~ <;>Ur:5elves. You remember that wonderful film of H.G.Wells: "The Invisible Man" -where you saw the foot prints only of the Jnvisible Man as he walked. Well, the pedestrian' s like that oi' worse than that in the black-out. C~re, more care, and still more c~r~ ­ that's the only way t0 nefeat the bl ack-out, and rob it o~ its terrors. Now 9 I must say 'Good-Ni ght'. It's been a 'bit s