AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN 2'0/1 2/39 -NO 1 The Air Ministry announce:s:­ A German news agency has issued a report that aircraft of the R.A.F. have both this morning and this afternoon dropped bombs on the towns of Rantum and Hoernu1J11 in the island of Syl..te This statement is entirely false. +++++++++ NOT TO BE QUOTED AS AN AIR MINISTRY ANNOTTNCEMENT. 20.12.39 No. 2. THE R.A.F. GIYP. A SHOW. The entertainments officers of Royal Air Force Stations live in a crescendo of activity as Christmas approaches. Pnntomines are in rehearsal, dance bands are practising, scenery is takin~ shape, and producers are working 24 hours a day. A pre-Christmas concert held at a northern aerodrome of the Coastal Command this week proved that there is a wenlth of real talent beneath the blue-grey uniforms of the Royal Air Force. The large drill-hall was packed when the curtains parted to reveal the "S-Wing Commanders" band, in neat blue and gold uniforms, conducted by an aircraftman in faultless evening dress. The performers included a pianist who is an L.R.A. M., a drummer with a laughter provoking countenance and a xylophonist who has featured in many stage shows and broad­casts. The band's orchestrations were arrnnged by one of the waiters in the Officers' Mess. The progre.mme included an amateur Geor,::re Formby, who, as an air gunner, had been seeking enemy aircraft hundreds of miles over the North Sea a few fours earlier. Conjuring of a high order was performed by an aircraftman who is a member of the Magic Circle, and the Station uostal clerk, (who adds to his accomplishments an amateur welter-weip;ht championship) contributed love ballads in a rich tenor voice. A "lightning cartoonist", who worked for a newspaper before the war, but who is now a sergeant-pilot doing long distance reconnaissance flying, drew unflatterin'T, sketches of German and Russin..n leaders, but gave his impression of the Officer Commandj_np: the station with noticeably ?reater /discretion -2­ discretion• . The likeness was greeted with a roar of applause. The Station rhym~~e~ recited a score of verses of local and topical interest, composed by himself. In rich Yorkshire dialect he wound up thus : The Fuehrer made speech to the nation, Su¥gesting that battl~ should cease. He d got piece of Poland he wanted, So everyone else could have peace. But we sent a reply back to Hitler, A reply that had no ifs or buts. It conveyed in polite but terse language That he and his boy friends are 11 nuts11 • Compereing the show, singing, scene shifting and producing was the Station Medical Officer, a big, fair-haired tornado of efficiency. He had worked untiringJ.;V' in his spare time for the success of the show, and he was given a tremendous welcome by his audience of 11 patients1'. In his student days at Bristol University 11 the Doc" was a noted singer, and he has broadcast on several occasions. He hopes that his next show "by the Station for the Station" will include some tap-dancing and chorus turns by WAAFs who have just arrived. AIR MINISTRY, WHITEHALL,S.W,l. gpL.J 2/39 -No .3. OFFICIAL ADNIRALTY COMHUffIQUE The Admiralty announce that the German liner Columbus, 3-2,581 tons, on sighting one of H.,Mo ships some four hundred miles north of Bermuda, set herself on fire and her crew abamdoned her. No further information is yet available. ADMIRALTY, SoWo1 e -P+++++++++ 20/12/39. No.4. NO'tICE TO IMPOJ.{TBRS N0.25. Cauliflowers & Broccoli fro_l1} Fran~. The Import Licensing Department of the Board of Trade announce that as from the 1st January, 1940, and for the remainder of the present season licensing of cauliflovrnrs and bI•occoli from J:i,rance ':Jill be carried out with the co-operation of the National Federation of Fruit & Potato Trades Ltd. All enquiries and applications for licences should, as from the date of this Notice, be addressed to the Secretary, National Federation of Fruit & Potato Trades Ltd., Russell Chambers, Covent Garden, London, 1:1.C.2, Import Licensing Department, Board of Trade, 25, Southampton Buildj_n.gs, Chancery Lane, London, W, C, 2a 20th December, 1939. The following communig_ue was issued this morning by the French G.H. Q. :­ Nothing to report. ---000--­ EMPIRE AFFAIRS ~"o~·-6...!.. PAYMENT OF RHODESIAN SOLDIERS IMPROVING CONDITIONS .OF SERVICE Rhodesian soldiers are now serving in several parts of Africa, and, to judge from letters which have been published in the local Press, are enjoying their adventures. Those serving in West Africa, however, complained that their pay was inadequate" There was ground for thiG complaint, for the Government of Southern Rhodesia thought originally that the troops would be going under practically active service conditions and would be living on an all-found basiso But soon the authorities became aware that the conditions wer~ more than those of peace than of war, and that the soldiers were being involved in uncontemplated personal expenditureo Negotiations were therefore opened with the Imperial Government and with the administrations of the four West African Colonies concerned to get the position placed on a mo~e satisfactory footingo Concessions have already been made. The Rhodesian Government has authorised the payment, as a charge against Southern Rhodesia, of the 3/-per day ration allowance to which the troops are entitled when not receiving rations. Other additional allowances are under consideration. _____11ii1111 ----­ EMPIRE AFFAIRS 20/12/39 -No!!.l .QHRJ..§_TMAS IlJ ULSTER A_J;IOLIDAY RUSH TO CROSS THE WATIIB A big rush of holiday-makers is going from Great JB'.ritain to Ulster for Christmas. In spite of war-time restrictions, thousands have booked for Belfast and other centres, and the Passport Office in London ·whose job it is to issue the travel permits, is ov.erw'helmed with applications9 Many have left application to almost the last minute and will probably be disappointed. Up to January 1, all women and children of Northern Ireland can make the journey without restriction, but for their return to Great Britain they must obtain the usual exit permit from any Police Station in Ulster, The Inspector General of the Royal Ulster Constabulary has arranged for his permit staff to be on duty throughout the holidays .. ---000--­ BOARD_QUJ2.P..QL'J'_I OJ:LA~01J.!;T C:Cl.1:mt\f T.:-g..Qf.1.....,.2/.....,3......,9_ ___._N_..O..:.-•_8...... J2._J2.UCP..TI ON BY HAPS. The wider use of Ordnanc,e maps as an aid to the study of England is advocated by the Board of Education in a Memorandum issued to schools to-dayo \'lhatever may be the educational loss suffered by children who have been evacuated, it is agreed on all hands that there is one positive gain. Town-bred children are daily enlarging their ex.­periences and discovering for themselves something of the face of England -ru1d finding it very g oode Even in peace time it is very doubtful whether schools ever used maps as much as they should. There is usually no lack of wall maps and atlases; but sch:Jols seldom have maps of their crnn neighbourhood in whj_ch children can find woods and streams, hi J.ls and valleys and other ~eatures Vv'hich would otherwise escape their notice. No other country in the world provides its people with so cheap, so varied., ru1d so compl ete a range of maps from vvhich a choice can be made. There is, for inst ance, a map giving a complete repre­sentation of Britain as it existed during the Roman occupation. Roman roads, towns, villages, potteries, mines, military sites, villas and other large hou.ses and inhabited caves are shovm, whilst areas of natural woocl.land. have ·been restored from geological evidence and clearly marked" One map shows England as it existed about A.D.800 and another, of l 7tho century England, classifies the t ovvns ancl. ports in order of their impor~ancc and gives the main economic products of each region. To children in the \!est CountPy, a map of Neolithic Wessex should be of great interest as it shov:s the flint mines and habitation sites of proba.bly the earliest inhabi ta:nts 0f these islands., There is a similar map of the Trent Basin. Many ru1c:'..ent roads~ sor.1e of prehistoric origin can be traced; some have bec:nme mode2n "fil•st class11 r oads but others have been happily forgotten and r emain delights to be exploredo 11Peddar' s \:a;>r1' /may -2­ .may be cited as a single example. In parts it is a country road, in parts it is overgrown, but everywhere it is still traversable. "A tank" 1 states the Board? "might perform the useful public service of clearing some of these overgrown sections -perhaps a party of school children could be stimulated t o achieve the same effect." These maps only cost a few shillings each and for the sum of £2 -£3, each school could and should supply itself with these almost ind.ispensible starting points for any study of the land in which we live. -----000----­ EMPIRE AFF,\IRS 20.12.39. -No. 9. - TORONTO CITIZEN "BUYS 11 WAR HOSPITJ-1.L IN BRITJ~Il1T Hearing thct the sum of %150,000 would praovide for the entire cost of hospital buildings being erected in Buckinghamshire, a private citizen of Toronto sent an anonymous cheque for the whole amount, and has thus enabled Canada to 11buy11 its first War hospital overseas. The gift was made to the Toronto branch of the Red Cross Society, where %825,000 was raised in the i'ix•st fortnight of the Dominion-wide campaign to provide %3,000,000 for Red Cross work. By the end of last month, the Fund, which was inaugurated on November 12, had already reached %2,988, 799. ----oOo---­ 20/12/39 -No.10 Not from War Office. DEEDS OP VALOUR I N THE FRENCH ARMY. (Communicated from G. Q.G. for Commissariat General a 1 'Information.) ( 1 ) On the night of the 24th-25th November, an outpost of the "nth" regiment of infantry, commanded by Sergeant BONIS was established in a fortified position in some houses at the northern edge of Grossblieder-Stroff, on the main road to Saarbrilckeno The night had been calm; some snow had fallen. At about 4 a.m. the sentries heard a slight noise and sounds of whispering. Thew informed the commander of the outpost, who fired a flare, and caught sight of a patrol of Germans advancing towards the outpost. Sergeant BONIS immediately decided to let the enemy approach quite close in order to surprise them and to try and take prisoners. He warned and posted his men, and as soon as the Germans were within range, they were greeted by a shower of hand-grenades. They replied, and a hot engagement with hand-grenades took place, in which Sergeant BONIS set his men a fine example of calm courage and energetic resourcefulness. His right hand had been shattered early on in the fight, and he continued to throw bombs with his left hand, tearing the pins out with his teeth, until two fingers of his remaining hand were cut by splinters. The German attack had been repulsed thanks to the courage of Sergeant BONIS, but his action cost him his right hand and the partial mutilation of his left. This non-commissioned officer has been awarded the medaille militaire. (2) A handful of men under Second Lieutenant "X" was making a reconnaissance during the night. They laid an ambush in a wood and prepared to capture the enemy post which, at dawn each day, came to take up position on its edge. At about 7 o'clock, a strong German detachment advanced through the wood, discovered the ambush, and opened fire. While the left of the group of French soldiers engaged the enemy with rapid fire, the right was led by the officer in an attempt to take the enemy in the rear. Four Germans were killed by one corporal and one soldier. At this moment, two more German detachments appeared on the right, supported by a machine-gun. Hard-pressed by the enemy in superior numbers, the officer gave the order to retire. It was necessary, however, to cross a space of 50 yards directly in the fire of the machine-gun. The situation was serious. At that moment, Private "Y" went forward and engaged the machine-gun with his automatic rifle. The enemy machine-gun ceased fire, and the handful of French soldiers were able to make good their retreat I . .. -2 ­ under cover of fire of the French 75's. The French patrol rejoined its lines without the loss of a single man; a1though it failed to take prisoners 9 it inflicted at least half-a-dozen casualties on the enemy. (3) This is the story of how9 on the 30th October 9 at "V", Lieutenant R. and his men succeeded in capturing a German Adjutant 9 N.C.O., seven men 9 and a number of weapons. Lieutenant R. 9 who belonged to a reconnaissance group; had 9 for two days, been occupying the advance post of "V" with a group. of machine-guns and a section of cavalry9 constantly under enemy fire. On the night of the 18th-19th October, the first attack took place. After a sharp engagement, in which the Fl:-ench showed great dash and courage 9 the enemy were compelled to retreat. On the following night, at 11 o'clock the Germans returned and rifle fir '; continued 9 without interruption until daybreak. At about 6 o'clock, one of the French scouts caught sight of shadows moving back from tree to tPee. A machine-gun immediately cut off their retreat, and as daylight dawned the effect of this fire became apparent. The German patrol was decimated; survivors surrendered. Then9 a German-speaking trooper left the lines and advanced alone towards the enemy to interpret. The "catch" was a good one, and valuable information was obtained. (4) An enemy patrol emerged suddenly from a dense wood on the fringe of which was a French advance-post. The Commander of the post rushed forward and shot down tho leaEller of the German patrol, which then dispersed in confusion and made off. But a moment later9 heavy rifle fire rang out through the mist. Our post, which consisted of about 20 men, was being attacked by a Company of Germans. Outnumbered by five to one, our men held up the attack and retreated inch by inch towards a farmat the end of the clearing. To relieve this pressure, the Colonel ordered two detachments to advance on either side of the clearing. The first got to close grips with the main enemy force; the lieutenant in charge of the other heard the firing. Showing great initiative he did not hesitate to lead his· men straight across to the reli~f of his corr::>ades. Should he have carried on according to orders, on his side of the clearing? This handful of men, running through the fog, attacked the Germans on the flank and forced them to retire in disorder, back into the cover of the wood. Our advance-post was recaptured. Once again, French Infantry proved their steadfastness in defence and their flexibility in attack. (5) At dawn, on the 28th November, a reconnaissance patrol set out in charge of Second Lieutenant BOULUBA.CHE. On a dozen occasions since his arrival in his sector, this young officer had shown marked ability and coolness on similar expeditions. So, it was with absolute trust ; that Sergeants J1ULGET 9 POIVREL 9 MOHR and DUGRUEZ 9 Cor•poral AGUILLON and Trooper DIETSCH followed their enterprising-Yeader who has a happy knack of imparting his self-confidence to his men. As soon as they were past the lines, the country became difficult 9 cut-up and wooded .. .A small enemy observation post was skirted 9 each man straining every nerve to avoid a sudden encounter with enemy patrols which would jeopardise the success of the sortie. Some dogs started a furious barking; it was decided to double back and make a series of detours to put the dogs off the -3 ­ scent. This manoeuvre seemed to succeed and our men · advanced once more in their original direction. But onoe againl the barking started, and feeling that it was discovered, the patrol could not continue to advance without the risk of being cut off, Lieutenant BOULUBAQ.!i:fil decided to retire. Suddenly, they caught sigh-=tc:)°f an enemy patrol -a sergeant and four men ­some fifteen yards away, lying down near a track which had to be crossed. All the time the dogs were barking.-Taldng stock of the situation immediately the Lieutenant and Sergeant FULGET jumped the track and taking the Germans bysurprise, knocked two of them dovm. into the ditch, T But Lieutenant BOULUBACHE, followed by his men, did not leave it at that; they-attacked with hand-grenades, and put a third man out of action. Himself wounded in the right elbow, his rifle slipped out of his hands, but he managed to recover it and shot the survivors. All this took but a few minutes, and German patrols Yvere rushing to the spot. The Frenchmen made off back to their lines having picked up much useful information during their three kilometre penetration into enemy territory. They all got back safely at 12.30 hours. Once more Lieutenant BOULUBACHE had.. shown himself to be a leader of men, and although wounded, had carried out his mission and brought back to his Commanding Officer valuable information on the enemy advanced positions. --...000--­ EMPIRE AFFAIRS FIJI' S WAR EFFORTS INDIANS ARE HELPING Fijian and Indian residents in Fiji, in addition to the British communities, have been sending their shillings to the Red Cross Fund, for which the single newspaper in the islands has been appealingo crver £1,000 has been raised in the first two months of the waro The Local Defence Force has been expanded to a strong 1st BRttalion and another Battalion is being formed. The old Government Buildings, due for demolition, have been repaired and adapted as Battalion Head~uarters and Barracks. Det ermined efforts ar e also being made to increase the cultivation of the root-crop dalo, the Fijian's staple food, and of maize and sweet potatoes, in order to lessen the import of f ood-stuffso Prices of crops have been stabilized to pr event any possible profiteering in the sale of the necessities of .life. EMPIRE AFFAIRS. 20.12.39. -No,12o THE TRINIDAD NAVAL VOLUNTEERS. A REil'lFORCED PATROL. Britain's Naval Base in Trinidad has been strongly reinforced by the formation of a Naval Volunteei" unit, which at is now working/full strength. The "Trinidad Naval Volunteers11 as the unit is called, was formed without any recruiting campaign, but in spite of that, five times the number of men re~uired applied for enlistment. The men are drawn from all parts of the Colony, from Sangre Grande, Tob~go, San Fernando, Barataria, and, of course, from Port of Spain. Many are yachtsmen and deep sea fishermen; some have served in the navy or merchant marine; some are youths fresh from school. Most of them know the waters they patrol as well as they know the streets of their native towns? Among the keenest recruits are the members of the Signaller Squad, formed ·from ex-Boy Scouts, whose morse and semaphore training has become a vital link in the Colony's defencee The Naval Base which the Volunteers have joined forms a self-contained unit. The personnel includes mechanics, carpenters, electricians, boat builders, cooks and stewards, besides the regular seameno -------0~0------­ MINISTRY OF LABOUR & NATIONAL SERVICE Press Notice TIJ_'if BOX TRJl,J)E BOlk'tD (GREAT BRITAIN). The Tin Box '.I.'r::.de Boaru. (Great Britain) reached a unanimous decision at a meeting on 19th December to give notice of prop:isal to increase the present minin:um rates of wages in tho trade a.s follows: - ProuoGed minimum rate. HALE WOI~KERS. Knife Hana.s ) or 1. 4~. Press I-lends ~ Worker§ other than Knife or Press Hands. 21 years of age or over 1. 1~d. 1. 2~ 20 and under 21 years of age 1. -~• 1. 4 19 and under 20 II " 1 age 10id· 112d• II II 18 and under 19 age 9~. 9;id. fl' II " ­ 17 and under 18 ., age 6%d· 74d.. II II 16 and under 17 1 age 5~. 6d. 15 and under 16 II " 3 age 4i-d· 4}'d. Under 15 years of age 3-~. 32i:d· FEMll.LE WORKERS. Workers of 18 years of age or over Sid. Workers of 17 ?,nd under 18 years of age 7d. Workers of 16 and undBr 17 years of age Workers of 15 and under 16 years of age Workers under 15 years of age Consequential increases are prop:ised in tho piece work basis time rates, overtime rates and the rates of holiday rerruneration. The employers representatives undertook to use their influence with all merribers of their Federation to bring the increased rates into operation for the first f\J.11 pay period in the New Year. H.Q.444-480 L.I. (51.i\.-1429) Wt. M887-5885 20,000 1!/SO T.l!I. 677 20/12/39 FHAITCO-~)!r'L~H S'.lLIDMHTY COMIUTT-:E Loi'.'d Derby as President 9 and Sir T;ric Phipps as Chairman ; wou1d be most grateful if the Press cou1d lend their support in giving wide publicity to the following notice:­ N0 t for publication or broadcast bef0re 1 a .m. on Thursday 9 Decem-ber 21st. In order to demonstrate the solidarity of Angl0-French friendship 9 two special Committees ho.ve been set up in London and Paris. The President of the British Committee is Lo:Ml Derby; the Chairman is Sir ;:ric Phipps 9 late Ambassador in Paris; the Vice ­Chairman? CaDtain ,T . H.P. LcEwen9 M.P.; and the other members nf the Comr1ittee are the Countess of Be ssborough 9 CffDtain Lio.lcolm Bullock, H.P. 9 the Marquis de Castellane 9 Sir \falter Citrine, the llarchioness of Crewe, Sir Alexander Hardinge 9 Lad~r Peel 9 l' '.r. B.S. Townroe and Sir J0hn For1.Jes l/atson? l'.r. F' .\I . Charlton is the Honorary SecI'etary. This Committee is w0rking at 1, J ld Burlington Street, London, v1.1., and is 1cnown as the United Associati0ns of Great Britain and l"rance (Solidarity Committee)o The 1:1 resident of the French Committee is the lilarCJ.uis de Vogi.ie 9 (President of the Association -France -Grande-Bretagne) and the Vice-Presidents 9 M. de Laboulaye 9 former French Ambassador at i ;ashington9 and M. Pichat, President of the S ~cours National. The Secretary-General is Il . Prault. The French Comr1ittee• includes ­ M. de Chanterac 9 President of the National Pede ration of Agricultura1 Unions; M. L~on Jouhaux 9 President of the C. G.T. ; r.1. Laver gne 7 Presiden t of t h e General Feder EJ.tion ')f Employer>s; M de Peyerimhoff 9 Pr1:sident of 11Art et Tourisrne". Complete lists of the members of the two Committees in both countries wil1-be published in due course. -2 ­ The British Committee is already sending certain gifts of materials to the wives of French soldiers and others in France. The French Committee is s ending gifts to the British Expeditionary Force andis undertaking to afl sist in the entertaining of British soldiers on leave in Franceo All those who have the cause of Anglo-French friendship at heart are aslced to send gifts of blankets, boots 9 · a11 forms of clothing and materials for clothing9 to the Earl of Derby at 93 9 Eaton Sq_uare 9 Lond.on 9 S. II.l. Cheques and money gifts should be sent to Mr. J. Mcqueen Smith, Hon. Treasurer9 United Associations of Great Britain and France (Solidarity Committee), Royal Bank of Scotlandy Burlington Gardens 9 London 9 W.l. FROM PRESS & CENSORSHIP BUREAU -------000------­ EMPIRE AFFAIRS 20/12/39 -No. 15 CUBA1!?RITISH RESIDENTS GET TOGETHER EMERGENCY SERVICE COMMITTEE lB'ritish residents in Guba, r!est India's largest island, have formed an Emergency Gorrnnittee, under the Chairmanship of the British Minister, to co-ordinate their war activitiesQ On the Corrnnittee are represented the British Bureau of Information, the Fritish Club and British Legion, the SteAndrew's Society and other kindred institutions. -----oOo----­ 20/12/3~.=_J{o!.16. STATEMENT GIVEN TO QGr~RESPONDENTS AT~_fQJifIJ3TRL.Qf ECONOMIC WARFARE ON DECEMBER 20TH AT ) P. M. On December 19th there were 62 neutral ships in the three Contraband Control bases in the United Kingdom, of which 28 had been there for 5 days or less. This total :1mcluded:.:..: 31 Dutch (17 for five days or less) II II II 11 9 Swetlish(3 ) " II II ti II 8 Danish (2 ) " II II II II 7 Norvrngian(3 ) II II ti 4 Belgian (2 ) " There were also one Greek, onw Latvian, and one Yugoslav ship, of which the last had been detained for 5 days only. During the week ending December 16th the Contraband Committee considered the cargoes of 104 ships which had arrived since December 9th, and 62 outstanding cargoes from the previous week. The continued total included ships of the following nationalities :­ 40 Italian 30 Norwegian 29 Dutch 20 Swedish 9 British 9 United States 6 Danish 4 Belgian In one case, an entire cargo was seized, whilst in 91 cases entire cargoes were released, either on first consideration or after enquiries. The system under which advance copies of manifests of cargoes are received and considered before the ships' arrival at ports in this country resulted, during the week under review, in 19 cases being so dealt with, and in 15 cases of the ships concerned being released by the Committee, subject merely to the formal checking of the original manifests on their arrival at the Control Bases. EMPIRE AFFAIRS 20.12.39. -No. 17. CANADA' S GOLD OUTPUT MOUNTS Ranking third, after South Africa and Russia, among the gold-producing countries of the wor1.d9 Canada was able t o declnre an increase of almost 167~ in her output for 1938 (of which the gross value was placed at %166,205,990) compared with that of the previous year. The Province of Ontar io ranks first with a production of nearly 3,000,000 ounces, and Quebec, British Columbia and Lianitoba bet ween them provided over 1,500,000 ounces. ----oOo---­ 20/12/39 No 18 PRESS NOTICE The Ministry of Home Security, in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport and the Air Ministry, have accepted for ~eneral adoption a scheme devised by London Trans~ort's engineers to improve the interior lighting of buses and trolley-buses. The scheme which, by a new design of shade enables every lamp inside the vehicle to be used without throwing light outside, should enable all passengers to r eado Steps are being t aken to demonstrate vehicles fitted with the new shades to public service vehicle operPtors in Gr~at Britaino Owing to the time required to obtain and manufacture the necessary fittings it will be some time before the new lighting becomes general. Experiments are also being conducted in London to secure a driving light adapted to the special r equirements of buses and trolley-buses by us:i.ng two masked h·eadlamps each of half the usual powero MINISTRY OF HOME SECURITY 2QL12/39 No.,19 The difficulties created for the Post Office by the War have compelled the Postmaster-General to impose some restrictions upon the volume of postings connected with football and racing competitions, but this restriction does not prevent members of the public who obtain the forms of entry to such competitions otherwise than through the post, eogo:-from newspapers, from continuing to send their entries by post in the ordinary way as they do at 3:·r.esento From the 15th January, the Postmaster-General will not accept from promoters of football or racing pools circulars enabling persons to participate in football or racing poolso This restriction has become necessary because the Post Office is seriously handicapped by the withdrawal of experien.ced staff for service with the Forces, and by other di:fficulties caused by the war which will increase as time goes ono POST OFFICE, 20th DECmIBER, 1939 P.Oe 16010 URGENT JiTEWS AIR MilHSTRY BULLETJN 20/12/39 -Np. 20 FLIGHTS OF (GERMAN) IMAGINATION. WJNNThlG AIR BATTLES THAT NEVER TAKE PI,ACB. (NOT TO BE (),DOTED Af3 AN AIR MINISTRY .ANNOUNCEMENT) During the past few days an increasing degree of nervous excitability appears to have affected the German official mind in relation to the war in the aira On Monday the German agencies described in great detail an air battle over Sylt. wl"dch never took place.. This -was obviously done for the purpose of helping to bolster up the fantastic fig'ures of aircraft said to be engaged and brought down in the action over the Heligoland Bight. Yesterday this feat of imagination was surpassed by an even more remarkable series of inventions. Sylt was again the arena chosen; details were given of the length of time taken by the operations; tactics of British aircraft were described as well as their engagement by German fighters. But not content with this, the German agencies went much further and actually invented an attack on the towns of Hoernum and Rantum. AA official denial of this was issued last night by the Air Ministryo Not only is the German account devoid of truth in every detail, but the statements themselves provide the material for their ovvn refutation. For the irnaginative zeal of the authors of these reports has betrayed them into giving the most circumstantial details in re­lation to time. For example, we read that "at 2 p.m. people at Syltoff saw British bombers at a great height attacking Rantum. 11 In fact, there were no British aircraft within hundreds of miles of Sylt at that time. The reason for t hese fantastic inventions is not far to seek. Last night, the German announcer brazenly admitted the air attacks on 24 defenceless fishing vessels and tried to excuse them by describing the vessels as warships and naval auxiliaries. This excuse is transparently false and it is clear that an attempt is now being made to justify such :P:l agrant breaches of international law and decency by inventing a British attack on German towns. ----oOo---­ 20/12/39 -No.21 MINISTRY OF HJ~ALT}i. NATIONAL RLGISTRATION. New regulations under the National Regi stration A~t , 1939, have been made by the Home Secretary (Sir John Anderson), the Minister of Health (Mr. Walter Elliot) and the Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. John Colville). They deal with: (1) A ne"Vv Form of (Green) Identity Card "With Holder's De scri-pt ion. 11 Regulation 2 provides that the ordinary (Buff) Identity Card may be exchanged for a (Green) Ident ity Card 11 With Holder's Description11 to serve the Jmrposes of those persons who need to be able to produce evidence of bodily identity but do not possess such evidence in the form of any other acceptable document. A document of bodily identity may be required by a person ·wishing to obtain a permit under the Defence Regulations as , for example, to enter a Protected Area, or a Protected Place·. Application to exchange a Buff Identity Card· for a Green Identity Card cannot be made, and i s not required, by an alien, since the Aliens Registration Certi f i cate issued under the Aliens Order itself affords adequate evidence of bodily identity. Nor may such application be made by a person possessing a valid Pass­port, which will serve equally as an adequat e document of identity. The Green Identity Card is a three-fold Card, two parts of which contai n the particulars required by the Regulations to be entered upon the ordinary (Buff) Ident ity Card. The substituted Green Card will serve all the purposes of an Identity Card under the National Registration Act and Regulations. The additional (middle) portion of the Card will contain the photograph and signature of the holder and entries of his or her place and date of birt h and vi sible distinguishing marks , if any. Arrangements have lJeen made by the Regi strar-General for the necessary form of applicati on to be obtained in England and Wales at the National Registration Office for every County Borough and Metropolitan Borough and certain other selected areas. A list of the addresses of all National Regi stration Officers authorised to issue the ap:plication form and to deal with arr:)lications will be availabl e at all Police Stations and at all National Registra­tion Offices, including those not authorised to deal with a~plica­tions. When the application has been passed by the authorised local National Regi stration O~ficer, i t will be referred to t he Central National Registration Office, by which a Green Ident ity Card will be prepared and de spatched to the applicant. In Scotland the form of application may be obtained at any local National Registration Office. The address of these offices is usually the "Munici:i;lal Buildings11 in the case of a large Burgh and the "County Buildings 11 in the case of a County. In Orkney and Zetland special arrangements have been made whereby applica­tion forms may be obtained from any local Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marri ages in those counties. -2 ­ (2) Claims to be I'...,~cordea ip the National Register as not s~£ject ..1_q the National Service (Armed Forces;=Act 2 1939 Regulation 3 enables L man who claims that he is not subject to the National Service (An ned Forces) Act to apply for his claim to be recorded in the National Register. The reason for this is that when a Proclamation is issued under the Act all men withi:1 the specifJ :Jd ages are req_uired to register at a Local Office uf t he Llinistry of Labour and National Service y except those vrho f all into certain classes not subject to the Act. The National Register will be used to verify which men of these ages have duly registered and to account for those who have not done so. It is thought desirable, therefol::>e, that men who claim that they are among the classes not required to register shoumd have the opportunity of applying to have their claims recorded so that they may be accounted for ·without the necessity of troubling them with enquiries as to why they have not registered. The classes of r,1en who may desir'e to claim that they are not required to r egister under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act are _riJliens y British subjects belonging to a Dominion, Colony etc. and not ordinarily resident in Great Britainy men employed in the service of a Dominion or Colonial etc~, Government, men in Holy Orders or r egular ministers of any r eligious denomination, men of unsound mind and mental defectives an5 blind persons. The men more particularly concerned ar ~ those of the ages required to register by Proclamations already issued, but no objection would be raised to claim also being made by men in advs.pce of a Proclamation applying to their ages. Only men in the classes mentioned above should apply under these arrangementso All other men must register under the National Service (Armed Forces) Acb when men of their ages are required to do so. In the case of persons of unsound mind and mental defectives, the Regulation provides for the application being made 'by the persons or institutions having them in charge or under care or supervision. In the case of blind personst arrangements are being made for their certification by the appropriate local authority. .. A form of' applicatio1·1 (Form No Ro 68) is provided upon which all such claims may ·be made. The form will be obtainable at any local National Registration Office 9 and when duly completed should be posted to the Central National Registration Office at the address printed on the form. In Scotland the application. form is Form NC! R. ~-4o Ministry of Health, \Jhitehall S. vV. lo 9 20 December 9 1939 ~0/12/39 -No. 22. The Board of Trade announce that the address of the Registrar of Deeds of Arrangement is now 296-298, North Promenade, Blackpool. (Telephone, Blackpool 2635). Note +"or the inf0r n:ation of th~ Press. The Director of the Censorship Division of the Press and Censorship Bureau has agreed that, as an exceptional measure, ~his address may be published. Board of Trade, 20th December, 1939. EMPIRE .AFFAIRS 20.12.39. -No. 23. BUTTER IN ULSTER To conserve supplies, the quantity of butter being released to retailers in Ulster is being restricted, and customers are getting only from four ounces per head per week. There has been some criticism of the restriction, in reply to which the Ulster IUnistry of Agriculture states:­ "Retailers are receiving supplies on the basis of their regiatered customers, and, although there is no official rationing, a distribution on the basis of four ounces per registered customer seems a fair way of dealing out the reduced supplies available. The public are again asked to exercise forbearance during the Christmas season and to appreciate that shopkeepers are trying to distribute their supplies as fairly as possible runong their customers". ---000--­ EMPIR . AFFAIRS 20/12/39 "OLD SOL])IEE~~)_Jfi~.Y}~E_J,?J]:." Ex-members of the famous 36th Ulster Division of the Great War are finding a new outlet for their activities in the present struggle-.,_-and-ar-e--ra llying_t-0 ·supp-ort--the recen-tly formed 6th Royal Ulster--Rifles Home. De±'e-nce Battalion. When the unit \Vas established a few w.eeks ago, as many men as 'Nere required were absor-bec1 inuJediately and recruiting is now to be re-o~enedo Ex-soldiers between the ages of 35 and 50 ar e needed, pr ovided that they have no disability. The strength of the Bat t a lion is to be greatly increased. -Its Conm1ander is Colonel W. Jo English, v. c. --------000------­ C 0 M M U N ~ Q U E. NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST BEFORE THE MORNIHG OF THURSDAY THE 21ST DECEMBER, 1939. (Simultaneous publication in India has been arranged) The Secretary of State for India has appointed Sir John Woodhead, K.C.S.Io, Co I.E., as one of his Advisers under section 278 of the Government of India Act, 1935. INDIA OFFICE. U!fOFFICIAL NOTE. Sir John Woodheaft joined the Indian Civil Service in 1904 and has served mainly in Bengal, where he wn.s a member of the Governor's :Ececutive Council for several yearsc He acted as governor in 1934 an.d, after being lent to the Home Government in 1938, for service as Chairman of the Palestine Partition Cormnission 9 he was recalled to Bengal last June to hold t he post of Governor, penc1.ing the arrival last month of a perma~ent successor to the late Lord Brabourne. EUROPEANS IN BURMA To ensure their best possible utilisation for the effective maintenance of essential industries and services. the Governor of Burma has, under the Defence of Burma Rules, prohibited the departure from British Burma without a permit of European male British subjects between the ages of 16 and 50 years who are ordinarily resident in British Burma. These orders do not apply to persons who have entered British Burma only for the purposes of transit. Issued by the Burma Office, Dec.20. 1939, AIR MINISTRY 20/12/39 No 27 Not to be published before morning newspapers of December 21st nor broadcr:st e2rlier than December 21st 8 a cmo in all countrieso Palestine Operations. 1936/39 Grant of the General S:;rvice M'edal with Clasp "Falestine" The Air Ministry announces: His Majesty the King has been gr8ciously pleased to command that the General Service Medal with clasp "Palestine11 shall be granted to the forces which were employed within the geographical limits of Pal estine and/or Trans-Jordan, between 19th April, 1936, Rnd 3rd September, 1939, both d8.tes inclusive., Provided the claims are apnroved by the Air Council, the medal with clasp will be gr~nted to officers and airmen who were on the strength of, or attached to, Royal Air Force units, and who served within the prescribed area between the dntes mentioneda Individuals already in possession of the General Service Medal will receive the clasp only. Officers no longer serving may obtain a copy of the form of apnlication from The Under Secret ary of State, Air Ministry, Kingsway, w.c.2. ~nd airmen no longer serving from the Officer-in-Char ge, Record Office, Royal Air Force, Ruislip, Middlesex. When compl et ed the form should be forwarded direct to The Under Sec~etary of Stat e, Air Ministry. 20th December, 1939. No. 28 M.A.F.118 MINISTRY OP ACmICULTURE ANNOUNCEIV!ENT THE BACKYliliD HEN . Turning Waste into Eg£§_. The Ministry of' Agri'culture has today issued a leaflet on upoultry Kee1Jing for Householders'' which contains inf ormation on feeding poultry with particular reference to the use of household scraps. The leaflet also contains plans of suitable houses. It is 0Growmor e 11 Leaflet No. 5. and single copies can be obtaine d free on application to the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, 10, Whitehall Place, London, s.w.1. It will be generally admitted that the subject is of special national importance at the present time when every :practical means of producing more home grown food should be explored and utilised. The keeping of Backyard Hens by householders can be made of very valuable assistance in this respect. , "" ( 20/12/39 -No.29, FOR MORNING PAPERS DECEMBER 21st NO EARLIER REFERENQ)~I;:----· Ili[)O-GERMAN TRADE INDIAN AFFAIRS. That Germany found India a very useful country to buy from and sell to is well brought out by the report for 1938-39 of the Indian Government Trade Commissioner stationed at Hamburg, Just before the war Germany was pushing well ahead with sales to India and succeeded at long last in the first quarter of this year in selling more to India than was bought in return. With the war Germany is cut off from the Indian market and others have the opportunity to take Germany's place. Sixtythree per cent of Germany's imports from India last year were mad.e up of jut-B:i cotton, tea, groundnuts, hides and skins. It is this import trade which the report deals with in detail.. It was pe:chaps signj_ficant that for the year ended March last Germany1 s imports of jute from India were the largest since 1929. In war conditions Germany cannot get any jute. At one time the United States and India between them used to supply almost the entire German requirements of cotton but these suppliers had yielded place in recent years to Brazil and Egypt. Hence it was not surprising that German purchases of India cotton continued to decline in 1938-39. Germany also used to buy a fair qu~ntity of hemp from India but had much curtailed purchases from all quarters owing to the rising domestic growth which increased from 200 tons in 1933 to 9,000 tons in 1938. It was significant t hat German purchases of Indian groundnuts for vegetable oil were increasing considerably before the war began; for the year the purchases were nearly 80 per cent larger than in 1937-38. Germany, which was a very important European importer of Indian manganese very drastically curtailed buying in 1938-39 and transferred the business in this vital element for steel making to South Africa. In the first quarter of this year German purchases of Indian manganese were running at only one seventh of the rate of the corresponding period in the previous year. PRESS NOTICE. FOR GENERAL RELEASE NOT BEFORE 8 P. M. 0 N WEDNESDAY. 20th DECEMBER. Withdrawal of legal tender status of Postal Orders. The Treasury announce that an Order in Council has been made under Section 2 of the Currency (Defence) Act, 1939, providing that after to-day (Wednesday, 20th December9 1939) Postal Orders shall no longer be legal tendero Anyone holding Postal Orders may, however, present them from tomorrow (Thursday) onwards, at any Post Office, which will encash them in accordance with the normal arrangements. As a result of the withdrawal of Postal Orders as legal tender the Postmaster General gives notice that on and from the 21st December the usual poundage will be charged on all Postal Orders issued. Certain denominations of Orders above 5s . , for which there is little demand, will be withdrawn from sale, but to meet public convenience the value of Postage Stamps which may be affixed to Orders for 5s. and above will be increased from 5d. to lld. In order to avoid the waste of paper which would be occasioned if the large stock of Postal Orders prepared for use as legal tender were cancelled, some denominations of Postal Orders will be issued for a time without a counterfoil attached. As soon as existing stocks of such Postal Orders are eXh.austed counterfoils will be resumed, and in the meantime purchasers are advised to make a note of the serial number of each Postal Order purchased. TREASURY 20th December, 1939. No. 31 M.A.F. 11~ N. f._ : IS ~;RY OB A·-~RICULTURE AN~OUNCEMEN'l'. The existe11ce of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed to-day amongst cattle at Benhall, Su:ff'olk. An Order has been issued whi~h is now in force, prohibiting the movement -except by licence -of all cattle9 sheep, pigs, goats and deer within approximately 15 miles of the infected place. The area subject to restrictions lies wholly in the county of Suffolk. 20/12/39 ••••••• •.__l'L9_.._)_2_,, FOR PRESS & BROADCA~T. The King has been pleased to ap1)rove o'n the recommendation of the Home Secretary the appointment of Mr. R. Richards 9 M.P., and Colonel J. T. Bruce, C.B., C. M. G. , D. s. o. , as Joint Regional Commissioners for the Welsh Civil Defence Region. These appointments, which will take effedt on 1st January, 1940, follow the resignation for personal reasons, of Lord Portal, Regional Commissioner, and talrn into account the imminent resignation of Captain Crawshay, Deputy Regional Commissioner, who is undertaking special duties for the Board of Trade. There will thus be in future two Joint Commissioners for the \'Jelsh Regi(')1 instead of a Commissioner and two Deputies. HOME OFFICE ---...-000------­ For Press and Broadcast 20/12/39· -No. 33. SUNDAY OPENING OF CINEJ!IAS A new procedure by which the Sunday opening of cinemas will be facilitated in areas where there are large numbers of His Majesty's Forces is announced by the Home Office. Under the provisions of the Sunday Entertairunents Act, 1932, draft orders to authorise Sunday opening cannot be submitted by boroughs or urban districts without a public meeting of local government electors being held, and without a poll if one is demanded by one hundred electors, or by rur,:-;l districts without a. local. inquiry. A Def ence Regul ation has now been made which modifies this procedure. The Regulation provides that on receipt of a certificate from the competant nav~l, military, or air force authority, that, hnving regard to the l arge numbers of His Majesty's Forces quartered in or in the neighbourhood of a particular ar en, it is expedient that the cinemas should be opened on Sundays, t he council of a borough or urban or rural district may, if they so decide, after giving the prescribed notice, submit a dr2ft order to the Home Secretary without a meeting of local government electors or a poll.or, in the case of rural di stricts, without a loco.l inquiry. An order so submitted will be l aid before Parli~ment by the Secret ary of St ate, ~nd will not become operative until it has rece ived the approval of both Houses. The power to open cinemas on Sundays under this emer gency procedure will be brought to an end when the Defence Regulation ceases to be in force. As the Sunday Entertainrnents Act does not apply outside England and Wales the scope of the new regulation is similflrly limited. A circular on the subject will be iss'l'!ed shortly by the Home Office to the local authorities concerned. HOME OFFICE. 20/12/39. -No. 34. Broadcast by the Right Honourable Sir Samuel Hoare, (Lord Privy Seal) delivered in the Empire Programme at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 20th December, 1939. An Englishman speaks to his fellow citizens in the Empire. This is a proud moment for a citizen of Britain to speak to his fellow-citizens of the Commonwealth and the Empire. For the Commonwealth has, in these last few days, spoken to Britain. Yes, and to the whole world as well. Yoµ have been speaking with deeds of a kind that can't be misunderstood anywhere. There has been the arrival of the Canadian troops in Britain. That has come to the public here as a tremendous thrill and a splendid surprise. Those soldiers of the great Dominion have come so swiftly to join us. The man in the street had no warning of the event. And so his joy, his delight, his sense of being one of a mighty brotherhood that spans the continents and bridges the oceans, has suddenly swept over him in a triumphant wave of affection and pride. And glorious memories have been awakened. We look at these young men, so fine and free in their bearing, so keen and so gay, and we remember their fathers who came before them. We have read the heroic page that Canada wrote in Flanders. We don't forget Vimy Ridge. Nor do we forget the Anzac epics of Gallipoli and Villers Bretonneux. Well, the fibre is the same to-day. We know because we have seen. But we knew before we saw! Last time the Canadians marched through London. This time, in a different kind of war, we have had to forego the welcome we would like to have given. But the Canadians are marching through our hearts. And if we could do them the honour they deserve, no street in all Britain would be wide enough to hold the crowds that would want to be there. The Canadians sail east. The New Zealanders sail west. The Canadians come to the battle. The New Zealanders have been through the battle. Their cruiser, the Achilles, was one of the three gallant ships which struck that resounding blow to German prestige in the world, the victory of the South Atlantic. We have had a naval trad·i tion in this land for centuries. Drake and Blake and Nelson made it. But it is Britain's private property no longer. It belongs to the Commonwealth. It is flourishing in the South Pacific. And, of course, none of our traditions, none of the things we value, the things we fight for now belong to this island any more. They do not even belong only to the British race$ In all the free nations that make up the Commonwealth, they are being shaped and given new meaning and fresh vigour. Men of other races have come in and joined with us in our tasks, And they have brought their own gifts to the variety and strength of the whole. /That . That has been possible only because we have loved freedom and sought to make it a reality. We have looked on it as a human need and a political asseto Through p1enty of follies and many an error, we have followed that principleu And history has proved us righto Freedom. Freedom of individuals. Freedom of nations. That is what gives our Commonwealth its vitality. And that is why its unity in the hour of crisis is so impressive and so invincibleo When the free life of nations becomes the object of savage attack, when one free people is struck down after another, the red light goes up for us. We know -all of us whe~ever we dwell -that our way of life is challenged. Our leaderahip in the worlds which every free nation desires us to sustain, is attackedu And our security is assailed. It is instinctive. There is an impulse to stand on guard. To take up arms . To build up defences. If need be, to fight. And that impulse is founded on sound political judgment. It is founded on experience --our own experj_ence 9 which remembers so many tyrannies and so many threats. And it is founded on foresigh~ If I a~ asked, why does the British Empire fight? I do not answer as a minister. The answer is not to be found in Downing Streeto Nor is it to be found, I believe 9 in the Cabinet rooms of the Dominions. I must speak as a British citizen. I have to acco~nt for a great surge of pe oples of the Commonwealth which, in the day of crisis shouted; 11Yes, we must fight11 • Political ambitions? Jeal ousy of Germany? Advice from admirals or generals? Those motives have nothing to do with the decision which the peoples have taken. That springs from the belief that everlasting values, principles that we can't put a price on, are in danger. The possibility of a decent, orderly and happy life in the world was being undermined and destroyedc Peace? What al,out peace? Well, certain+y we want peace. But not a peace which still contains the spreading canker of war. Not a peace which means a progressive enslavement. And so we go on with the war. And how are we fighting it? In a very strange way some people will tell you. They think there is something queer about the war. There is one thing that is queer. One thing that has surprised us. We expected air attack. It hasn't come. That may be queer, but it suj_ts us very well. Every day that air attack is postponed, we are better able to meet it and beat ito The main idea of our war is quite simple, I think you will also agree that it is sensibleo We maintain defensive positions on lando We are ready to deal with attack in the air. At sea, the NaYy defends our own commerce againot the enemyo The Navy is also the instrument of our offensive against the enemy 1s economic lifeD It is not a very spectacular offensive. It will not give us immediate resultso But we believe that as time passes, the Nazi power to wage the war will be weakened, sapped and finally str.angled by the cutting off of supplies for their fac t ories and markets for their productso For us there is nothing very extraordinary in this kind of war~ We waged it against Napoleon with success o We waged it in the Great War, with successo It served us well against these two challenges to the liberty of mankindo Now we try it again. Where c •••• -3­ Where do we fight then? At the moment, we fight principally at seao The burden has f allen on the ships and men of the Navy and the Merchant Marineo That has been another surprise. We did not expect this to be a naval waro Cert2inly not a naval war fought with such desperate energy and ferocity. If you are ever inclined to think this war is not being fought, just think for a moment of the ceaseless and terrible strain that falls upon the seamen of the Empireo The vigilance. The anxiety9 The physical hardshipc The dark nightso The raging seas. The Arctic coldo And only rarely does the chance come for the encounter in which men can exchange blows with the enemy in a ship-to-ship battle. But you will have seen with pride that when that chance does come, the Navy takes ita The traditions are being kept bright. The old spirit is there. As for the ships, we can say of them what was said three hundred years ago of the ships that went out to fight the Spanish .Armada: "They are in royal and perfect estate, feeling the seas no more than if they were riding at Chatham"u And you can say the same of the machines of the Royal Air Force~ Our fighters and bombers are day and night fulfilling their hazardous taskso Our young Knights of the Air are as brave and skilful as any of the happy warriors we have ever pro­duced. If the enemy chooses to give battle in the sky, we are ready to meet himo We will not brag before the trial comeso But we have good equipment and men of splendid spirit, and men not only from these shoreso For the Air Force has this special piece of good fortune. There are the magnificient pilots from the Dominions and the Coloniesc But don't imagine that this con.f'idence I am expressing means we are content with the equipment we have. Not at all. we shall never be content. ¥~ realise very well that machines good enough to-day may not be up to the needs of to-morrow. \'1e arBn ~ t idle, and we intend to keep our lead and to win and hold the command of the airo In some ways, the strain of the war has fallen hardest on the civilians. They were braced up to meet with courage the . peril from the air. But what they have had to meet is a host of small, necessary, but irritating restrictions. They have been deprived in all sorts of ways of the amenities and the pleasures of life. They are separated from their childreno Home life is broken up. Street lights are out. And all that is hard to bear. In fact, we in Britain are rather like a warrior who has marched out to battle and who is attacked by a swarm of mosquitos on the way. So think of us over here the ordinary people who are not in uniform but who none the less may be in danger0 For we are thinking of you. And you have no idea what an immense source of strength that thought is to uso vVhat a comfort and support it is to know that your thoughts and your sympathy are with us. We would like you to think well o:~· uso In this strange war which modern science has evolved to try us, we are, in a way, your representativese We want you to be proud of uso A hundred and thirty-four years ago~ a British admiral was writing in his cabino For weeks his shin had to5sed in the seas off Cadizo Now it was going into battle: And the admiral knelt down as he wrote these words: "May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my co~ntry, .and for the benefit of Europe in ge~eral, a great and glorious victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish ito" · A few hours later the admiral, Lord Nelson, was dead. But/ -4 ­ But the Battle of Trafalgar was won. We are fighting now very much the same battle as Nelson fought, and with the same faith to inspire us. His last prayer must be our motto in the days that lie ahead. 1'~ilay the great God whom I worship grant to my country a great and glorious victory:" ---------000-------­ BOARD OF EDUCATI ON ANNOUNCEMENT 20/12/39 No 35 DREPARfl.TORY AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN W.A_'R TI ME secretary ~r Kenneth LindsRy, Parliamentnry/to the Board of Education addressed the Annual Conference of the Incorpornted Association of Prepar atory Schools in London to-day. Mr. Li ndsay stressed the importance of thinkin~ out in WAr t i me the better organisation of our whole educ ~ tional system • Evacuation hed t aught us some useful lessons -careful note should be made of them now. Pr eparatory and Public Schools remained a segregat ed stream alongside the mo.in national system. How long this exclusive coterie of schools crr1ld exist depended upon f inence and the income of the more comfortable class but no one could blind himself to the value both educationally and traditionally of many of these schools, "We must however think", said Mr. li..1dsay, "in terms of a unified system with much gr eater variety wi thin it than exists at present". Some form of residential educntion in the countryside we.s good for a much lc.r ger number thnn at pr esent afford it. Selected schools as centres of experiment, ris examoles of high quality achievement, as pl o.ces where co.refully selected boys and girls might with ndvantage pursue special l ines of instruction and all this was a valuable adjunct to a national system, but a class system based primarily on wealth, however excellent in other wnys, must live to itself. No Government could adopt more than a friendly att itude to it. It must be subject to booms and slumps like any other aspect of privat e enterprise. It must cut its costs and nut its own house in order. Perhaps out of the war we might catch the broader v1s1on of a more integrated system wi th Dri.Y Continuation Schools for all children and appropriate Secondary Education for thoSemost likely t o urofit by it. MINISTRY OF SUPPLY. PRESS NOTICE. The Minister of Supply announces that he haS. made the Control of Paper (Po. 6) Order, 1939, which prohibits the s::,le of pEtper being made conditional upon the disposal of w·o.ste paper; enables him to issue directions authorising an i mportation charge in addition to the price of imported p8per; provides m8ximum prices for newsprint in reels sold by non-producers; and revises the sehedule of maximum price 2t which wallboard mny be ' sold. Under this Order the Minister h~s issued directions authorising certain additions to the prices of imported unglazed greaseproof paper and Kraft paper. Ministry of Supply, The Adelphi, w.0.2. 20th December, 1939. D.364. FROM THE FRONT BENCH THE WAR SITUATION BY . ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET THE RT. HON. LORD CHATFIELD. Broadcast in the Home S~}_'.'vt.2.~-~-~§_dnesday, 20th December, 1939: 9.15 -9.30 p.m. THE WAR SITUATION I have been asked to talk to you on how the war is going on. Some of you may think it has hardly begun. Our chief memory of the last war is of immense land battles, but they have not yet started. The two armies sit facing each other behind vast lines of fortifications. The ezpected German attack has not developed. Then theJ'.'e is that large and much advertised German Air Force. Germany has long threatened us with it and has used it with ruthlessness against Poland. So, many people expected a vast air attack on these Islands: we were to be "knodi~ed-out". Again this has not happened. Why? You may be absolutely sure of one thing, if Germany has not started in either of these two ways it is solely because she has not got confidence she could thus succeed. But what I wish to explain to you is that not only has the war started seriously1 but one of the vital chapters in it is now being written. Whatever she may say9 Germany needs a short war, and so her hope is to break the British Navy's grip on her supplies and to endeavour to defeat us rapidly where we are indeed most vulnerable, yet where we are strongest, namely on the sea. As you all know, she is mainly relying on the illegal use of the submarine and mine. Her submarine warfare is being carried out with hex· customary brutality9 ships of all nations torpedoed in mid-ocean9 the crews left to their fate. If I had time I could tell tragic stories of those crews. Now that the Royal Navy has broken the back of her submarine attack, Germany has started to use a new type of mine not laid according to International Law in defined places but strewn promiscuously over the sea routes to terrify the merchant seamen of the world from approaching our shores. All honour to the gallant neutrals that still keep the sea. Her latest effopt is to machine /gun -2 ­ gun and bomb our fis;h.ing vessels and their crews employed on their ordinary daily work. We now can realise that when Germany sat at the conference table some years ago, and signed her name to International Conventions to use the submariRe and mine lawfully, she had not the slightest intention of keeping her wordo These new mines, for instance, designed with all the devi.lish ingenuity of' which Germa?1Y'" is capable, h8:ve not st~¢idenly been produced. They have long been in store 9 'waiting for an occasion', ]ike the burglar's jemmy. But she is going to faj.l once more for two reasons. First of all, the most gallant spirit of our merchant seamen who refuse to be cowed by brutality and secondly by the fighting efficiency of the Royal Navy. There is a third sea weapon she is using1 the surface warship and the armed raidero To find a needle in a bundle of hay is an easy task compared to finding a single raider, free to roam the seven seas -those vast ocean spaces in which British trade moves. It would be hard enough if you had perpetual daylj_ght, permanently clear weather and a vast number of warships to hunt each quarry. While we therefore are justly proud of what the Navy has· done to bring honour on this country and itself, let us remember that the dispositions of our hunting forces were mainly the diff icult and anxious responsibility of the Admiralty from the First Lord downwards" Naval warfare is full of disappointments, but luck is bound to turn up :lin the end if it is skilfully worked for. The good fortune fell to Commodore Harwood and hj.s men. Haw well they availed themselves of it: For tune favours the brave. If they could not knock the gj_ant out 1 they anyhow knocked hinmt through the rep.es and he f aj.led to re--enter the ring. Their action was classic and will go down to .~J..story. The action by­ -3 ­ smal1er ships with smaller guns aga inst a more powerful foe l'Vi th heavier guns and heavier armour is an example not only of' courage but of that i rnrneasurable quality of which I have spoken -fighting efficiencyo It is our surest and most reliable -rireapon which has never failed us. It upsets all more statistical calculations on which judgment has ordinarily to rely and is a factor that is going to be once more the over-riding influence in the war in all three elements. There are many more in the Navy lilce Harwoocl. and his men, anxious to be led to victory. I have tried to em~1hasise to you why this is a vital chapter in the war. By defeating, with the aia. of' our great ally France, the enemy i s plans to cl_eny the seas to merchantmen of the ·world, ·we are laying the foundations of viatory and are ensuring that ~11 future military operations can be safely conductedo Nearer at hand you are better able ~o follow the deed.s of our airmen. . Every day you are thrilled by their exploits, their single-handed fights in their wonderful machines. Their disregard of dangers the continuous watch in all weathers over our horne waters (helping the Fleet in a thousa nd ways), their daring and successful attacks on the enemy's coast, and their long night reconnaissance flights over the enemy's country. By their successes and enc.eavours they are building up tha t experience a nd eonfidence in themselves which will, you can be sure, steadily give us the same ascendancy in the air that we have possessed for so many centuries at sea. So in partnership the Navy and the Merchant Navy, and the R.A.F. are bringing in your convoys, your Christmas dinners. Let us in return do wha t we can to help~ and encourage them. While therefore the confidence of the country is /being -4 ­ be"ing steadily increased, we are also giving the great Army we are preparing, time steadily to grow in strengtho Our Army has never been our main weapon in peace, nor has it in the past been designed on a Continental scale. It is therefore necessarily the last to come into the field, yet it may well be the Army, on which we shall finally rely to bring us victory~ Although modern land warfare is a war of machines rather than of man power, there is no Service that so much effects the homes of our people in general as the Army.? that takes more of our sons to fight, or demands so much of our wonderful skilled labour to equip it for battleo We have always had those skilled hands, and now we have also in our young men a generation more intelligent and of. better physique than ever in our historyo :Cow surely then, will the Army take _wi.t.h them our. confident __ho_pe·s to -wb.a'teyer historic fields they may go. If then we can have this confidence in our C.ommand.ers--..in-Chief and in our thre~ Servi.c·es, _can ..we have-the same surety as ·t.o·-tb..e_ ....higher _..co.nduct of the war? Let me briefly explain the machineryo There is first the Supreme War Council consisting of the two Allied Prime Ministers and such other Ministers and Chiefs of Staff as may be best for any particular problem. Attached to the Supreme Council there are permanent Anglo-French Staffs in all sections working together daily on common problems of strategy, supply and economic warfare, No two Allies have ever started war with such a complete machinery and comradeship. Then we have in the British higher conduct of war the same good combination between the War Cabinet and their military advisers. The ground work for this was laid soon after the last war and has been steadily perfected, t o ensure that in all great war problems a proper balance is obtained before big decisions are....• -5 ­ are made, and that PolicJ and Strategy will not be pulling in -' opposite directions, as 1hey so often may in war. Let me say a brief -rvor•d about the effort that His Majesty's Dominions are making to help us. How far away they areJ Almost it might seem they would be unconcerned by what is nappening in this particular corner of t~e world. How great ~·'" '• !la the moral support, therefore, that they have given us by r&llying so irrnnediately and whole-heartedly to our cause. Their •. wonderful fighting capacity has not been forgotten by our enemy. We have recently had important Ministers from the Dominions visiting this country with the object of making sure that the combined effort that they are going to make with us is going to be ~~f~cient and rapid in its effects~ .iow much it means to ur;:i at this time to feel that v.re have behi.1d us that great band of prothers from overseas, the vanguard of which has already ~eached our shores from Canada. Meanwhile, Poland, gallantly reconstructing her forces, i~ coming similarly into association with the work of the S~preme Council. All these plans will assist the common cause. And what about us at home? Pe too have a great respon­sibility, not only our duty to defend these Islands, the vital home pase, and to supply adeq_uately our fighting forces, but also to maintain a united national spirit. CheerfUlness and optimism in war are great fighting assets; pessimism is a vice almost as bad as defeatism, that evil which feeds on bad news • . . -. · ··~ .. ·­ We have a cause to bring us all together, an aim that is an inspiration. Why try to define it in detail? We all know what it is. To create a better :Curope, vri th safe homes, from which the haunting shadow of war is banished: where nations like Poland carmot be suddenly torn to pieces, their homes burnt and their ueople left to their fate or to J. -. -6 ­ starve; a veritable submarine warfare on l ando To create a Europe in which a great-hearted country l i ke Finland cannot suddenly find itself attacked like Naboth, because his vineyard is coveted. What admiration the whole ci vilised v-vorld feels for t he gallant Finnish people. They i ndeed need no propaganda. Few in numbers, and lacking modern arms, they have the immeasurable strength given to those \Vho are fighting in complete unity of spirit, for they have no other object but to defend their homes and their civilisation. That then, I feel, is our aim, 1:1hat rre are fighting for. We have entered this struggle with the confidence that aim gives us, to stand firm despite all hardships. We are not fi e;hting because others thought we ougtit to, though we have suffered a measure of advice, hut because i5.re ourselves are convinced we ~to; because, in spite of every effort we had made to prevent them, things were happening in Europe which forbade us to stand asideo It is a duty we have imposed on OUE.~~~-~.Y~-2. and on which we shall not weaken, because we are 1?..~~jn~ ourselves• ---------000-------­ 20/12/39. -No. 38. PRESS NOTICE This bulletin (which must not be quoted o.s nn Admiralty announcement) is issued to the Press for such use as they -------may desire to mnke of it. In an interview today, Skipper J. M. Hall, of the trawler 11Iso.bella Grei gir, described how his ship was machine­gunned and bombed by German aircraft about 145 miles from the Scottish const l ast Sunday. The trawl was down, when, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, two aircraft, recognised as twin-engined Heinkels, were sighted coming from the east­south-east. The trawl er's crew of '?;en took cover. The aircraft came on, :"lying low, and passed one on each side of the trnwle:b with the rear gunners firing with their machine guns. Altogether they circled the "Isabello. Greig" eight times, their wing tips nearly touching the water as they tT~:;;ned. Bes ides machine-gunning, they al so dro~ped between 15 and 20 bombs. During one short respite the crew started to lower their boat, but the aeroplanes, returning, opened a heavy fire and wounded t wo men. The Skipper, meanwhile, with gr eat difficulty hnd managed to get off a wireless signal. Finally the boat wns lowered and was put into the water riddled with bullets and the water barrel punctured. The crew, taking the two wounded with them, abandoned ship and the aircraft went off to the north-east. When the boat was 500 yards away from the trawler, which was still afloat, the aircraft returned, opened fire on the boat, luckily without r esult, and dropped three more bombs. The British aeroplanes then cppeared and the Germans made off in the direction of home. The leaking boat with the crew baling was then rowed 3t miles in the direction of the 11 Thomas L. Devlin", which was fishing about 6 miles o..way. She herself was machine-gunned as she came to the rescue, having been surrnnoned to the spot by the British aeropl anes circling round her. The 11Isabella Greig" sank at about 1.15 p. m. Rescued, her whole crew finally arrived at a Scottish port on board the "Thomas L. Devl11;.11 • These trawlers, entirely unarmed, were flying the British mercantile f'lag and engaged in fishing. The German aircraft gave no warning whatever before opening fire, and had apparently flown 350 miles from Germnny for the set purpose of murdering Scottish fisherman. goL,12/39 -No~· MINISTRY OF FOOD ANNOU1'TCEMENT. Chtldren returning home from Boarding Schools for the Christmas holidays should be in possession of their ration books with coupons and cc::nterfoils intact. Their parents should register the children's books with their own retailers for bacon, butter and sugar. Re­tailers should accept registrations even if the books have been issued by a Food Office of another area, and should send the additional counterfoils with an application for a supplementary permit to the local Food Office. 20/1 2/29 -NO.· .40. French Official Communique. The following offic·ial .communique was issued this evening by FI'ench G.H.Q.: N.tt event of importance during the day. 20/ 12/39. -No. 41. MINISTRY OF FOOD ANNOUNCEMENT. EGG PRICES. In view of the sensonal increase in the production of eggs in this country, supplies are now becoming more plentiful. The Minist er of Food ,. hns accordingly made an Order withdrawing the maximum prices prescribed for eggs produced in Gr eat Britain and Northern Irel and. The Or der comes into force at once. The Eggs (Maximum Pr ices) (No.4.) Order remains in force for imported eggs, nnd no change has been m~de in the prices prescribed f or these. ----oOo---­ 20/12/39· -No. 42. AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN 'Plane "Shot Down11 is Home. The Air Ministry announces: The · German High Command have stated in an official broadcast that one of their aircraft shot down n large British flying-boat. No British flying-boats have boen attacked to-dny. The statement ms~r have referred to nn engagement which took place off the coast of Norway yesterday morning. A R.A.F•. flying-boat encountered what wns thought to be a Heinkel. The enemy having received a burst of machine-gun fire, was driven off. Our own aircraft completed its patrol nnd returned safely to its base. ----000---­ NOT TO BE QUOTED AS AN 20/12/39 -No.43. AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN. SIR KINGSLEY WOOD VISITS ROYAL AIR FORCE COMFORTS FUND HEADQUARTERS. Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, accompanied by Sir Edward Campbell, M.P., ParliamentaryPrivate Secretary, today inspected the Headquarters of the Royal Air Force Comforts Fund at Berkeley Square House, where he saw thousands of gifts from the public being despatched to members of the Royal Air Force. Sir Kingsley was received by Air Commodore R.D. Oxland, O.B.E., Chairman of the Fund Committee. Concluding his visit, Sir Kingsley Wood said that: "Although the Royal Air Force Comforts Committee only "came into being on the 19th October, nine weeks ago, a "total of 50 tons of items has already been despatched"to France, and 40 tons to Home Units, from the "Headquarters at Berkeley Square House. "The items include 436 wireless sets sent to France "and 561 to Home Stations. 836 of the wireless sets were "a generous gift from Lord Nuffield. 3,000,000 "cigarettes have been sent to France and 12,000 to Home "Stations. 47,000 woollen garments have been received "and more are coming in at the rate of 3,000 a day. Other "items are 10,000 games, 53,000 tins of chocolates and "sweets and 30,000 books and magazines. "All this has been possible owing to the generosity"of the public and to the valuable assistance which has "been given by voluntary workers who have been working "very long hours at Berkeley Square House and elsewhere. "these gifts are greatly appreciated by the personnel of "the Royal Air Force. More gifts of woollen articles, "especially mittens, would be greatly welcomed. "There are also 500 registered knitting parties"working for the Fund. One of the biggest problems is "to keep them supplied with wool, but it is hoped to be "able to do this if gifts of moriey for buying wool are "forthcoming." · URGENT. 20/12/39 -No.44. PRESS NOTICE. The German High Command communique of 20th December 1939 states:­ "The German Air Force carried out reconnaissance and attacks against naval objectives in the North Sea under m