THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 5, 1940
MR. CHURCHILL TELLS THE STORY
Full Text Of Grim Speech
came.
"Accordingly, yesterday (Wednes-
beration of whom he is chief.
"Several French submarines joined .us independently and we accepted their services.
In Mediterranean
"Now I turn to the Mediterraneau.
a strong "At Alexandria, where British battle fleet is lying, there are besides a French battleship, four French cruisers, three of the modern 8-inch gun vessels, and a number of smaller types.
LONDON, TO-DAY. · IN ONE OF THE MOST MOVING SPEECHES OF HIS CAREER, THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL, YESTERDAY DESCRIBED TO A CHEERING HOUSE OF COMMONS THE NAVAL ACTION OFF ORAN, IN NORTH AFRICA, WHERE BRITISH SQUADRON VIRTUALLY DESTROYED THE FRENCH FLEET THERE WHICH INCLUDED THE DUNKERQUE AND STRASBOURG, TWO OF THE MOST POWERFUL WARSHIPS AFLOAT. Mr. Churchill revealed that over 200 French war- ships of all classes in British ports have been taken over; the French squadron at Alexandria was in our hands and might be scuttled if the French admiral refused to serve with Britain, and in the Oran battle, a battleship of the Stras- bourg class ran ashore in damaged condition, another French battleship was sunk and yet an- other badly damaged, and a French seaplane-proximately 200 smaller but extreme-shall be sunk or otherwise made carrier and two destroyers sunk. British losses ly useful. mine-sweeping and anti- comply with our wishes.
in ships were nil.
"I must place on record that what might have been a mortal injury to us was done by the Bordeaux Gov- ernment with a full knowledge of the consequences and of our danger, and after rejecting all our appeals at a moment when they were abandoning
the the alliance and breaking gagements which fortifled it.
should have been handed over with the sure knowledge that they would be used to bomb this country and thus cause our men to shoot them down a second time.
I
I
of
had been made, we took the greater
our
day) morning, after all preparations part of the French Fleet under called upon them with adequate forc to comply with our requirements.
control, (Prolonged
cheers) or else
"These have been informed thy cannot be permitted to leave harbour
thus fali and
into the
pow.
of er of the German conquerors France.
"Negotiations and discussions, with the details of which I need not trouble the House, have necessarily been talk- "Two battleships, two light cruisersing place, and measures have now been and some submarines, including a taken to ensure that these ships, com- a very gallant admiral, very large one, the Surcouf, and ap-manded by
aircraft vessels which lay for the most part at Portsmouth, were board- after, brief ed by superior forces notice had been given wherever pos- sible to their captains. (Cheers),
Scuffle On Surcouf
successfully "This operation was carried
resistance and out without
instance, bloodshed, except in one
"Such wrongful deeds will not, am sure, be condoned by history. en-firmly believe that a generation
Frenchmen will arise who will clear where a scuffle arose through a mis-
to
"The anguish which this has na. and to the British turally caused French naval officers concerned may he imagined when I tell the House Alexandria that in an air raid on this morning by. Italian aircraft, some of the French ships fired heav- ily and effectively with their guns against the common enemy.
"There was another example of this their national honour from all coun- understanding on the submarine Sur. French officers and men at Alexandria
callous and perhaps even malevolent treatment (Cheers) which we received -not indeed from the French nation (cheers) who have never been and apparently never are to be consulted on these transactions-but from the Bordeaux Government.
over
"This is an Instance. There were who 400 German air pilots were prisoners in France, many of them, perhaps most of them, shot- down by the R.A.F.
"I obtained from M. Reynaud a per- sonal promise that these pilots should
that. fell,
be sent for safe keeping to England. Orders were given by him to Reynaud effect but when M. these pilots were delivered over to Germany in order, no doubt, to win favour for the Bordeaux Government
to
with their German masters and win it without regard to the injury
done to us,
Odious Decision
"The German air force already feels acutely a shortage of high grade pilots and it seems particularly odious (cheers) that these 400 skilled men
tenance of them.
now
"I sald last week we must look with particular attention to our I have never in my own salvation. experience seen so grim and sombre a question as what we were to do with the French Fleet, discussed in the Cabinet.
"It shows how strong were the rea- sons for the course we thought it our duty to take that every member of the Cabinet had the same conviction about what should be done.
couf, in which one British leading seaman was killed, two British off cers and one rating wounded and one French officer
also killed and one wounded.
29.
"We shall offer facilities to all who wish to continue the war, and will provide for them and maintain them during the contest.
repatriate "We have promised to the rest. Every care will be taken "For the rest, the French sailors for their safety in their removal from for the most part cheerfully accept | Alexandria. ed the end of the period of uncer- tainty. From 800 to 900 expressed an ardent desire to continue the
war, and some asked for British
1
Oran Battle
â
"Most serious part of the story re- mains. Two of the finest vessels of nationality.
the French fleet, the Dunkerque, and modern battle-cruisers "This we are ready to grant with- Strasbourg, out prejudice to the other French- much superior to the Scharnhorst and No Hesitation
men, numbered by thousands, who Gneisenau, and built for the purpose "There was not the slightest hesita- prefer to fight on with us as French-of being superior to them, two battle-
men. them and tion or divergence among
ships, several light cruisers and the thirteen Service Ministers, as well "The rest of these crews will im-number of destroyers, submarines and as men like the Minister of informa-mediately be repatriated to French other vessels, were at Oran and its tion and the Secretary for Colonies ports when the French Government military port, Mire-El-Kebir, on the particularly noted for their long will be able to make arrangements for North African shore of Morocco. Friendship with France--when they their reception by permission of their were consulted, were equally con- German rulers. vinced that no other decision than "We are also repatriating French troops in this country except those that which we took was possible.
"We took that decision, and it was who, of their own free will, have vo- а decision to which with achinglunteered to follow General de Gaulle hearts but clear vision we unitedly and enlist in the French force of li-
Here is a view from the deck of a British battleship showing two of the French battleships at Alò- xandria. Ploture was taken at the time of the entry of Italy; Into the war.
"Yesterday (Wednesday)
morn-
ing a carefully chosen British officer, Captain Holland, lately naval at- tache in Parle, was sent in a do- stroyer, walted on the French ad- miral, and, after being refused an following Interview, presented the document which I will read to the House.
"The first three paragraphs, which dealt with the question of armistice, I have already explained by my own words.
"The fourth paragraph is as follows. 'It is impossible for us, your comrades up till now, to allow your fine ships to fall into the power of the German or Italian enemy. We are determined to fight on to the end and if we win, as we think we shall, we shall never forget France was our ally, that our interests are the same as hers and that our common enemy is Germany. Should we conquer, we solemnly de- clare we shall restore the greatness and the territory of France.
"For this purpose we must make sure that the best ships of the French Navy are not used against us by the common foe.
Three Cholcos
"Paragraph Five: In these circum- stances, His Majesty's Government have instructed me to demand that the French Fleet now at Mire-El-Kebir and Oran should act in accordance with one of the following alternatives:
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