1940-02-24 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 24, 1940.

Long Arm Of British Sea Power: Churchill Speech Men Of "Ajax" And "Exeter" At The Guildhall

DUTCH ANGER ROUSES NAZI IRE!

Amsterdam, To-day. The anger and consterna- tion caused in Holland by the sinking of Dutch ships is re- flected in the "Algemeen Handelsblad,” which des- cribes torpedoing without warning as an act of injus- tice unworthy of a seafaring nation.

The newspaper points out that not a single Italian or American ship has been lost in this way. It is Nether-

THE SEAS?

MODEST SPEECH WHO RULES

BY CAPTAIN WOODHOUSE

London, To-day.

London, To-day.

The Cairo newspaper “El Mokattam," in a leader headed "Who rules the

THE MEN OF H.M.S. AJAX and H.M.S. Exeter filed Seas?" emphasises the fact diffidently into the famous banqueting hall at that whoever does this is Guildhall yesterday but soon regained their self-sure to win the war, and possession and a hum of conversation filled the proves that Britain still rules

and is assured of victory. hall.

Captain Bell and Captain Woodhouse, the commanding officers of the two cruisers, sat on either side of the Lord Mayor, Sir William Coxen. Mr. Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty), Sir Samuel Hoare (Lord Privy Seal), Sir Kingsley Wood (Air Minister), Lord Chatfield (Defence Co-ordination Minister) and Lord Hankey (Minister without Portfolio) sat nearby.

land and Scandinavian shipping that Proposing the toast the Lord Mayor referred to the cour-

is made to suffer.

"There is a deliberate plan not only to torpedo without warning but to pick on #hips #alling on behalf of small neutral countries which are dependent on supplies from other neutral lands over-

The article points out the insignifi-

cance of the German naval measures, and concludes with a reference to the dent. "This does not worry the Bri- tish as Germany has already done Its worst and. its ultimate fate is sealed." abd Bey, writing in the same paper, says England's policy never was hos- tile to the Moslems and recalls occa- sions of friendly co-operation in his-

German threat after the Altmark inci-

Senator Mohamed Abdel Magid

age, daring, skill, seamanship and tenacity of the Battle tory. of River Plate, which merited an honoured place in the annals of the Navy.

ONE-SIDED NEUTRALITY

The Argentine newspaper "Action" declares: "The British were justified owing to the Norwegian failure in their duty as a neutral. Neutrals can

They had had stories of new en- It would be a comfort and en- gines of destruction which the enemycouragement to the flotillas, the was about to produce, he said, but Grand Fleet, the minesweepers and there was one thing he could not build all warships and auxiliaries whose -boys of the bulldog breed, some of (number was now about 1,700 and claim respect for territorial waters whom they were honouring to-day. rapidly rising, that London should only when acts favouring one belli- After a modestly phrased and loud-show its approval of the way thegerent are not committed therein.” thely applauded speech by Capt. Wood- Navy was carrying on and going to house, declaring that their encounter carry on, "until not only the cargoes with the Graf Spee in the early by which we live but the high pur- morning on a nice, fine day, with poses we have in hand are all brought plenty of room, had made them the safely into port."

Navy, Mr. envy of the rest of the Winston Churchill rose.

Government circles in Berlin are very angry at the bitter comments in small neutral countries about U-boat campaign.

NAZI REPLY

Neutral correspondents in the Nazi capital were told yesterday: "A very sharp answer will be forthcoming i press attacks on the Nazi methods of sea warfare are continued.”

Nazi officials declared: "Neutral newspapers, particularly the Dutch press, must mend their manners. Germany can no longer tolerate accusations being made against her submarine commanders, whose con duct is even being called barbarous." Nazi officials refused to comment on the statement of the captain of the Tari that his ship was torpedoed without warning, resorting to slock reply that they must await the submarine commander's report before expressing any opinion. Reuter.

the

3,000 DEAD

Mr. Churchill said the ties unit- ing the Navy and the nation or the Navy and the Mercantile Marine were never so strong.

The brunt of the war had fallen on the sailormen and their comrades of the R.A.F. Coastal Command, and they had lost 3,000 lives in the hard unrelenting struggle.

The brilling fight which they were celebrating warmed the cockles of the British heart in a dark old Winter.

The entire press of Beyrouth shows strong sympathy and approval of the British action in the Altmark, which Is described as brilliant navigation, full

of courage and heroism and worthy of British naval traditions.

The "Annabar" in an editorial des- The Admiralty and the Fleet were cribes

the episode as stigmatising learning together the special condi- Germany with piracy while establish- tions of this hard and novel war, al-ing once again Britain's indisputable though mistakes and accidents would supremacy overseas. Reuter.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS

occur and sorrow fall from time to time upon us.

To the glorious action of the River Plate there was recently added an epilogue, namely last week's rescue, under the noses of the enemy and amid the tangles of a one-sided neutrality, of British captives by H.M.8. Cas sack, proving that the long arm

of British sea power could bo stretched out not only for our foes but also for our faithful friends. To Nelson's immortal signal "Eng- land expects every man to do his duty" might now be added "The Navy is here."-Reuter,

'ON GOD'S SIDE' SAYS PRIMATE

"We must be upheld in the war by an invincible faith in the rightness of our cause" said the Archbishop of Canterbury in a broadcast address.

He recalled that Abraham Lin- coln, when, asked: "Do you think God is on our side?", replied: "1 don't know. What matters is that we shoud be on the side of God." The Archbishop continued: "Why should we be willing to meet all the consequences of war for the sake of protecting the freedom and lands of smaller States against the aggression of powerful neighbours, of insisting that the pledges of nations shall be kept?

"It cannot be because we fear that oud own safety may come to be in danger. Is it not because we believe these things stand for the eternal verities of right and wrong?

"Can we doubt, then, whatever our own sins and shortcomings as a nation may be, that in contending for these things we are on God's xide?”

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