London, Sept. 18. G¢QYONCENTRATION of German barges and ships in prepara tion for invasion of Great Britain and Ireland continues and we must expect that Hitler will make an attempt at what he judges to be the best opportunity," declared the Prime Minister, Mr, Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons yesterday.
"All our preparations must therefore be maintained in a state of vigilance (cheers), The process of waiting keyed up to concert pitch day after day is apt after a while to lose its charm of novelty.
There is no doubt it imposes heavy strain on all concerned, but we must not forget the damage inflicted on the enemy by the very heavy nightly bombardment of his concentration of ships and on all focal points.
"Undoubtedly serious injury. has been done to his ships, but meanwhile our strength, Tam able to assure the House, develops steadily, sea, on land and, above all, in the air—(cheers).
"phere is Very good reason for be-leving at the present time that very grievous inroads have been made on the enemy's numerical superiority and we may await the decision of this prolonged air battle with a spirit of increasing confidence.
Aliack on Moral "German attacks on the civilian population have been. concentrated mainly on London in hopes of ter orizing its citizens into submission or throwing them into confusion, and
they will put pressure on_ the Gov-courge" with "the sly idea" that ernment to make peace—(Laughter) Deliverate and repeated attacks upon Buckingham Palace and upon the: persons of our beloved King and Queen (cheers) are also intended, apart from their "general barbarity, to have an unsettling effect upon public opinion, 'They, of course, have the opposite eftect—-(Loud cheers). 'They unite the King and Queen. to their people by the now sacred bonds of common danger and they steel all hearts to stern, unremitting prosecu: tion of the war' against so foul a foe."
After giving the casually figures mentioned by Lord Caldecote in the House of, Lords, Mr. Churchill con= tinued: Many" hospitals, churches: and public. monuments have been damaged. Injury to our war-making capacity has been surprisingly small. We are only beginning to get. the increased flow of production from the great programmes started after the war, It is very agreeable to see increases maintained in spite of the enemy's fury.
He intimated he did not feel it necessary to. make an extensive statement as practically all facts not of a secret nature had been made Public. 'The advance of the Italian Army in Libya was in progress, he said, and two British platoons which had' been holding Sollum had been withdrawn. The enemy still was at some distance from British positions of resistance,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.