London, Apr. 28.
MESSAGE of hope and quiet confidence was broadcast to the nation and Empire last night by the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill, who, in stirring words, reaffirmed the inflexible determination of the British people "to conquer or dic."
No prudent man, he- said, would doubt that the eventual defeat of the Dictators was certain in view ofthe resolution of the British and American Democracies, "who are determined that the cause of freedom shall not be trampled "down, nor: the tide of world progress turned backwards by the criminal dictators."
In the course of his long speech Mr. Churchill, among other things, made the astounding revelation that General Sir Archibald Wavell, in tis all conquering drive against the italians the Libyan desert, was never able to muster more than two divisions about 30,000 men.
Ho also gave a detailed explanation of the reasons which prompted Britain to send troops to Greece, pald a tribute to the British people for the manner in which they were standing up to the ruthless German air raids, welcomed America's action in ordering her fleet and flying-boats patrol the Western Hemisphere, and said the vital Battle of the Atlantic had entered upon a more favourable phase, Mr, Churchill urged his listeners not to lose their sense of proportion or become discouraged or alarmed by the present developments in Europe and Africa.
'The British nation, he declared, "is stirred and moved og it never' has have been trying to work for and jworle towards in our island, What proof of the virtues of free institu. tions. What a test of the quality of Jour local authorities, and of customs Jand society so steadily built up, "This ordeal of valour has in' a [certain sense even exalted the man~ food and womanhood of Britain, All in the Battle Line Mr, Churchill declared that the entire population were now sharing] the experiences and emotions on the battlefield which for centuries had been reserved for soldiers and sailors. All were under the fire of the enemy "old men, little children. the crib deen at any time in Its long, event ful train of history, and ft is now a hackneyed figure of speech to say that the British nation means to con quer or die."
Nothing that was happening now, the Prime Minister asserted, 1s com= parable in gravity with the dangers passed ihrouh last year: nothing that can happen in the East is com= parable with what is happening is the wei order to survive, we have to win the Battle of the Atlantic just a decisively as we had to win the Battle of Britain last August and September in. the air'
Mr, Churchill revealed that the Greeks, in mortal peril, "turned to to us for succour, and we could not say to them nay. There are rules against that Kind of thing, and to break them would be fatal to the honour of the British Empire, with out which we could neither hope nor deserve to win."
It happened then, he continued, that the divisions available as best suitable for the task in Greece were from New Zealind and Australia, and only about half the troops came from the Mother Counry, German pro~ paganda was trying to make bad blood between Britain and Australia over this, "but I shall leave it to 'Australia' to deal with that, Mussolini—Absurd Imposter 'There was real hope at one time, 'Mr, Churchill asserted, that the neighbours of Greece, by British in~ tervention, would be' persuaded to stand in Tine with her, How nearly it came off would be known some day. "We must now expect that the war in the Mediterranean will come very fore, varied and wide spread, Mr. Churchill was very bitter in voterring to Mussolini, whose proclamation congratulating the Italian army in Albania on their "victory" he described as "surely a world's cord in the domain of the ridiculous and contemptuous, Different things, he declared, "strike different people in different ways, But I am sure there are a rear many in the British Empire and In the United States who. will veekoning that absured impostor shall bbe abandoned to public justice and universally scorned went to some of our great cities and seaports which have been heavily, bombed, and fo some places wher the pootest people have got It worst, came back not only reassured but refreshed, "To leave the offices of Whitehal with their ceaseless hum of activity and stress, and go to the streets and wharves of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff and Swansea is like going cut of a hothouse onto the bridge of Aghting ships,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.