"Now we have it all at home. Never before in the last war, or in th have we had in this island on army comparable in quantity, equipment or numbers to that which stands on guard here tonight. We have a million and a half men now under farms" tonight, and every week of June and "July, has seen their organization, their defences and their striking power advanced by leaps "No praise is too high for the officers and men, aye and the civil-Jans, who have made this immense transformation in so short atime.
Behind the soldiers of the regular my is means for the destruction of parachutists, air borne invaders and riy traitors who may be found in our midst—and I do not believe there are many; woe betide them, they will feet short shrift, "Behind the regular army we have more than a million of local defence volunteers, or, as they are much Letter called, the home guard, These oticers and men, a large proportion of whom have been through the last var, have the strongest desire lack and come to close quarters with the enemy wherever he may appear.
"Should the invader come to Bri-fain, there will be no passive. lyitig down of people, no submission before him as we have seen, alas, in other countries. We shall' defend every village, every town, every city, The vast mass of London itself, fought street, by street, could easily devour an entire hostile army, and we would rather see London laid in ashes and ruins than that it should be tamely and abjectly enslaved.
RAP, Achievements am bound to state these facts because it is necessary to inform our People of our Uotenton and thus a sure them.
"This has been a great week for the RAF. and for the Fighter Command. They have shot down more than five to one of German aircraft which have ried to molest our convoys in the Channel.
"These are, of course, only preli-minery encounters of greater battles: which lie ahead, but T know of no reason why we should be discontented with results so far achieved, although, of course, we hope to improve upon them as fighting becomes more widespread and becomes more inland.
"Around all lies the power of the Royal Navy with over a thousand: armed ships under the White Ensign, patrolling the seas, a Navy which is Capable of transferring its forces very' readily to the protection of any part of the Empire which may be threatened, which is capable also of keeping pen our communications with' the New World from whom, as the struggle deepens, increasing ald will come.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.