London, Sept. 14. "All sections of the defence services have responded so magnificently to the calls made upon them that it might seem invidious to draw distintions," said the Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security, Sir John Anderson, in a message to the fire authorities in England and Wales "But I am sure," he added, "that no one would begrudge the word of special commendation that I feel moved to send to the members of the fire services, regular and auxiliary.
"Their work, which is fraught with much danger in itself, has been rendered hazardous in the extreme by sustained and repeated enemy attacks by bomb and machine-gun. Nowhere has there been any flinching. Again and again with dauntless courage and at the price of many casualties, fires that might have well engulfed whole districts have been brought under control.
"Further and greater trials may be ahead, but I am confident that it meeting them the fire services w only add lustre to their already hi ant achievements," the Home secretary concluded.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.