London, Apr, 23.
The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr, Winston Churchill, was unable, through pressure of work, to attend the St, George's Day luncheon today in London, where he was to have broadcast a speech.
Deputising for him, Mr. Alfred Duff-Cooper, former First Lord of the Admiralty, said the mood of young men going out to fight today Was one of bitter rage, grim defiance and unutterable determination. He pointed out that the series of crimes which had made a horror of Europe were not the crimes of one man, nor were they the crimes of a small band of criminals, "These are the crimes of a whole people," Mr. Duff-Cooper declared, "It is wishful thinking to believe that we can drive a wedge between the German Government and the German people, "The day when the German people realize that they are being defeated will not be brought nearer by soft words or specious promises on our part, We have got to beat them in battle,"
"Germany," Mr, Cooper added, "has assumed many ugly shapes in her past, Never has the face of Germany assumed so villainous and vile an aspect as under the leadership of this little gang of bloodstained, damage was done."
According to earlier reports Japanese. planes twice raided towns in Szechuen.
Twenty-seven raiders were said to have bombed Liangshan, Hochwan and Kiangtsin at noon, while 54 machines were claimed to have raided towns in the western part of the province last night.
Apart from Yiping, unconfirmed reports state, Chengtu, Tzewiuching and Chiktiang were bombed last night.
The population of Chungking was Kept in dug-outs for eight hours. Chinese fighters took off to engage the raiders, who, however, though coming within the outskirts of the capital, never tried to enter its limits.—Reuter
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.