"The War 'Office's decision, too long delayed, to put' the Home Guard on a more regular basis, with commissions and other ranks known in the Regular Army, is widely welcomed. Lord Gort is Inspector-General of the Guard,.'which -will have a full directorate and director-general with headquarters. at the War Office. As far as possible the "trainband" character of the Guard will be preserved, and its local anid friendly character. But it will be for all essentials a part of the regular forees. There appears no reason why it should not release numbers of troops for service overseas in the Middle Bast, which is more and more recognized as the crucial centre of the struggle, where the Empire faces its greatest danger and where we.haVve the finest chance to smash the Axis by hammering at its weaker partner, Italy.
Hitler asserted that the Home Guard were nothing but francs tireurs; to be treated as such, It is a false claim, though in the usual way it started a controversy among some of our less practically minded lawyers and theorists.. The real reason for putting the Guard on a proper footing is that its hitherto somewhat Indeterminate status caused confusion and discontent. There have been a good many resignations in recent weeks, which, knowing something-of the Guard at close quarters as I do, I do not' think were 'The Guard Is now six times as large as the pre-war 'Territorial Army, and mostly composed of men in the early' thirties, who for a variety of reasons have been prevented from joining up. Clearly this is a force of which a great deal could be made.
Mr, Churchill's disclosures of how we are impeded in our action against U-boats and bombing planes by the loss of the use of Queenstown, Berehaven and "Lough Swilly has made us very angry. They were given or rather British forces were withdrawn from them, in 1938 when "apeasement" was running rampant, in spite of the protests of Mr. Churchill and a strong warning by the late Lord Craigavon. But it was the mot d'ordre at: that time that Mr, Churchill must be: cold-shouldered and and was not Lord Craigavon him~
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.