"Ride back and bid King Harold to make Story of this day they shall never ready for the fight. When Northmen
"Tostig forsook defiance of Harold's brother. prior. lode battle outside York in which the English defeated the first invasion of England in 1086.
It was while he was celebrating the victory which followed that news was received of the landing of William of Normandy near Pevensey. Duke William, as he landed, stumbled and fell His staff Jooked gloomy over what they considered a bad omen, but he, leaping gaily to his feet, revealed his hands full of English soil. exclaimed. ni and by the splendour of God! as far as it teach. I extends it is mine—it is yours." That was what, even in the eight on September 28. Harold, by forced marches, was describing to the French quickly reached London whence he despatch-inviolable at of the English to ed a fleet of seven hundred vessels to prevent The feeling was not born in the same the escape of the Normans, having no doubt in his own mind that he would dispose of Junk before de French, Revelation on. it was just before the was them as he had of the Norwegian invaders. carried out in the principles of 1789. At times With a growing force of shire levies mostly it has been abolished, but it has always been restored. In Great Britain, love of liberty has. without body armour and'his own buscarles, tory. It penetrates everyining, exes to every-its roots in the very depths of the nation's his-Harold's guards, he marched southwards to a spot six miles from Hastings where he took thing. King himself his honour up a position on the top of a hill, with his being the protector of the liberties of back to the great forest of the Weald. It citizen. After this journey, I was comb was before this position that Duke William, who with his forces had been ravaging the my relations wi my as Mayor, I want to recall just one experience country for the previous sixteen days, appear-because it reveals so much about the English ed on October 14. He was in command of character. a well-equipped army, not only of Norman I had decided to organize in Lyons a great vassals but of barons, knights, and adven-exposition for the year 1914. Near the end of turers, with archers and arblasters, heavy 1913, I realized that it would be the part of cavalry with armoured riders and even the wisdom to insure my enter against possible infantry fitted with defensive mail. From deficit, and decided to apply to Lloyds of London. T took advantage of the short ite that that point of view Duke William was un-the New Year holiday brought me.
1 doubtedly better off than was King Harold, arrived in London, a friend introduced me to though it does not appear that that advantage Lloyds and to their director, Mr. Heath. I laid was the' overwhelming factor in the battle my plans before him. When I saw Mr. Heath which ensued, but rather the trick by which smile, I was tempted to excuse myself and the Normans forced the English to break withdraw. "Don't go," he said, "I was amused their ranks; when they were annihilated hearing you talk, because every time anyone almost at will. The history of the fight is proposes to me to insure an exposition, he promises wonders, brilliant successes, exceptional too well known to need expansion here, but profits; and each time I am faced with a from morning to night fall the battle raged, deficit. However, that's of no importance. Here the English were defeated and the way is a pencil and a slip of paper. Write down the opened for William to begin the work of the amount for which you wish to be guaranteed. T Norman Conquest. will deduct the premium to be paid; then the That was not to prove too difficult. Had deal will be closed."
Harold abided his time while the English If I remember correctly, I asked for a guarantee of 3,000,000 francs. I promised to pay levies were pouring in, it is believed that eventually he would have faced the Norman a premium" of 250,000 francs. The whole thing was drawn up in a single sentence—in lea invader with a force of 100,000 men. But pencil, I repeat—and signed then and there... he was impatient. For sixteen days William, "Now then," I said to Mr. Heath, "where shall instead of advancing, had been spending his we go to find a lawyer to transform our con-time pillaging the countryside, and Harold tract into a legal document?" risked a battle to stop it, He was killed and Again he laughed. "Will a lawyer be more honest than we are? Put your slip of paper his army practically wiped out, and there in your pocket and when you get back home was apparently no one else able to exercise sufficient authority to form armies out of put it into your safe deposit box. And sleep well." the levies which had not yet been used, so A few months later came the war. My exposithat from the night of October 14, Britain lay tion opened at last—late, like all or almost defenceless before the invader. save for some expositions. But it met with every kind of sporadic resistance which William found no luck. A tempest soaked the buildings: a sudden great difficulty in suppressing. That was not rising of the Rhone carried away the bridge that led to the fair grounds; strikes the last time England was invaded, but it "What, I wondered, was to become of me? was the only one which met with success. of anxiety, I wrote in the autumn to the good excepting, of course, that of William of Mr. Heath. I had an answer back at once: "I Orange. which, however was carried out at am unable to do anything for you at this the invitation of an influential section of the moment, because of the concern which the English leaders who were able to make sure coming of the Zeppelins over London is giving that there would be no resistance. me, Wait just a few days ioni Very shortly after arrived London a What an opportunity Hitler missed in the Lloyd confidential man, Mr. Prince. In a few summer of last year. The British expedi-hours Mr. Prince had verified my accounts. Then tionary force sent to France had been within the elegant flourish with which one offers drawn, leaving behind all its equipment: a flower to a lady he handed me the check There was comparatively little available in which freed me. Early the next morning he left for London. As my City Treasurer was Britain to re-equip the men and, practically about to deposit the check, he found that in speaking, from the ground up the British reckoning the exchange Mr. Prince had made Government had to build a new army. There a mistake to his own disadvantage of 25,000 were no home guards then and from a francs. I cabled immediately, and immediately military point of view Britain was almost I had back an answer: "Give money to defenceless. True, she had her air force and French war charity" The verification of this the Navy, but the fact is that after the little story may be found in the archives of the collapse of France Britain on land was in city of Lyons.
Then I realized what it ineant—an English Such a position that if a substantial] German signature... force could have been landed the situation'
At this point I bring my memories to a close. might very well have become serious. Of As will be readily admitted, they represent only course the Navy proved a sre shield and
the shümimét and autumn to foil Hitler's buckler, while the R.A.F. was able during a small portion of an official city life Sere a period of 35 years. I wanted to show was bound and always will be bound to attempts to batter Britain to her knees by Britain and to the United States. i I decided not to allow myself to tell anything the huge daylight raids which were about the role I played in the life of the adopted. The Battle of Britain was the first That would be another matter. It would lead maier success achieved against the Germans, me to recall my second visit to the United and it afforded a breathing space during States in 1933 when I had the privilege of talk-which Britain working at fever heat fitted ing with that splendid leader who presides over herself not only for the defence of her own the Republic, Franklin D. Roosevelt. In him I shores but for the prosecution of the war in found combined all the qualities which give a man true nobility: loyalty, justice, courage. I other theatres. It does'not look now that if shall never forget the talks we had in the White Hitler endeavoured to emulate Duke William House. I would not bring this article to a close he would have the latter's easy success without addressing to him an expression of my arm admiration, and without sending from the depths of my solitude my greetings to the great The Wrong Effect people of the United States, where differing While the gigantic battle that has been raging opinions may be freely expressed and where along Russia's eastern frontier since June has every one. whatever his political group, cherhad the effect of overshadowing thos terrible ishes a respect for the human being and for air raids over Britain last year, it Þas by no moral law. means lessened the danger of similar raids being carried out as soon as Hitler is in a position to
WAR FUND BAROMETER
do so. This brings up the question of whether or not indiscriminate air raids—Hitler's raids The Voluntary War Contribution Fund has on England killed more civilians, destroyed been open for 463 days and there have been more churches and hospitals than they cid com-9.578 contributors. The War Savines Associa-bat ants and military targets—are likely to retion has been open for 469 days and there have duce the moral of a nation to such a low ebb that the cry is for peace at any price. Two been 1,652 contributors. The latest totals follow: hooks published this vear—one about London Fund Amount end the other about Chunskine, two of the Central British War Fund 346,493.32 worst bombed citi in this world—definitelv Vol War Contribution Fund 602,189.88 prove that indiscriminate bambino has the War Savings Association 271,713.73 reverse effect—it strengthens moral, not destroys it. No finer picture of London and Londoners undergoing the terrors of the worst that Hitler's Luftwaffe could dish out. has been 1—Including monthly transfers from EN into painted than "Hospitals Under Fire," (Fdited by George C. Curnock, George Allen & Unwin, London) or of the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation, suffering from equally intense
IN PARENTHESIS
raids in Chungking, than "Dawn Over Chungking" written by the three daughters of Lin
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.