§ Mr. SpeakerI have a communication to make to the House. I have received, on the occasion of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, many telegrams expressing profound admiration and respect for him and sympathy for his family and for this House in the loss which we have suffered. They come from my brother Speakers of the Commonwealth; from the Speakers and Presidents of Upper and Lower Houses of Legislature, and from organisations and individuals from many and varying parts of the world. They are expressed in various languages.
In particular, I should tell the House that I have received, among others, messages from the President of the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium; from the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons; from the President of the Danish Folketing; from the President of the German Bundestag; from the Presidents, respectively, of the First and Second Chambers of the States General of the Netherlands; from the Speaker of the Knesset; from the Speaker of the Althing; from the Presidents, separately, of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and the Italian Senate; from the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan; from the Speakers of the Senate and House of Representatives of Kenya; from the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; from the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament; from the President of the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco; from the President of the Norwegian Storting; from the President of the Turkish National Assembly, and I think I ought to add in this context, from 682 the President of Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri.
If time allowed, I should wish to read all these messages to the House, but that cannot be. So that they may be available to hon. Members, I will have the messages from the various Parliaments printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Even before I have been able to answer those messages, I should like to express, on behalf of the House, our deep gratitude for the thoughts which inspired the sending of them and for the sentiments to which they give expression.
§ Following are the messages:
§ To the Speaker of the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, London.
§ The Netherlands people and States General mourn the death of the man to whose unflinchable determination and indomitable courage we owe our survival as a free nation.
§ Sir Winston Churchill was a great Parliamentarian, a great war leader, and a great statesman. It is perhaps only in England that there exists the constitutional framework required for such a unique combination of greatness to fully reveal itself.
§ We rejoiced on the ninth of May, nineteen hundred and forty-six, to have this illustrious Parliamentarian address both our Chambers sitting together in the Knights Hall. With deep sorrow we now join his countrymen standing at his bier and pay our final tribute to him the memory of whose greatness will be enshrined in our hearts for ever.
§ JONKMAN,
§ President of the First Chamber of The States General.
§ VAN THIEL,
§ President of the Second Chamber of The States General.
§ Mr. Speaker, House of Commons, London.
§ Franco-British Parliamentary Committee of French National Assembly and Senate wish to convey to you and to British Parliament heartfelt grief at sad 683 news, death of Britain's Elder Statesman whose memory will live long in hearts of all Frenchmen.
§ MICHEL BOSCHER,
§ Chairman.
§ The Speaker, House of Commons, London.
§ In the name of the Althing we express our deep-felt sympathy on the occasion of the departure of one of the greatest Parliamentarians of our time, Sir Winston Churchill.
§ Speakers of the Althing,
§ Reykjavik.
§ Message from H.E. MR. FUAD SIRMEN, President of the Turkish National Assembly, to Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Q.C., M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons.
§ I wish to convey to you the sincerest condolences of the Turkish National Assembly as well as mine on the sad occasion of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, one of the greatest statesmen of our time, who defended the cause of the free nations and freedom with exemplary firmness, resolution, courage and success through the most difficult period of recent history.
§ Amongst his matchless qualities, the distinguished personality as a Parliamentarian of Sir Winston Churchill and his personal mark on British Parliamentary life will be remembered with admiration in the Turkish National Assembly as in Parliaments of all free nations.
§ Telegram, dated Rome, 24th January, 1965, addressed to Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ The passing of Sir Winston Churchill is a serious loss for the civilised world of which he was a most noble and tenacious defender. He bore witness to a dramatic and triumphant period of history, to the making of which he contributed and which he has described 684 in a masterly fashion. On behalf of the Assembly and myself I express our feelings of sincere and profound sorrow.
§ BRUNETTO BUCCIARELLI DUCCI,
§ President of the Chamber of Deputies.
§ Telegram, dated Rome, 24th January, 1965, addressed to Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ The passing of Sir Winston Churchill deprived the whole world of one of the most outstanding personalities of all time. His work as a Parliamentarian, statesman, historian and indomitable champion of the supreme values of liberty and democracy in tragic circumstances constitutes the imperishable legacy of a man whom the peoples of the whole world will never be able to forget. Pray convey the feelings of most sincere and profound sorrow of the Senate of the Republic and myself.
§ CESARE MERZAGORA,
§ President of the Senate of the Italian Republic.
§ Telegram, dated Bonn, 24th January, 1965, addressed to H.E. the Rt. Hon. Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Q.C., M.P., House of Commons, London.
§ On the occasion of the death of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill 1 send you, Mr. Speaker, and the House of Commons the profound sympathy of the German Bundestag.
§ From its very beginnings your House of Commons has been the forum for important political figures often of international stature. Sir Winston Churchill was numbered among the greatest of these. We respected his unflinching courage even in the darkest hours and we admired his clearsightedness and his great qualities as a statesman. However, Sir Winston Churchill won the affection and admiration of the Germans when, after a terrible period in our history, he was one of the first to pave the way to a reconciliation and thus lay the foundations for a great future for the peoples of Europe and the Free World. Now that his life is over, I should like to express to you, Mr. Speaker, and to 685 the House of Commons, the admiration and gratitude which we shall always feel for this great son of Britain.
§ GERSTENMAIER,
§ President of the German Bundestag.
§ The Speaker, House of Commons, Westminster, London.
§ Speakers of Senate and House of Representatives on behalf of all Members of National Assembly of Kenya honour memory of Sir Winston Churchill, inspired leader and great Parliamentarian. Please convey our sympathy to all Members and to Lady Churchill and family.
§ CHOKWE AND SALDE.
§ Rt. Hon. Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker, House of Commons, London, S.W.1.
§ On receiving the sad news of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, the most outstanding statesman of the world, my sorrow knows no bound, emanating from the very depth of my heart. Recalling his great historical steps, I respectfully express my deep condolence for his death. Please convey my profound sympathy to your Government and people as well as the bereaved family.
§ NAKA FUNADA,
§ Speaker, House of Representatives, Japan.
§ The Rt. Hon. The Speaker, House of Commons, London.
§ As Speaker of The Knesset, Israel's Parliament, I would ask you to convey a tribute of sympathy from the Legislature of the State of Israel to the Members of the British House of Commons on the passing from their midst of one of the most distinguished Parliamentarians in history, whose inspired leadership of the free peoples led to victory in the struggle 686 against the Nazi forces of darkness which threatened to engulf the civilised world. We in Israel will always think of Sir Winston Churchill with profound gratitude as the steadfast and fearless champion of our cause in the British Parliament both in and out of office and we shall always honour his memory. By his death all Parliaments are irreparably bereaved. In their quest for an induring democracy Parliamentarians throughout the world will always bear with them Sir Winston's testament.
§ KADISH LUZ,
§ Speaker of The Knesset.
§ The Rt. Hon. The Speaker, House of Commons, London.
§ On behalf of the Israeli branch of the Interparliamentary Union, I extend to your Members our profound sympathy on the loss which British Parliamentarians have sustained with the death of Sir Winston Churchill. This noble and towering Parliamentary figure was a source of inspiration and guidance to democratic Assemblies all over the world. Our people will never forget his mighty contribution to the victory of the free peoples over the detestable Nazi advance threatening the freedom of all mankind. Britain has lost illustrious son of our generation and democracy an unsurpassed champion.
§ DAVID HACOHEN,
§ President, Israeli Group,
§ Interparliamentary Union.
§ Mr. Speaker, House of Commons, Westminster Palace, S.W.1.
§ Mr. Speaker, with the deepest regret we have learned that Sir Winston Churchill, our great contemporary, has passed away. A feeling of debt towards Sir Winston is deeply rooted in the Danish people and I beg to ask you, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House of Commons, to accept from Folketinget the assurance of sympathy and compassion in your great sorrow.
§ JULIUS BOMHOLT,
§ President of Folketinget.
687§ Telegram, dated Brussels, 25th January, 1965, addressed to the Rt. Hon. Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons, Whitehall, London, S.W.1.
§ The death of Sir Winston Churchill has been felt very deeply by the Parliamentary Council of Benelux which knows how much the whole world and Europe in particular owes to that eminent statesman for the restoration of democratic institutions and fundamental liberties. On behalf of the Council I send my most profound condolence to the House of Commons of which Sir Winston was a Member for so long, and I pay sincere homage to the memory of one whom the present generation and future generations will salute as a hero of the Second World War.
§ G. WAGNER,
§ President.
§ Telegram, dated Brussels, 25th January, 1965, addressed to the Rt. Hon. Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, Whitehall, London, S.W.1.
§ The death of Sir Winston Churchill who, as he himself said, was "a child of the House of Commons" has been deeply felt by the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium, who will always remember what the world owes to the eminent statesman for whom Great Britain is in mourning. It is with deep emotion that we recall that at one of the most critical moments in contemporary history Sir Winston was placed in the position of supreme responsibility and that he assumed this immense task with indomitable energy and extraordinary courage, embodying to a very high degree the traditional virtues of Great Britain to whom Belgium owes an inestimable debt of gratitude. On behalf of the Chamber, I bow respectfully to his memory and I extend my particularly profound condolence to the House of Commons and the British people.
§ PRESIDENT A. VAN ACKER.
688§ Telegram, dated Rabat, 25th January, 1965, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ I have been deeply moved by the death of Sir Winston Churchill and on behalf of myself and the Chamber of Representatives of Morocco, I send you our most profound condolence on the passing of this great statesman who has shown how a Member of Parliament can serve his country and the ideals of the whole of mankind at one and the same time.
§ DOCTOR KHATIB,
§ President of the Chamber of Representatives of The Kingdom of Morocco.
§ The Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ In my name and on behalf of all Members of the Lebanese Parliament, we extend our sincere condolences for the loss of the man of peace, Sir Winston Churchill.
§ SABRI HAMADE,
§ Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament.
§ To the Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ The Norwegian Storting wishes to express to the House of Commons its profound sympathy with the people of the United Kingdom in their grief over the death of the great commoner and the eminent statesman and leader, Sir Winston Churchill, to whom also the Norwegian people owe so much.
§ NILS LANGHELLE,
§ President of the Norwegian Storting.
§ Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the House of Commons, London.
§ The House of Commons of Canada shares the sorrow of your ancient and honourable House at the passing of Sir Winston Churchill, the greatest commoner of our time. To the abundance of his honours may we add this final tribute: while he lived he knew no equal, only in death can he sit among his peers
§ ALAN A. MACNAUGHTON,
§ Speaker of the House of Commons, Ottawa.
689§ We are overwhelmed with astonishment and sorrow at the sad news of the passing away of the late Sir Winston S. Churchill, the great hero of the century whom we hold in our highest respect. It is a great sorrow not only to the British Commonwealth but also to the whole world and to the Republic of Korea to lose the great statesman of the century who has made an unprecedented contribution towards peace and freedom for the whole of mankind. On behalf of the Korean people, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea wishes to express deepest condolences to the House of Commons. In this hour of sorrow, we pray for the late Sir Winston's eternal sweet repose.
§ HYO SANG LEE,
§ Speaker of the National Assembly, Republic of Korea.