§ 4.49 p.m.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government, if they have any statement to make on the international situation; and to move for Papers.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (EARL STANHOPE)My Lords, the statement made to your Lordships on October 12 was chiefly concerned with 1470 the attitude of His Majesty's Government to the speech of the German Chancellor on October 6. Apart from the comment which has appeared in the German newspapers, there has been no indication from Berlin of the views of the German Government upon the issues which the Prime Minister sought to define. There is therefore at present nothing that can be added to the statement of last week. Meanwhile opinion in other countries has had an opportunity of finding expression, and German propaganda organs have used all possible ingenuity so to twist foreign comment as to make it somewhat less unfavourable to their own point of view. I should doubt whether this effort has had any success outside Germany itself, for it is difficult to conceal the fact that the vast bulk of comment, of nearly all shades of political colour, in neutral countries has shown a full appreciation of the attitude of the Allied Governments. It seems evident that the inconveniences which war inevitably brings for all nonbelligerent countries and which, for their part, His Majesty's Government intend to do their best to mitigate, have not obscured the fundamental issues at stake, the determination of which must affect for good or ill the moral and material welfare of the neutral peoples no less than that of the belligerents.
Your Lordships are already familiar from statements made in this House and official communiqués, with the main events of the war by land and sea and in the air. On the Western Front the British Expeditionary Force has now finally taken over its allotted sector of the French line and all divisions are in position. We are proud to know that our men are thus standing to arms beside the soldiers of France for whose patriotism, determination and magnificent fighting qualities we have so deep an admiration. The understanding between the French and British Higher Commands is complete. The fact that our Expeditionary Force is under the command of the French Commander-in-Chief and that unity of command has thus been achieved at so early a stage of the war is one proof of this accord. Another is to be found in an agreement by which French troops are serving under the orders of the British Commander-in-Chief in France.
In the war at sea, activity has been unremitting both in attack and in defence. 1471 The whole nation is grateful to the Royal Navy for their untiring efforts to ward off enemy attack and to remove the menace of the submarines so that the steady flow of trade to and from our shores may remain unbroken. In carrying out their task the Navy has during this week sustained severe losses both in officers and men and your Lordships will desire to pay your tribute to the memory of all who have given their lives in the defence of their country whether on sea, on land or in the air. A heavy toll has been taken of the U-boats since the war began. The failure of this form of attack to interfere with our trade may be judged when I inform the House that it is estimated that the losses sustained by British shipping entering and leaving our ports during the week ended October 17, represent only about one half of 1 per cent. of the total number sailing.
Attacks by enemy aircraft on our Fleet bases have begun. This is a new feature of the war, but one which was fully expected. The extent of the enemy's disappointment at the failure of these attacks to inflict any serious injury upon our ships may be measured by the fantastic nature of the claims which they have felt obliged to invent. It is not true, and I must repeat it once again, though by now the news grows stale through repetition, that the "Hood" or the "Repulse" or any other capital ship has suffered the least damage. Nor is it true of the "Ark Royal." The people of this country are resolute enough to bear bad news and the Government have not hesitated to publish the full extent of any losses they have sustained. Those imaginary losses which the German broadcasts have described with such unblushing impudence may serve for a time to raise their spirits but in the end their falsity will be demonstrated and the consequent disappointment will be only the more depressing.
We, on our side, have no intention of claiming successes of which we are not convinced. It is far more important that the world should be able to believe implicitly in the truth of the communiqués we issue than that we should reap the short-lived advantages which distortions of the truth may bring. We know that in the air battles which, during the last two days, have for the first time been fought over our own coasts, we 1472 have destroyed eight enemy aircraft without losing a single machine of our own. We believe that several more German bombers may have failed to reach home. The total number of aircraft taking part in the raids did not exceed thirty. The casualties which we have inflicted upon the enemy have thus certainly exceeded 25 per cent. of the attacking force and may have been higher. These results are a splendid tribute to the courage and determination of the officers and men of the Royal Air Force, and the House will be glad to know that the Auxiliary Air Force have won a first and resounding success by bringing down three out of the four German aircraft destroyed in the raid on Rosyth. We may, indeed, be encouraged by the knowledge that our defences have proved so successful in these first tests of their strength and that our fighter aircraft have been shown to possess the excellence of quality for which we had hoped. In these early days we must not, of course, indulge in foolish boasts. The attacks so far made upon our coasts have been few and on a small scale, and it would be unwise to assume that we shall always be as successful as we have been in these first exchanges. There are many surprises in war and they cannot all be pleasant. But we have at least the satisfaction of knowing that we have made a good beginning.
§ 4.56 p.m.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, I beg to thank the noble Earl for the statement he has made. It has been shorter than those he has previously made and my own remarks concerning it will also be very brief. I think that the best service that can be contributed by an Opposition speaker on these occasions is, as far as he honestly can do so, to support the Government who have so heavy a responsibility to bear and to try in unofficial language to interpret the facts that perhaps are vaguely stated in the statements themselves. This does not mean, of course, that on occasion we shall not feel it right to criticise. That may indeed be not only desirable but inevitable. But the Opposition has a not unimportant part to play in trying to sustain the public morale, and its freedom from executive responsibility enables it to be freer in expression and in suggestion than the Government can be who have to weigh carefully every word they 1473 use. If I may say so, I express the belief that both the Oppositions in your Lordships' House have done their best to support the Government in their responsible task.
The statement to which you have just listened contains very little except a statement respecting the valour of those who are defending our cause on the sea, on land and in the air. I notice that no statement is made respecting the loss of the "Royal Oak." That is in all probability because a Court of Inquiry is sitting and we may hear more about that on a future occasion. What we feel it right to emphasize to-day is that all the arms that are serving at the present time are doing what we all expected and felt assured that they would do, giving vigilance and courage and steadfastness to the great task entrusted to them. One may be especially pleased to note the success which the Auxiliary Air Force has had at the very beginning of its trial of strength. I always remember, as my noble friend behind me has reminded me, that they correspond to the Territorials on land, and it must be an enormous encouragement to all their comrades that they have come through the early trials so well. I am sure that we may all of us live secure in their vigilance and their courage, and that we will try to sustain them as they do their most responsible and dangerous work.
§ 5.1 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT CECIL OF CHELWOODMy Lords, I only want to make one very small suggestion for the consideration of the Government. We have been told a certain amount—all that can properly be told no doubt—about the progress of the war on land, in the air and on the sea. There is another department which may turn out to be the most important of all, and that is the Economic Department. I do not know whether the Government would consider whether there is anything that they can tell us as to the progress of that Department, because I am sure it would be heard with great interest. I will not even try to sketch the kind of thing because I might say something that is indiscreet, but if anything can be said I believe it would be regarded with a great deal of interest both by your Lordships and by the country.
§ 5.2 p.m.
§ EARL STANHOPEMy Lords, it would be even more indiscreet that I should make any remark about economic warfare. Everybody knows that the noble Viscount played a very distinguished part in that particular subject in the last war. Therefore if he feels it not very judicious that he should make any remarks upon that subject, it would certainly be far more unwise for me to do so. But I will certainly pass on the suggestion he has made. I am quite certain the Government would wish to tell your Lordships everything that is possible, but, as the noble Viscount knows far better than most of us, it is not quite so easy to give information on that particular subject as it is on others without giving away things that are best kept secret. But I will certainly pass this suggestion on to the Government. I am very much obliged to the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition for the remarks he has made as regards the statement. We know that he is supporting the Government in every matter in which he feels he legitimately can, and whatever our Party differences may be we are at any rate all at one in our admiration of the magnificent efforts made on land, on sea and in the air by those who are defending the country. I am glad the noble Lord supported the Government in that, because it shows that the admiration comes from all parts of your Lordships' House, as everyone in the House knows quite well it would do.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, I beg to thank the noble Earl for his reply and ask leave to withdraw the Motion.
§ Motion for Papers, by leave, withdrawn.