THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (VISCOUNT CRANBORNE) (Lord Cecil)My Lords, I feel sure that your Lordships, in every part of the House, will wish me to pay a tribute to General Sikorski, who met his death, on the final stage of a mission that he had undertaken for his country, in the deplorable air accident at Gibraltar yesterday. It will also be your desire that I should express to the Government and people of Poland our sympathy in the grievous loss that they have suffered by the death of their great leader and the other eminent officers who have perished in this shocking disaster.
The death of General Sikorski is, indeed, a calamity—not only to Poland, but to the United Nations. He was a great man, in every sense of the word. Brave, chivalrous, and liberal-minded, he led his country, through one of the most terrible periods of its history, with a wisdom and a resolution which have commanded the admiration and respect of us all. Poland is a nation which has always, in the hour of peril, been able to produce leaders equal to her needs. Among these national heroes none will occupy a nobler place than he whom we mourn to-day. Both as Prime Minister and as Commander-in-Chief, he has shown how to guide and inspire his countrymen. In his death, as in his life, he has given to them, and to all of us, a great example. At this sad time we share Poland's pride and her sorrow. Our hearts go out especially to his wife, bereft in one day of her husband and her daughter. I am sure that your Lordships will wish me to express, to her in particular, our heartfelt sympathy.
§ LORD ADDISONMy Lords, on behalf of noble Lords on this side of the House I should like to associate myself most sincerely with what the Leader of the House has said. I am sure that every one of us during the progress of this war has had 220 an increasing admiration for General Sikorski's work and for the inspiration of his example in the interests of his much distressed country. He was one of those who in our darkest days came among us and linked the fortunes of his country, without misgiving, with ours when our fortunes seemed themselves to be precarious. For that reason among many others, everyone of us, I am sure, must feel particularly that we also owe a great debt to General Sikorski for his prompt and courageous adoption of our cause. I am sure it must have meant almost everything for the rallying of Polish people throughout the world and for the promotion of their solidarity. My noble friends and I would like with all sincerity to associate ourselves to the full with what the noble Viscount has said.
§ LORD CLWYDMy Lords, on behalf of those who sit on these Benches it is my privilege to associate them and myself with this expression of condolence. I agree with every word which has been spoken with regard to the great man who has so unfortunately lost his life at this stage of the war. I should like also to add an expression of my personal and deep regret at this grievous accident which has deprived Poland of a great statesman.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, may I also associate myself on behalf of the Scottish-Polish Society in Scotland with the words that have fallen from noble Lords this afternoon? We in Scotland had the greatest regard for General Sikorski. It was he who gave us inspiration and encouragement in the action which we took in forming a Scottish-Polish Society in Scotland in order to promote and improve cultural relations between our two countries. General Sikorski from the very early stages of that movement helped us not only with his presence but with his words, and he showed thereby that his interest was not of a military nature only—and in that direction we know that he excelled—but that he had also at heart the cultural conditions of his own country as well as the cultural relations between Scotland and Poland, which had existed for so many centuries. I am sure that no greater tribute could have been paid to General Sikorski than has fallen from the lips of our noble Leader to-day.