Lords Sitting of 15 August 1945

THE KING'S SPEECH.
The KING being seated on the Throne, and the Commons being at the Bar with their Speaker, His Majesty was pleased to make a most gracious Speech to both Houses of Parliament, and then retired.
His Majesty's Speech was as follows:
"My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,
"The surrender of Japan has brought to an end six years of warfare which have caused untold loss and misery to the world. In this hour of deliverance, it is fitting that we should give humble and solemn thanks to God by whose grace we have been brought to final victory. My Armed Forces from every part of my Commonwealth and Empire have fought with steady courage and endurance. To them as well as to all others who have borne their share in bringing about this great victory and to all our Allies our gratitude is due. We remember especially at this time those who have laid down their lives in the fight for freedom.
"It is the firm purpose of my Government to work in the closest cooperation with the Governments of my Dominions and in concert with all peace-loving peoples to attain a world of freedom, peace and social justice so that the sacrifices of the war shall not have been in vain. To this end they are determined to promote throughout the world conditions under which all countries may face with confidence the urgent tasks of reconstruction, and to carry out in this country those policies which have received the approval of my people.
"At Berlin my Ministers, in conference with the President of the United States and Premier Stalin, have laid the foundations on which the peoples of Europe, after the long nightmare of war, may restore their shattered lands. I welcome the establishment of the Council of Foreign Ministers which will shortly hold its first meeting in London and will continue the work begun at Berlin in preparation for a final peace settlement.
"My Ministers will submit to you the Charter of the United Nations which has now been signed without reservation by the representatives of all the fifty States who took part in the Conference at San Francisco and which expresses the determination of the United Nations to maintain peace in accordance with justice and respect for human rights and to promote the welfare of all peoples by international co-operation. The devastating new weapon which science has now placed in the hands of humanity should bring home to all the lesson that the nations of the world must abolish recourse to war or perish by mutual destruction.
"It has given me special pleasure to meet the President of the United States on his brief visit to my country after the Conference at Berlin. I have also been glad to express the gratitude of this country to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force for his inspiring leadership in the campaign for the liberation of Europe.
"My Forces in Europe continue to discharge the duties entailed in the occupation of enemy countries and the, repatriation of the many thousands of persons who were deported from their homes by the enemy. My Navy, aided by the Navies of my Allies, is clearing the seas of mines so that merchant ships and fishing fleets may once more sail in safety.
"In the Far East my Ministers will make it their most immediate concern to ensure that all prisoners in Japanese hands are cared for and returned to their homes with all speed. The bringing of relief to those who have suffered under Japanese tyranny and the disarmament and control of the enemy will continue to impose heavy demands on my Forces.
"Members of the House of Commons,
"You will be asked to make further financial provision, not, happily, for the continuance of the war, but for expenditure on reconstruction and other essential services.
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,
"My Government will continue the orderly release of men and women from the Armed Forces on the basis of the
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plans announced in the autumn of last year and will take every step to secure that these plans are carried out with the greatest speed consistent with our military commitments and fair treatment to serving men and women. The arrangements already in operation for the resettlement in civil life of men and women released from the Forces and from war work, including those who have been disabled during their service, will be continued and, where necessary, expanded.
"The continuing shortages in the supply of many necessaries, especially houses, food, clothing and fuel, will call for the same spirit of tolerance and understanding which the nation has displayed during the past six years of war.
"It will be the aim of my Ministers to see that the national resources in labour and material are employed with the fullest efficiency in the interests of all and that the standard of living is progressively improved. In the pursuit of this aim the special problems of Scotland and Wales will have the attention of my Ministers.
"My Government will take up with energy the tasks of reconverting industry from the purposes of war to those of peace, of expanding our export trade, and of securing by suitable control or by an extension of public ownership that our industries and services shall make their maximum contribution to the national well-being. The orderly solution of these difficult problems will require from all my people efforts corn-parable in intensity and public spirit to those which have brought us victory in war.
"In order to promote employment and national development machinery will be set up to provide for the effective planning of investment and a measure will be laid before you to bring the Bank of England under public ownership. A Bill will also be laid before you to nationalize the coalmining industry as part of a concerted plan for the co-ordination of the fuel and power industries.
"Legislation will be submitted to you to ensure that during the period of transition from war to peace there are available such powers as are necessary to secure the right use of our commercial and industrial resources and the

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distribution at fair prices of essential supplies and services.
"An urgent and vital task of my Ministers will be to increase by all practicable means the number of homes available both in town and country. Accordingly they will organize the resources of the building and manufacturing industries in the most effective way to meet the housing and other essential building requirements of the nation. They will also lay before you proposals to deal with the problems of compensation and betterment in relation to town and country planning, to improve the procedure for the acquisition of land for public purposes, and otherwise to promote the best use of land in the national interest.
"You will be asked to approve measures to provide a comprehensive scheme of insurance against industrial injuries, to extend and improve the existing scheme of social insurance and to establish a national health service. Legislation will be introduced to repeal the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act.
"My Ministers will develop to the fullest possible extent the home production of good food. To this end they will continue, with suitable adaptations, those war-time policies under which food production has been organized and the efficiency of agriculture improved, and will take all necessary steps to promote a healthy fishing industry. The ravages of war have made world food supplies insufficient to meet demands, but my Ministers will do all in their power to provide and distribute food to my peoples at prices which they can afford to pay; and they will keep in being and extend the new food services for the workers and for mothers and children which have been established during the war.
"A measure will be laid before you for the reorganization of air transport.
"It will be the aim of my Ministers to bring into practical effect at the earliest possible date the educational reforms which have already been approved.
"My Government will continue to work in close consultation with the other members of my Commonwealth on all matters of mutual concern.
"In accordance with the promises already made to my Indian peoples, my Government will do their utmost to promote in conjunction with the leaders of Indian opinion the early realization of full self-government in India.
"They will also press on with the development of my Colonial Empire and the welfare of its peoples.
"I pray that Almighty God may give His blessing to your counsels."
House adjourned during pleasure.
House resumed at two of the clock, The LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.
Prayers.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.
The Lord Ker (M. Lothian)—Sat first in Parliament after the death of his kinsman.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.
The Earl of Gainsborough—Sat first in Parliament after the death of his father.

THANKSGIVING SERVICE.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT ADDISON): My Lords, I rise to move that this House do attend this day at Westminster Abbey to give thanks to Almighty God on the occasion of the cessation of hostilities by the surrender of Japan to the Allied Nations. In making this Motion, I suggest to your Lordships that the House should reassemble in order at four o'clock to go in procession to Westminster Abbey. The Lord Chancellor's procession will lead, followed by Black Rod and the Clerks at the Table. Immediately behind them will be the Leader of the House, the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party; then the most reverend Primate, and after him the members of the Government Bench in their turn, followed by the Episcopal Bench and the remainder of the House, walking as far as possible in fours. It is proposed that after the service in the Abbey the House shall reassemble here and an Address of congratulation to His Majesty will be moved. I beg to move.
Moved, That this House do attend this day at Westminster Abbey to give thanks to Almighty God on the occasion of the cessation of hostilities by the surrender of Japan to the Allied Nations.—(Viscount Addison.)
On Question, Motion agreed to nemine dissentiente.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.
House adjourned at a quarter before three o'clock and resumed at a quarter before four o'clock.
Several Lords—Took the Oath.
Then the House adjourned in order to proceed to Westminster Abbey for the Thanksgiving Service. On the return, the House resumed at a quarter before five o'clock.

THE JAPANESE SURRENDER: ADDRESS TO THE KING.
4.47 P.m.
VISCOUNT ADDISON: My Lords, I am sure I shall be expressing the feeling that is in the hearts of all of us when I say that we are impressed with the solemnity of this day. Never before, I think, has this House in the course of a single year had the opportunity of sending to His Majesty two messages of congratulation on the victorious conclusion of a great war. More remarkable still that this occasion should coincide with the opening of a new Parliament.
The end of the war with Japan has come with greater suddenness than could have been expected a few months ago. We know how much is due to the bold leadership and high courage of the Allied Forces, especially those of the United States, on the sea, on the land and in the air in the Pacific. But we do not conceal from ourselves the fact that this abrupt conclusion must have been due, in great measure, to the application of a terrible new force discovered by science. We thank God that the control of that force, so far, is in safe hands. But in our hearts I think that everyone of us must feel humbled by the immense re- sponsibility the discovery and application of this new and almost immeasurable force casts upon all leaders of peoples everywhere.
It is indeed right to seek to express our feelings in a message of thankfulness and congratulation to the Head of the State
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on the occasion of a victory of such vital importance to the whole world. Much more proud are we to do so because His Majesty the King is the gladly acknowledged Head of the British Commonwealth of Nations; of an association of free peoples such as has no precedent in history, and one also that has the ready allegiance of Colonies and Dependencies in all parts of the world. All, united in a love of freedom, have endured through these hard and terrible years and willingly given of their lives, of their substance and of their labour in the manifold fields of activity that have made up our common efforts. We rejoice that Kingship with us is the badge of freedom. It is possessed therein of a strength infinitely beyond any allegiance that is based on servitude. We would, above all, include in this message an expression of the gratitude we feel to all those who have served in any capacity, however humble, to those also whose power and activity in life has been crippled by the war, and especially to those who mourn the dead.
I think also, my Lords, it is seemly to-day to mention three great war leaders to whom we owe much: Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin.
I beg to move, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty as followeth:
"Most gracious Sovereign—
"We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to express to Your Majesty our heart-felt congratulations on the attainment of final victory over Japan, the last of Your Enemies.
"This victory has been won after long years of war, in which the freedom-loving nations of the world have struggled with united arms to conquer the forces of evil, and we are able with great gladness to rejoice with you. We rejoice also at the liberation which will come to our prisoners and to all those who have suffered from the barbarous oppression of the Japanese, and at the prospect of the return to their homes of the members of Your Majesty's Fighting Forces after long and arduous service overseas.
"At the same time, we do not cease to sorrow for those many thousands who cannot share with us the victory

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for which they died and to whose memory we shall dedicate our future endeavours, working to lay the foundations of an enduring peace.
"In this hour of victory also our thoughts are with Your Majesty's Chinese Allies whose long and gallant fight against the Japanese aggressors will not be forgotten.
"During all these times Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen have inspired and sustained Your peoples by Your example and Your constant sympathy, and have encouraged Your Majesty's Armed Forces, drawn from all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire, who, in company with the Forces of Your Majesty's Allies, have by their skill, bravery and sacrifice secured the deliverance of the world from bondage.
"We acknowledge with gratitude the work of that great body of civilians who, in their various capacities have, by their endurance and fortitude sustained the life and ensured the safety of this realm.
"And we pray that under God's guidance, all nations will now work together to ensure that the peace, for which so many lives have been given, may never again be broken by evil men, and that the nations of the world, freed from the fear of aggression, may enjoy secure happiness and increasing prosperity."
Moved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty as followeth:
"Most gracious Sovereign—
"We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, beg leave to express to Your Majesty our heart-felt congratulations on the attainment of final victory over Japan, the last of your enemies.
"This victory has been won after long years of war, in which the freedom-loving nations of the world have struggled with united arms to conquer the forces of evil, and we are able with great gladness to rejoice with you. We rejoice also at the liberation which will come to our prisoners and to all those who have suffered from the barbarous oppression of the Japanese, and at the prospect of the return to their homes
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of the members of Your Majesty's Fighting Forces after long and arduous service overseas.
"At the same time, we do not cease to sorrow for those many thousands who cannot share with us the victory for which they died and to whose memory we shall dedicate our future endeavours, working to lay the foundations of an enduring peace.
"In this hour of victory also our thoughts are with Your Majesty's Chinese Allies whose long and gallant fight against the Japanese aggressors will not be forgotten.
"During all these times Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen have inspired and sustained your peoples by your example and your constant sympathy, and have encouraged Your Majesty's Armed Forces, drawn from all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire, who, in company with the Forces of Your Majesty's Allies, have by their skill, bravery and sacrifice secured the deliverance of the world from bondage.
"We acknowledge with gratitude the work of that great body of civilians who, in their various capacities have, by their endurance and fortitude, sustained the life and ensured the safety of this realm.
"And we pray that under God's guidance, all nations will now work together to ensure that the peace, for which so many lives have been given, may never again be broken by evil men, and that the nations of the world, freed from the fear of aggression, may enjoy secure happiness and increasing prosperity."—(Viscount Addison.)
4.58 p.m.
VISCOUNT CRANBORNE: My Lords, on behalf of those who sit on these Benches, I rise to support the humble Address to His Majesty the King which has been moved by the Leader of the House on this occasion of the final defeat of the Japanese enemy. It is not easy to find words adequate to such an occasion as this. To-day we are passing through one of the great moments of our long history. Inevitably, as the Prime Minister said in his broadcast last night, our minds go back to those grim days of 1941 and 1942 when, amid all the storms and stress of the European War, a new and terrible

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cloud arose on the Eastern horizon, and when in turn Hong Kong, Malaya and Burma fell and Australia, New Zealand and India were immediately threatened by a savage and ruthless foe. Perhaps never in the whole history of the world has the cause of freedom stood in such jeopardy as it did at that moment. In that black hour, what was it that sustained above all the British people? First of all, I believe it was faith in our cause and with it: a deep and unquenchable loyalty to our King. To-day at last, through the unremitting efforts of our own brave fighting men and those of our American Allies, that menace has been finally removed.
The King's enemies have been beaten to their knees, and we can turn again from war to cultivate the arts of peace. In this moment of victory our thoughts win surely go first to God, who has brought us through so many and so great dangers, and next to our King, the cornerstone of this old Empire of which we are so proud to be citizens. His Majesty has shared with us in our sorrows and our anxieties, and to-day we share with him in his rejoicing. At this notable moment we send him our devoted greetings and congratulations. He has passed with us through the valley of death. Long may he live to guide us towards the sunny uplands of prosperity and peace.
5.1 p.m.
VISCOUNT SAMUEL: My Lords, it is three months since this House met to pass an Address of congratulation to His Majesty on the conclusion of the war against Germany, and on that occasion we expressed an unfaltering resolve to pursue, in common with our Allies, to a victorious conclusion the war against Japan. Now, happily, after so short an interval, we again meet, that resolution having been so gloriously achieved. The noble Lords who have already spoken have expressed our sense of gratitude to the Forces and to the civilians, to all who have been engaged in this great conflict, but perhaps your Lordships would wish that expression should be given to a special meed of gratitude to the great British and Indian Armies who have so long been engaged in the campaign in Burma: to them and to the Naval and Air. Forces who supported them in a campaign arduous, prolonged, skilfully conducted and completely victorious, which has contributed so largely to wearing
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down the Japanese resistance. I was especially glad to hear the noble Leader of the House express our sympathies and our congratulations to the Chinese people, who have borne with such stubborn endurance and for so long a period an ordeal not less severe than has fallen upon any other nation, and who are now happily to see their efforts rewarded by the return of all they have lost.
It is a unique circumstance, I believe, in the long history of this Parliament, for the same day to witness a speech from the Throne at the beginning of a new Parliament and also the passing of an Address to the Sovereign of congratulation on the final ending of a long-continued, worldwide and dreadful war. It has been the custom for centuries in the great moments of our national history for the representatives of the nation to turn to the Throne. And this is a Throne not based upon a mere myth nor on some irrational mysticism and endowed with excessive power, dangerous because it is unlimited, but a Throne based upon the conscious, deliberate decisions of a free people, who know from experience that it gives to a fully democratic system of government stability and continuity.
On the previous occasion I ventured to suggest that the thanks of Parliament should also be expressed to the Government of the day, then drawn from all Parties, including the heads of the present administration, which had given such efficient guidance to the war effort and. had brought about victory over Germany; and I suggest to-day that we should express our thanks to the same Government for this victory over Japan, for it will be acknowledged on all sides, irrespective of any Party allegiance, that it was that Government which massed the forces necessary for this victory, which pursued the invention which has brought about the final collapse of the Japanese enemy, and which completed all the military plans which, in conjunction with our Allies, have brought about this glorious result. Primarily, then, we express our thanks to the then Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill. He has since suffered a swift and sudden electoral reverse of a kind not infrequently experienced in our politics. But that was not due to any dissatisfaction on the part of the nation with the conduct of the war, and certainly no one would wish that it should be regarded as cancelling those expres-

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sions of gratitude, frequent and sincere, which emanated from the whole nation during the course of that long ordeal. It was because the country was turning its mind from the events of the last five years to the possibilities of the future. When the surrender of Japan was announced there was no man in Britain more entitled to pride and gratification than Mr. Winston Churchill, and it is fitting that at this moment, and in this place, that sentiment should find expression. My noble friends on these Benches cordially concur in the Resolution which is now before your Lordships' House.
5.8 p.m.
THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTER-BURY: My Lords, with a very full heart I would associate those for whom I speak with the words which have been already spoken, and to them I would add hardly anything, for indeed it is not necessary. In this message which we are sending to His Majesty with all our loyalty, devotion and personal affection, we summarize and express symbolically those deep feelings which move us at this moment and which cannot be adequately expressed at all. We rejoice here with our nation and with our Empire. We rejoice here with all our Allies. We rejoice—and I am thankful that this has been especially noted in the message—with the Chinese people, who were the first to be the victims of aggression, who have suffered far longer than we have with far fewer resources with which to meet it, and have patiently endured year by year the enemy in possession of great tracts of their country and their life disrupted and destroyed.
We rejoice not only with our Allies; we rejoice, I would say, for our enemies that they have been arrested in their evil courses and have been set free to learn
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from other nations a better way. We rejoice with all those who have borne the burden and heat of the day. Especially, as the noble Viscount has mentioned, do we rejoice for those prisoners and people interned in the Far East who have suffered unendurably, and now can look for speedy relief and release. I would say that we rejoice with those who gave up all and laid down their lives in this conflict and who now, from a purer world, know that their labour was not in vain. Above all, the Christian conscience rejoices that this great evil has now gone from the world and, we pray in faith and hope, never to return. Other evils remain and to them we shall have to address ourselves but this evil which threatened the very springs of human life and civilization has gone. Men no longer plot and strive to destroy each other. With fresh hope, with fresh courage and with fresh faith we can turn to those tasks and responsibilities which by victory to-day God now lays upon us.
On Question, Motion agreed to nemine dissentiente. The said Address was ordered to be presented to His Majesty by the Whole House, and the Lords with White Staves were ordered to wait on His Majesty to know when His Majesty would be pleased to appoint to be attended with the Address.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
VISCOUNT ADDISON: My Lords, before we adjourn, I think it might be for the convenience of your Lordships it I stated that we propose to meet at the usual hour to-morrow —two o'clock —when the principal business will be the humble Address in reply to the gracious Speech from the Throne.
House adjourned at twelve minutes past five o'clock.