HL Deb 19 February 1953 vol 180 cc571-82

4.8 p.m.

VISCOUNT SWINTON rose to move to resolve

"That this House desires to record its deep sympathy with the Governments and peoples of the Netherlands and Belgium in the personal suffering and material loss inflicted on them by the unprecedented violence of the sea on the night of 31st January—1st February, 1953, and its approval of the practical measures of assistance which have been extended by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom; and further, offers warm thanks on behalf of the people of the United Kingdom for the spontaneous generosity of friendly nations within and without the Commonwealth which has been freely proffered for the relief of the hardship and loss suffered by so many of Her Majesty's subjects on that occasion; and that this House, deeply moved by the calamity which befell this country on the same night, records its sympathy with all those who suffered bereavement, injury, or material loss by tempest or flood; takes note of the declared intention of Her Majesty's Government to treat the catastrophe on a national basis; welcomes the welfare measures to mitigate suffering and distress and the measures to repair the damaged sea defences which were put in hand; acknowledges with gratitude the unremitting labours during and since the disaster, of local and statutory authorities, police forces, voluntary organisations, and civilian workers, including voluntary workers; and pays tribute to the magnificent work done by members of Her Majesty's forces and the forces of Her Allies."

The noble Viscount said: My Lords, ever since the tragic night of the 31st January, the House has waited almost daily for the latest news, the toll of death and suffering and loss, the unceasing efforts of rescue and repair, of comforting the homeless and of resisting some new assault. I think this disaster has drawn us all together in a common bond of sympathy and endeavour. Once again, as in the ravages of war, we have suffered in common with our allies and friends. Our thoughts have been with them and as much for them as theirs have been for us.

I visited Belgium soon after the disaster. They had suffered there in life and in property, I am glad to say much less than we had; but they suffered grievously all the same. Yet all their thoughts seemed to be for us and for their neighbours in Holland, far worse stricken than either of us. How our hearts, too, have gone out to the gallant people of the Netherlands in their present misfortune!Through the centuries, neither the forces of nature nor the malice of their enemies have ever daunted the spirit or dimmed the resolution of that brave nation. We are thankful that in our own trouble we have been able to give practical help to them also. We have been thrilled by the daring rescues carried out by our pilots in their helicopters as they hovered over the submerged islands. British troops have gone to the rescue, too, and it is characteristic of this common endeavour that those efforts have been seconded by a Canadian Brigade from Hanover. Day by day the story has been told, and day by day we have expressed our sympathy, and our appreciation of the untiring and unceasing efforts of tens of thousands of men and women, who have worked day and night in conditions as bad as any of us knew in war-time mud, to rescue and repair. Daily, too, we have learned with gratitude of the help that has poured into us from other lands, within the Commonwealth and without. But it is right and fitting that, in a formal and heartfelt Resolution, Parliament should express unanimously and. comprehensively all that we and the people of this Kingdom feel.

So, my Lords, I move this Resolution. It is a Resolution of sympathy with the peoples of the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as with our own folk. It recognises the prompt action taken. It offers our thanks to many nations for generous and timely help. It records our deep and abiding gratitude to all that countless band drawn from every quarter: the members of Her Majesty's Forces, all three Fighting Services working as one; and of the Forces of our Allies (and here we remember the losses which the American Air Forces themselves have suffered); the police; the staffs of many public authorities; the host of helpers from voluntary organisations, and the great number of others who volunteered—a glorious band working together as a wonderful learn. All these did the best things in the worst times; and for all we record our gratitude and our admiration.

We shall, I am sure, approve wholeheartedly the intention of Her Majesty's Government to treat the catastrophe on a national basis. We shall repair the ravage and reinforce our defences; we shall rebuild the houses; we shall restore the land. But there are human gaps that we cannot restore—sympathy and succour cannot do that; sad memories will remain. Yet surely something else will remain, too—the lasting memory of a disaster which we and our friends across the North Sea have suffered together, and together have met in a spirit of comradeship and resolution, which may, please God, remain with us and fortify and unite us in spirit and endeavour in the years to come. I beg to move.

Moved to resolve, That this House desires to record its deep sympathy with the Governments and peoples of the Netherlands and Belgium in the personal suffering and material loss inflicted on them by the unprecedented violence of the sea on the night of 31st January-1st February, 1953, and its approval of the practical measures of assistance which have been extended by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom; and, further, offers warm thanks on behalf of the people of the United Kingdom for the spontaneous generosity of friendly nations within and without the Commonwealth which has been freely proffered for the relief of the hardship and loss suffered by so many of Her Majesty's subjects on that occasion; and that this House, deeply moved by the calamity which befell this country on the same night, records its sympathy with all those who suffered bereavement, injury, or material loss by tempest or flood; takes note of the declared intention of Her Majesty's Government to treat the catastrophe on a national basis; welcomes the welfare measures to mitigate suffering and distress and the measures to repair the damaged sea defences which were put in hand; acknowledges with gratitude the unremitting labours during and since the disaster, of local and statutory authorities, police forces, voluntary organisations, and civilian workers, including voluntary workers; and pays tribute to the magnificent work done by members of Her Majesty's forces and the forces of Her Allies.—(Viscount Swinton.)

4.15 p.m.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, we who sit on the Benches on this side of the House associate ourselves wholeheartedly with the Resolution which appears upon the Order Paper, and which has just been moved in such fitting terms. We remember the days when the name "Belgium" meant a great deal to the people of this country. It was a battle cry which millions of Britishers volunteered to follow, and did follow, until final victory. We remember, too, the people of the Low Countries—the Netherlands, the Hollow-lands; or, to be brief, Holland. We have viewed with admiration through the centuries the toil and the ingenuity they brought to bear, not merely on making their country safe but on making it both fruitful and prosperous.

In view of the catastrophe that has occurred, it might be suggested in some quarters that with so much high ground in the world it is a waste of effort to fight against the sea, not always being sure whether what has been done is permanently safe. Those who have any faith in the human family, and who desire to see it rise above its conditions, would answer "No" to such a question as that. In the view of all of us, no matter whether the land is high or low, it should be cultivated, and it should produce. We therefore hope that, in conveying our thanks and sympathies to the peoples of these countries, the efforts which they are going to bring to bear upon reconstruction will be fruitful not only for a year or two but for all time.

But, having said that, I would add that it is as well to agree at once that an absolute guarantee of safety cannot be looked forward to. If that be the case, then the one thing we can determine upon is that what we now do shall be safer than what we did originally. We still have to contend with the forces of nature, just as our fathers did in days gone by. We have to remember that the cruelty of the sea is marvellously small in relation to its great bulk, its perpetual motion and its varied motion; and we have also to remember that the earth upon which the sea moves is never static but moves, too, from day to day and from year to year. So, if we cannot build for eternity, and cannot guarantee complete immunity from disaster, we can at any rate do better than we have done previously and make things as safe as possible.

I have a special feeling for the people of Holland, because I, too, am a native of another Holland: not Holland on the Continent of Europe, but a Holland in England itself. The area where I was born in the County of Lincoln—itself affected by this disaster, as your Lordships know—is known as Holland, and for the same reason: that in times gone by the land, which is now so fruitful and which appears to be so firm, was hollow land lying at the bottom of a great estuary. It is now a fruitful place. A great and industrious population live there, praying that they may always be spared from the disasters that affect men from time to time. I mention this because the first big efforts at drainage and reclamation in that area came from the Bedford family, who employed Dutch engineers. It was owing to their skill and their knowledge that the fenlands of Lincolnshire are to-day so profitable to the people who toil there. It always pleases me to know that now the land has been reclaimed and is so fertile, and now that it can grow so brilliantly the bulbs that originated in the Holland across the seas, Dutch families are living amongst us in the area and helping the people of Britain to grow plants that are so lovely.

Of course we shall approve of all the assistance rendered by this Government to those two countries, and we shall approve more and more, if it be required. Of course we shall join with the Government in thanking the people of the Commonwealth, and of the whole world, for the generosity now shown to the people of this country. Such help is none the less welcome to us because, hitherto, we have been among the fortunate of the nations of the world, and the gifts of the generous have gone out of our country into the lands of other people. Those gifts are now coming back to us and may be, if required, will come back to us an hundredfold. We shall support the Government's intention to make the recovery of our country a national responsibility, a national charge, and if there be present noble Lords who doubt the wisdom of that policy, may I commend to them an article appearing in to-day's Times which shows the different rateable values of the counties on the East Coast. I am sure they will then realise that, as these counties vary very much indeed in their degrees of wealth, it becomes all the more necessary that the Government should take charge and accept responsibility for the whole of our people.

We welcome everything done in the name of safety—the future safety of our shores. Speaking for myself, I am particularly pleased to note that those huge slag heaps which have disfigured the countryside in our industrial areas are now being moved in lorry loads to the coast, to be sunk into the sands in order to provide protection for future generations. I hope that industrialism in this country, whether it continues under competitive enterprise or under public enterprise, will never allow our country to be disfigured with what is left over, if industry can put it to the same use as we have done in this case. We are pleased with the work of the local authorities and the police forces. We pay our testimony to the voluntary organisations and, in particular, to the Citizens' Advice Bureau. Finally, we wish to thank the men in the Armed Forces, not merely of Great Britain but of those from abroad. In so doing, we are showing the people who help us that, whether we are enjoying good luck or whether we are subject to evil chance, we are not indifferent to those who come to our aid.

I cannot vie with some members of your Lordships' House in describing the effects of floods or of storm. Yet I think if we leave the subject matter of to-day's debate merely as a catalogue of things we wished to do, or we have not done, then people who read Hansard in the future will not realise fully what it was that the people in this country suffered. I question whether any ordinary man, or woman for that matter, could do it properly by speech on such an occasion. Therefore, with your Lordships' permission, I propose to quote a verse or two from a poetess, Jean Ingelow. Perhaps I should add that the poetess has already been quoted in full by the noble and learned Viscount, Lord Simon, over the wireless on Sunday—a fact that I did not know. But the few words I wish to read so depict the vividness of the storm which our people suffered that I think the pages of Hansard should bear them. After the excitement and the noise of the alarm; after doubt as to what was taking place in the area in Lincolnshire in 1571, when there was a very high tide, a messenger on horseback came to a village. And this is what he said: 'The olde sea wall' (he cried) 'is downe, The rising tide comes on apace, And boats adrift in yonder towne Go sailing uppe the market-place.' He shook as one that looks on death: 'God save you, mother!' straight he saith: 'Where is my wife, Elizabeth?' Then a verse but one later on there is a description of the tidal wave: For lo!along the river's bed A mighty eygre reared his crest, And uppe the Lindis raging sped. It swept with thunderous noises loud; Shaped like a curling snow-white cloud, Or like a demon in a shroud. Then there was the resistance of the river: And rearing Lindis backward pressed Shook all her trembling bankes amaine; Then madly at the eygre's breast Flung uppe her weltering walls again. Then bankes came downe with ruin and rout— Then beaten foam flew round about— Then all the mighty floods were out. Then the spreading waters: So farre, so fast the eygre drave, The heart had hardly time to beat, Before a shallow seething wave, Sobbed in the grasses at oure feet: The feet had hardly time to flee Before it brake against the knee, And all the world was in the sea. Then a cry from the human heart of a mother: 'Upon the roofe we sate that night, The noise of bells went sweeping by: I marked the lofty beacon light Stream from the of church tower, red and high— A lurid mark and dread to see; And awsome bells they were to mee, That in the dark rang "Enderby. They rang the sailor lads to guide From roofe to roofe who fearless rowed; And I—my sonne was at my side, And yet the ruddy beacon glowed; And yet he moaned beneath his breath. O come in life, or come in death! O lost!my love, Elizabeth. And didst thou visit him no more? Thou didst, thou didst, my daughter deare; The waters laid thee at his doore, Ere yet the early dawn was clear. Thy pretty bairns in fast embrace, The lifted sun shone on thy face, Downe drifted to thy dwelling-place'. My Lords, I hope that I have not wearied your Lordships with the above lines, but I think when people come to read Hansard afterwards and they want to know something about the terror of our recent floods they will not consider merely the actions we have taken, but will understand the dread and the fear of the people who underwent the torture of the times. My noble and learned Leader, Lord Jowitt, asks me to express regret for his unavoidable absence and the keenness of his desire to support the Motion, had that been possible.

4.30 p.m.

VISCOUNT MERSEY

My Lords, my noble friend Lord Samuel who leads the Liberal Party cannot, unfortunately, be in his place this afternoon. On his behalf, and on behalf of those noble Lords who usually sit on these Benches, I should wish to endorse and support the words of the Resolution, which has been so admirably phrased. I do not think that at this moment I can add anything further.

4.31 p.m.

THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

My Lords, all that should be said on this Resolution has already been said. I cannot speak with any special knowledge of my own, and yet I should desire to associate myself most deeply with all that has been said, and with all the emotions that have run through the whole nation at this unprecedented disaster. I, naturally, think in terms of dioceses. I think of the seven dioceses, running from Lincoln in the north to my own diocese of Canterbury in the south, which have been affected. In Kent, Canterbury and Rochester have suffered extremely little, in that there is hardly any loss of life. But an immense amount of damage was done to the orchards and fields, cattle and sheep: and in Sheerness, too, a great deal of physical damage was done. It is north of the Thames that the chief brunt of this disaster fell, with great loss of life. I know something from the Bishops concerned of what that has meant, and I know something, I am happy and proud to say, of what the clergy have done to play their part, along with all the other public services, in bringing help, succour and support to those who suffered most.

As I contemplate a disaster of this kind, I find comfort in these two thoughts—one has been referred to already: the fact that nothing reveals mankind at its best so much as a disaster of this kind. Everybody displays all that courage and comradeship which it is our prayer that we should show in similar circumstances. Throughout the affected areas, throughout England and from far distant places, there has been a unanimity of comradeship, courage and sympathy which makes us all better people by its expression. In my own small way I have seen evidence of that from Churches on the Continent. From Switzerland and elsewhere have come deeply moving messages to me, and between the Churches in the Netherlands and myself there have passed exchanges of sympathy. From the Episcopal Church of the United States has come a gift of some£1,500. The Church in Canada is sending me more than twice that sum, hoping that I shall send some of it on to the Churches in Holland. It is not an occasion when the Churches wish to raise funds for their own purposes—it is the duty and practice of the Churches to send their contributions to the Lord Mayor's Fund—but there are little ways in which our own clergy can bring relief rapidly and helpfully to places where otherwise it might not reach. It is a great joy to have had these practical expressions of generosity from overseas.

There is a second thought in which I take comfort, if I may venture to mention it, and that is that a terrible disaster of this kind has yet a kind of majestic honesty about it. It is part of the eternal conflict which man wages against the forces of nature and which are the conditions of man's existence. It is in that conflict of man with the elements of nature that we come to know our creatureliness, which we are sometimes liable to forget, and come to prove our manhood. It is not all loss when we thus find ourselves exposed terribly to these forces of nature within which our human destiny is set. I say that because it stands in such contrast to so many other evils which beset us at this time, when the main causes are man's stupidity, man's pride, man's malice and ill-will. When we think of all the terrors in the world which spring from those causes, I say that there is real comfort in remembering that this tragedy, terrible as it is, springs from these simple elemental conditions which the Divine Providence has set mankind. With those two thoughts I comfort myself. Finally, with all my heart, I associate myself with all that has been said on this Motion and with all that has been said by the noble Viscount the acting Leader of the House in moving it.

4.36 p.m.

LORD KINNAIRD

My Lords, The noble Viscount, Lord Swinton, in his Motion referred to the spontaneous generosity of friendly nations within and without the Commonwealth, and he acknowledged with gratitude the help received from voluntary organisations. When I read his Motion, my thoughts went to the noble Lord, Lord Woolton, who, as your Lordships know, is the Chairman of the British Red Cross Society. We all regret that, under doctor's orders, he is still prevented from attending the House, but I felt that he would have wished to place on record on this occasion an appreciation of the very generous help that has come from the national Red Cross Societies overseas. I emphasise "overseas" because I do not refer to the work of the British Red Cross in this country, which the noble Viscount, Lord Swinton, has already acknowledged.

First, the International Red Cross in Geneva placed their resources at the disposal of the British Red Cross Society. Then the League of Red Cross Societies, which co-ordinates peace-time action between the national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, offered immediate assistance. The British Red Cross Society suggested that those in the Netherlands were more in need of immediate assistance than we in this country. The League of Red Cross Societies did arrange one or two specific items of help which I felt were rather interesting, as they were very practical and showed considerable thought. From the Canadian Red Cross came 1,500 pairs of waders; from the Norwegian Red Cross, 2,000 pairs of rubber boots; from the American Red Cross, a vast number of parcels—from the Junior Red Cross of America; from the Swiss Red Cross, toys for children under five in the nurseries in the flooded areas. In addition, the following national Red Cross Societies have offered spontaneoushelp—I think it is an impressive list: Australian, Austrian, Belgian, Canadian, Danish, French, German, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Lebanese, New Zealand, Norwegian, Portuguese, South African, Swedish, Swiss and Turkish. When one considers the number of individuals concerned in all these national societies whose sympathy has made these gifts possible, and whose hearts have been moved to help other nations in the day of trouble, one cannot help feeling thankful for this evidence of good will among men and nations.

4.39 p.m.

LORD LLEWELLIN

My Lords, there is little more to be said, especially after the eloquent way in which the noble Viscount, Lord Swinton, moved this Motion this afternoon. I know that the sympathy of all your Lordships goes to those who have lost relatives and friends, lost their homes, and lost their crops, their farms or their household goods. Our thanks go to all those, civilians and Service men alike, who have literally stepped into the breach to repair our damaged sea walls. I rise really in order to express the hope that the good work that has been done in the past fortnight will continue unabated until there is no possibility, when the real spring tides come upon us, of further breaches being made.

My Lords, I happened to bear this morning, in relation to a part of Essex on the River Crouch called Narpips Gap, that the Service men have been withdrawn when they could well have been used for another three or four days, I understand that without their manual labour it is very difficult to get in the bulldozers to close one gap left in that part of the country. I happen only to have heard of this case, but I hope that the very proper desire of the Service authorities to get their men back to military training will not be an inducement to anyone to let the men go before this work is absolutely complete. We must avoid a recurrence of these floods when the spring tides come during the month of March. I have not the slightest doubt that the Committee of Ministers which was so promptly formed to look into this matter will also inquire into the point I am raising now, because I am certain that it would be the wish of everyone to see the work that has started so well carried through without a peradventure of further mishap.

On Question, Resolution agreed to nemine dissentiente.

House adjourned at seventeen minutes before five o'clock