Sunday Graphic dated Sunday September 3rd
1939
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On September 2nd 1939 the British Government, led
by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, sent an ultimatum to Adolf Hitler
stating that unless he evacuate all German troops from Poland by 11am on the 3rd,
we would declare war.
So if you were reading this Sunday Graphic over your
breakfast table on the morning of the 3rd you would be, as the
headline suggests, waiting for Hitler’s answer and no doubt listening to the
radio.
At a quarter past 11 you would have heard Chamberlain’s
sombre voice intone
"This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin
handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we heard from
them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops
from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that
no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at
war with Germany…”
The whole broadcast lasted
just under 13 minutes. Our war with Nazi Germany lasted 5 years and 8 months.
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The National Services (Armed Forces) Act of 1939 made all
able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 41 eligible for call-up. Those in
reserved occupations such as dock workers, miners, farmers, scientists,
Merchant Seamen, railway workers, and utility workers (water, gas, electricity)
were exempt.
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After the re-shuffle the War Cabinet looked like this –
Neville Chamberlain - Prime
Minister
Sir Samuel Hoare - Lord Privy
Seal
Sir John Simon - Chancellor of
the Exchequer
Lord Halifax - Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs
Leslie Hore-Belisha - Secretary
of State for War
Sir Kingsley Wood - Secretary of
State for Air
Winston Churchill - First Lord of
the Admiralty
Lord Chatfield - Minister for
Coordination of Defence
Lord Hankey - Minister without
Portfolio
Anthony Eden became Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
but not a Cabinet member.
Churchill took over as Prime Minister when Neville
Chamberlain resigned in May 1940.
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German troops invaded Poland on September 1st
1939 supported by widespread aerial bombing. This was in direct response to an
apparent attack the previous evening by Polish saboteurs on a German radio
station. The attack was in fact carried out by SS troops disguised as Poles.
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Australia, New Zealand and India declared war on Germany
during the afternoon of the 3rd. Canada followed suit on the 10th.
South Africa had a long history of German allegiance and, although in 1939 it
was a British Dominion State, its Prime Minister was pro-Germany and wanted the
country to stay neutral. On September the 4th he was deposed and a
pro-British Prime Minister, Jan Smuts, took over and South Africa declared war.
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The zookeepers were afraid that due to potential
bomb damage the poisonous little blighters would escape. What about the lions,
tigers, bears, wolves and not forgetting those devils incarnate the chimpanzees?
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It was generally believed that when War came the German
Luftwaffe would immediately start bombing British cities much as it was doing
in Poland, therefore the evacuation from major cities, not only of children but
also pregnant women, disabled people and mothers with children under 5 along
with all the teachers and carers that accompanied them, started on September 1st.
During the next 4 days over 3 million people were displaced.
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Not the usual Himmler/Goering/Goebbels triumvirate.
Walther Funk survived the War and sentenced at Nuremberg to
Life. He was released from Spandau in 1957 and died in 1960.
Dr Wilhelm Frick was also tried at Nuremberg and was hanged
in October 1946.
After his ‘peace’ mission to Scotland, Rudolph Hess was
tried and spent the rest of his life in Spandau Prison, committing suicide
there in 1987.
Hans Lammers was sentenced to 20 years for crimes against
humanity but this was reduced to 10 years and in 1952 he was pardoned. He died
in 1962.
Wilhelm Keitel was the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
throughout the War and it has been said that if Hitler hadn’t contradicted his
campaign plans then Germany would have won World War II. He was tried by the
International Military Tribunal immediately after the War and hanged.
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During the War the Allies’ armed forces were
augmented by many exiles from occupied Europe including French, Danish, Polish,
Czech, Belgian, Dutch, Norwegian and Greek refugees.
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The Standard 8 might give you 50 miles per gallon but
unfortunately with the outbreak of the War petrol was the first thing to be
rationed as of September 16th.
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The story about Spencer Tracy reminds me of one I read about
Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman when they were making Marathon Man.
Hoffman, he of the New York Method school, was complaining that he couldn’t
really get the motivation for a particular scene, so Sir Larry said, “Try acting,
old boy.”
‘The Wizard of Oz’ starring Julie Garland was released in
Britain in November 1939.
‘One Million B.C.’ turned up in 1940 produced, not by Cecil
B DeMille but by that other Hollywood veteran D W Griffith and directed by Hal
Roach.
The boy-wonder Orson Welles, who, in 1939, was known for his
stage and radio work as actor, director, producer and writer, was about to make
his first feature film – ‘Citizen Kane’ – long regarded as the greatest
American film ever made.
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