The Monarchist 1.0
Defending the British Crown Commonwealth and the English-Speaking Peoples
English Flag (1272) Scottish Flag (1286) King's Flag (1606) Budge Flag (1707) Grand Union Flag (1776) United States of America Flag (14 June 1777) United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (1801) UK Red Ensign UK White Ensign (1864) UK Blue Ensign Australian Flag (1901) New Zealand Flag (1917) Canadian National Flag (1965)

[+] HONOURING OUR PATRON, SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, VICTOR OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES

[+] HONOURING OUR QUEEN, ELIZABETH THE SECOND, ON THE 80TH YEAR OF HER BIRTH (1926 - 2006)

[+] HONOURING OUR KING, SAINT EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, ON THE 1000TH YEAR OF HIS BIRTH (1005 - 2005)

[+] HONOURING OUR HERO, LORD NELSON, ON THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR (1805 - 2005)

[+] HONOURING OUR SONS, THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH SOLDIERS KILLED IN THE 'WAR ON TERROR'

[+] HONOURING OUR VETS ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICTORIA CROSS (1856 - 2006)

Thursday, December 23, 2004
War Speech

Winston Churchill
House of Commons, September 3, 1939

In this solemn hour it is a consolation to recall and to dwell upon our repeated efforts for peace. All have been ill-starred, but all have been faithful and sincere. This is of the highest moral value--and not only moral value, but practical value--at the present time, because the wholehearted concurrence of scores of millions of men and women, whose co-operation is indispensable and whose comradeship and brotherhood are indispensable, is the only foundation upon which the trial and tribulation of modern war can be endured and surmounted. This moral conviction alone affords that ever-fresh resilience which renews the strength and energy of people in long, doubtful and dark days. Outside, the storms of war may blow and the lands may be lashed with the fury of its gales, but in our own hearts this Sunday morning there is peace. Our hands may be active, but our consciences are at rest.

We must not underrate the gravity of the task which lies before us or the temerity of the ordeal, to which we shall not be found unequal. We must expect many disappointments, and many unpleasant surprises, but we may be sure that the task which we have freely accepted is one not beyond the compass and the strength of the British Empire and the French Republic. The Prime Minister said it was a sad day, and that is indeed true, but at the present time there is another note which may be present, and that is a feeling of thankfulness that, if these great trials were to come upon our Island, there is a generation of Britons here now ready to prove itself not unworthy of the days of yore and not unworthy of those great men, the fathers of our land, who laid the foundations of our laws and shaped the greatness of our country.

This is not a question of fighting for Danzig or fighting for Poland. We are fighting to save the whole world from the pestilence of Nazi tyranny and in defense of all that is most sacred to man. This is no war of domination or imperial aggrandizement or material gain; no war to shut any country out of its sunlight and means of progress. It is a war, viewed in its inherent quality, to establish, on impregnable rocks, the rights of the individual, and it is a war to establish and revive the stature of man. Perhaps it might seem a paradox that a war undertaken in the name of liberty and right should require, as a necessary part of its processes, the surrender for the time being of so many of the dearly valued liberties and rights. In these last few days the House of Commons has been voting dozens of Bills which hand over to the executive our most dearly valued traditional liberties. We are sure that these liberties will be in hands which will not abuse them, which will use them for no class or party interests, which will cherish and guard them, and we look forward to the day, surely and confidently we look forward to the day, when our liberties and rights will be restored to us, and when we shall be able to share them with the peoples to whom such blessings are unknown.

Comments:

Can't see the comments?If you are unable to see the comments, your browser may have javascript turned off or may not support javascript. Check your security settings. Otherwise you can click here to access to comments in regular HTML from the TheirSay! Comment Server.
Elizabeth the Great

The Royal Arms of Canada, 1921

email: themonarchist@rogers.com

[+] LOYAL PROCLAMATION Queen's Personal Flag

[+] THE TORY MANIFESTO Tory Blue

[+] THE WHIGGISH RABBLE Liberal Red

[+] DEFENDERS OF THE REALMS (*)


DEFENDER OF THE FAITH Jerusalem Cross

[+] GOD SAVE THE QUEEN Royal Standard

[+] CHURCH OF ENGLAND England

[+] PATRON SAINTS

[+] THRONE AND ALTAR


KING AND COUNTRY Royal Arms of UK Royal Arms of Canada Royal Arms of Australia Royal Arms of New Zealand

[+] SOVEREIGN OF STATE

[+] FOUNT OF JUSTICE (*)

[+] QUEEN-IN-PARLIAMENT (*)

[+] COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF UK Joint Services Flag

[+] COLONEL-IN-CHIEF British Army Flag

[+] HER MAJESTY'S SHIPS Naval Ensign

[+] FOUNTAIN OF HONOUR Most Noble Order of the Garter

[+] PATRON OF THE ARTS

[+] HEAD OF COMMONWEALTH Queen's Personal Flag


LORD OF THE BLOG

[+] BLOG PATRON

[+] GENTLEMEN SCRIBES

[+] DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

[+] HEREDITARY PEERS British Union Jack

[+] BLOGGING TORIES Canada

[+] RED ENSIGN BRIGADE Red Ensign

[+] KIWI BLOGS Red Ensign

[+] WITANAGEMOT CLUB England

[+] ROYAL ARCHIVES Royal Standard