Chapter 59 Volume 2, Chapter 17, Blitz

Successive phases of the German attack Goering personally directing the air battles His attempt to conquer London Hitler's boastful bombing sequence Fifty-seven nights (September 7-November 3) General Pyle's anti-aircraft artillery network A few personal observations Downing title and new building Mr. Chamberlain's stoicism after major surgery He promised to leave London He died peacefully At a dinner in 10 Downing Street Thanks to a sudden thought of a bomb dropped in the Treasury courtyard Palmer Street caught fire The Carlton Club is bombed The People's Brave Ramsgate Hotel and the War Loss Insurance Scheme The Underground Railway as a bomb shelter We expect London to be in rubble Regulations for government offices Preparing sirens and air-raid sirens for the ghostly wails Improving the Andersons' home The air-raid bunker cabinet ahead of mealtimes the mood expressed in parliament I advise MPs to be wary of their good luck.

The German air raids on Britain reflected an enemy that was divided, had conflicting goals, and never fully completed the plan.Three or four times during these months, the enemy gave up a method of attack that caused us great pressure and adopted another new method instead.However, all these stages overlapped each other, making it difficult to divide them with precise dates.Each stage leads to the next stage.The initial raids sought to draw our Air Force into fighting over the English Channel and our southern coast; this was followed by raids on our southern counties, principally Kent and Sussex, with the object of destroying our Air Force's then approaching and reaching London; then making London the chief object of the raid; finally, when we were victorious over London, they again scattered their attacks on the counties and cities and our passage through the Mersey and Firth of Clyde. The only lifeline to the Atlantic Ocean.

We had seen how we were exhausted when they attacked my south coast airfield during the last week of August and the first week of September.However, on September 7, Goering publicly took command of the air battle, changing from daytime air raids to night air raids, from attacking the fighter airfields in Kent and Sussex to bombing a large area of ​​​​London where most buildings are concentrated.Small daylight raids were commonplace and never stopped, and a large daylight raid was still possible; but on the whole the character of the German offensive changed entirely.The bombing of London lasted fifty-seven nights.For the world's largest city, this is a severe test, and no one can predict how it will turn out.Never before had such a large residential area been bombed like this, never before had so many families been forced to face the hardship and horror of the bombing.

Towards the end of August, the enemy bombarded London indiscriminately, and we responded immediately with a retaliatory attack on Berlin.Since we had to cover the greater distances, it would have to be done on a much smaller scale than an attack on London from neighboring French and Belgian airfields.The wartime cabinet strongly advocated fighting back, advocating fighting and challenging the enemy.I am convinced that they were right, and that only a realization of the anger and willpower of the British could have shocked Hitler or disrupted his plans.He admires us in his heart.Of course, he took advantage of our vengeance against Berlin and publicly declared that it was the established policy of Germany to blow London and other British cities to rubble.He declared on September 4th that if they attacked our cities, we would simply burn their cities to the ground.He did try to do it.

The first aim of the Germans was to destroy our air power; the second was to crush the morale of the Londoners, or at least render the largest city in the world uninhabitable.These new objectives were not achieved by the enemy.The skill and bravery of our pilots, the excellence of our aircraft and their close organization have given the RAF victory.Millions of ordinary people now manifested the same variety of virtues indispensable to the very existence of Britain, and they proved to the world the strength of a society bred by liberty. From September 7 to November 3, an average of 200 German bombers raided London every night.The initial bombardment of our county cities during the previous three weeks had caused us to scatter our anti-aircraft batteries so much that it had only ninety-two anti-aircraft guns in London when it first became the principal target.It was considered best to leave the night fighters commanded by Eleventh Group free in the air.Among night fighters, six squadrons were Birenham and Dreadnought fighters.Night fighting was still in its infancy at that time, and the enemy suffered very little damage.Our anti-aircraft artillery therefore did not fire for three nights.At that time, their own technology was also pitifully low.Nevertheless, in view of the weaknesses and unresolved problems of our night fighters, it was decided to allow the anti-aircraft gunners to use their best techniques at will and to shoot at targets they could not see.General Pyle, who commanded the anti-aircraft batteries, more than doubled the number of anti-aircraft guns in London in forty-eight hours by withdrawing them from the county towns.Our own planes dodged, and the opportunity for the anti-aircraft guns came.

For three nights Londoners endured what appeared to be unopposed air raids in their homes or crude bomb shelters.Suddenly, on September 10, the entire anti-aircraft fire network was opened, and it was accompanied by strong searchlights.This rumble of artillery did little damage to the enemy, but it gave great satisfaction to the inhabitants.Everyone rejoiced, knowing that we had fired back at the enemy.Since then, the anti-aircraft artillery has been firing regularly; of course, the technique of shooting has been continuously improved by constant practice and proficiency, and by the exigencies of the day.The number of German invasion planes shot down also gradually increased.From time to time the anti-aircraft batteries paused to allow night fighters, also much improved in their fighting methods, to fly over London.The night raids were accompanied by almost continuous day raids, sometimes by small groups of enemy planes, sometimes by just one, often at intervals throughout the twenty-four hours alarm.The seven million residents of London have become accustomed to this strange life.

I know, of course, that thousands of people have many more thrilling stories to tell about the Blitz, so in order to save space I will only relate here a few personal observations. When the bombing first started, people didn't take it seriously in their minds. In London's West End, everyone works, plays, eats and sleeps as usual.The theater is often full, and the street with the lights out is full of people in twos and threes.Compared with the defeatists in Paris who were dying of fear and screaming when they were hit by a serious air raid in May, these reactions of Londoners can be said to be healthy.I remember one time when some friends and I were having dinner during the continuous heavy air raids.The large windows of Stornoway House looked out onto Green Park, which was lit by the flames of flak guns and now and then by the flames of an exploding bomb.I feel like we're taking unnecessary risks.After supper we walked to the Imperial Chemicals building overlooking the embankment.From those high stone balconies there are beautiful views of the river.At least a dozen places on the south bank were burning, and while we were there, several heavy bombs fell, one so close that my friends hurried me behind a solid stone pillar.This time, I was proven right about the many limitations we should have in our daily enjoyment.

Those government buildings around Whitehall were hit repeatedly.The houses in Downing Street are two hundred and fifty years old, rickety and sloppy houses built by a mercenary whose name still bears on them.During the Munich crisis, dugouts were built for the occupants of 10 and 11 Downing Street, and the ceilings of those rooms below ground were supported with another wooden ceiling and sturdy wooden columns.It was thought that this would hold up the ruins if the house was blown up or collapsed in an earthquake.Of course, neither these rooms nor the dugouts could withstand a direct hit from a bomb.During the last fortnight of September, preparations were made for my Cabinet Office to be moved to the newer and more solid Government Offices building near Storey Gate, facing St. James's Park.We call the building the new building.Below the new building there is an operational command room and several bomb-shelter bedrooms.The bombs were of course smaller than those dropped at later stages, but life in Downing Street was intense during the period before the new dwellings were ready.We seemed to be living in a battalion command post at the front.

During these months our evening cabinet meetings were held in the operational command room in the basement of the new building.To get there from Downing Street one had to walk across the Foreign Office's quadrangle and then climb up, past the construction crews pouring concrete to strengthen the war room and underground offices.I did not notice at the time how difficult it was for Mr. Chamberlain, who was frail from major operations, but no difficulty could deter him. He was more well-dressed, calmer and firmer in his demeanor than in his previous cabinet meetings. One evening in late September 1940, I looked out the front door of Number 10 Downing Street and saw workers stacking sandbags in front of the windows of the basement of the Foreign Office opposite.

I asked what they were doing.They told me that Mr. Neville Chamberlain had to receive special regular treatment after his operation and that it was inconvenient to do so in the shelter of Number 11, where at least twenty Personal, therefore, they have prepared a small private place for him here.He kept all appointments every day with restraint, agility, and well-groomed clothes, but the reality lay in front of him.How could he stand it.I exercised my authority.I found Mrs. Chamberlain through the passage between number ten and eleven.I said: He is so sick that he shouldn't stay here at all.You must send him away until he recovers.I sent him all my telegrams every day.She went to her husband.Within an hour she told me:

He is willing to listen to your opinion.We're leaving tonight.I haven't seen him since.In less than two months, he passed away.I am sure he wished to die at his post.We can't let him do that. There is also a night (October 14th) scene that is also deeply impressed in my mind.We were having dinner in the flower room at Number Ten Downing Street when the usual night air raids began.Dining with me was Archie Sinclair, Oliver Littleton and Moore Brabazon.The steel shutters were closed.There were several loud explosions not far around us, and a short while later a bomb fell loudly on the cavalry-garden, about a hundred yards from us.Suddenly, I suddenly remembered.The kitchen of No. 10 Downing Street is tall and spacious, and can be seen from a large glass window about twenty-five feet high.The waiter in the dining room and the maid in the living room continued to serve the dishes as if nothing had happened, but I immediately noticed the large window. Behind the large window, the chef Mrs. Landmeyer and a female chef were quietly working.I stood up abruptly and went into the kitchen, told the steward to put the food on the hot plate in the restaurant, and told the cook and other servants to hide in the bomb shelter as usual.Only about three minutes after I sat down again, there was a loud bang, which was close at hand, followed by a violent vibration, indicating that the house had been bombed.My detective came in and said the damage was extensive.The kitchen, the pantry, and the offices on the Treasury side were all bombed out. We went to the kitchen to watch the scene.The kitchen was completely destroyed.Fifty yards from here the bomb landed inside the Ministry of Finance, and the result of the explosion was that the large and tidy kitchen, with all the gleaming cookers and dishes, was reduced to a heap of black dust and debris.Large glass windows were blown to pieces of glass and wood and scattered throughout the house, which would have been blown to pieces if anyone had been in the room.Fortunately, it occurred to me at that time that it was easy to ignore the past, and the thought came at just the right time.Across the courtyard, the dugout of the Ministry of Finance was shattered by a direct bomb hit, killing four civil servants who were there on night duty for the National Guard.However, they were all buried under a large pile of rubble, and we don't know who the dead are. The air strikes were still going on and seemed to be intensifying, so we put on our helmets and went to the roof of the new building to check the situation.Before going up to the roof, however, I couldn't help showing Mrs. Landmeyer and the others from the bomb shelter a look at their kitchen.They were saddened to see the sight of ruins, but mainly because the kitchen was in disarray and disorganization! Archie and I ascended to the dome attic of the new building.The night was clear and cloudless, and London could be seen far away.It appears that much of Palmer Street is on fire.There are at least five fires burning there, as well as fires in St James's and Pikedilly streets.Across the way, on the farther side of the river, many places were burning, but the Palmer Street was the most burning, a sea of ​​flames. The air raids gradually died down, and before long the all-clear sirens sounded, and all that remained were a few raging fires.We went downstairs to my new accommodation on the second floor of the new building, and we met Captain David Majesen, the Conservative Governor-General, who used to live at the Carlton Club.He told us that the club had been blown to pieces, in fact we had expected it to have been blown up from the fire.He was in the club with about two hundred and fifty members and staff.The club took a heavy bomb.The facade and massive roof towards Palmer Street collapsed into the road, burying his car parked near the front door.The smoking room is full of members, the whole ceiling is falling on their heads.I went to see the ruins of the club the next day, and it seemed inconceivable that most of them hadn't been killed.Yet, like a miracle, they all crawled out of the dust, smoke, and rubble, and though many were injured, not a single one died.When these stories reached Cabinet, our Labor colleagues quipped: "The devil bless the devil."Mr. Quentin Hogg recited his father, who was once a chancellor, from the ruins of the Club as Anies recited Patel Anchises from the ruins of Troy , Ma Jason has no place to stay, we prepared blankets and bed for him in the basement of the new building.All in all, it was a terrible night, but judging by the extensive damage to the buildings, it is amazing that less than five hundred people were killed and only a thousand or two thousand were injured. 【1】Anies is the hero in the epic poem "Anies Wandering" written by Virgil. It is said that he is the son of Anchises.He carried his aged father after the fall of Troy, and lost his own wife in the confusion and haste.translator One day after lunch, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kingsley Wood, came to see me at 10 Downing Street on business.We heard a huge explosion across the Thames in South London.I took him to see what was going on.The bomb fell on Peckham, a large bomb possibly a mine.It completely blew up or destroyed twenty or thirty small three-story dwellings, and it blew up a considerable vacant lot in this very poor district.There were so many little British flags planted in the rubble at this time, which made people feel mixed.When the residents recognized my car, they came running from all directions, and soon over a thousand people gathered.These people are in high spirits.They surrounded us, cheering, expressing their love for me in various ways, and wanting to touch my clothes.People may think that I have conferred upon them some fine practical benefit of improving the lot of their lives.I couldn't bear it anymore and shed tears.Ismay, who was with me at the time, recounts hearing an old lady say: Look, he really cares about us, and he's crying! These are not tears of sorrow, but tears of admiration and admiration.Look here, they said, leading me into the heart of the ruins.There was a huge crater about forty yards wide and twenty feet deep.Close to the edge of the crater stood an Anderson family bunker, and we were greeted at the entrance of the crooked bunker by a young man, his wife and three children. Bomb scare.They were there when the bomb went off.They couldn't tell what happened at the time.But they are still alive, and seem very proud.Neighbors treat them as curiosities.As we got back into the car, the haggard-looking crowd expressed a sense of exasperation.They shouted, we will fight back!Let them have a taste of it too.I immediately promised to fulfill their wish, and I did keep my promise.We bombarded German cities violently and regularly, bigger and more explosive as our air power grew, and we made the Germans pay back what they owed tenfold, twentyfold our debt.The enemies were indeed met with full retribution, they were struck down and utterly conquered.Poor human beings! Another time I went to Ramsgate.We had an air raid.I was led into the big local tunnel where quite a few people used to live.A quarter of an hour later, when we emerged from the tunnel, we saw smoke still rising from the rubble.A small restaurant was hit.No one was hurt, but the house was reduced to a heap of rubble, with broken pots, pans and furniture strewn about.The owner of the restaurant, his wife, as well as the chef and waitresses were all in tears.Where is their home?What do they live on?This is when those in power need to exercise their power.I made a decision immediately.On the way back by special car, I dictated a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which established a principle, that is: all losses caused by enemy bombing should be borne by the state, and the government should make full compensation immediately.In this way, the burden will not fall solely on those whose houses or shops have been bombed, but will be borne equally by the people of the whole country.Kingsley Wood certainly had some misgivings about this vague obligation.But I pressed hard, and within a fortnight a war insurance scheme was worked out, which later played an important part in our conduct of business.I explained this plan to Parliament on September 5th: When I walk in the interior and see an Englishman's small house or shop blown up by the enemy, and see that we do not try to make this burden shared by all, so that we are united and united, I feel that Its a big pain.Damage due to the military action of an enemy is distinguished from any other kind of loss or damage, because the state is charged with defending the life and property of its subjects and taxpayers from foreign invasion.Unless public opinion and parliamentary scrutiny distinguish damage due to enemy bombing from all other forms of war loss, unless a clear line is drawn between war damage due to bombs and shells and other forms of loss, We will not be able to deal with this problem; otherwise, we will open an endless gap.But I think it would be a very clear sign of our confidence, if we could proceed with such a scheme as to give full or at least a minimum insurance to every person who suffers war damage from bombs or shells, And after gaining some experience, we have good reason to say that we can use this method to get through the war. The Treasury Department has gone through several phases of emotional uncertainty about the war insurance package.At first they thought it would bankrupt them; but after May 1941, after a three-year hiatus from the air raids, they began to make a fortune, seeing the plan as farsighted and a sign of statesmanship .But at the end of the war, when missiles and rockets began to appear, they were short-lived again, paying a total of 890 million pounds.The way it is, I'm happy. At this point we look ahead and think that London, except for a part of its solid modern architecture, will gradually and in a short time be reduced to rubble.I fear for the lives of the people of London, most of whom are living, sleeping, and waiting to see where they came from.Air-raid shelters of brick and concrete are multiplying rapidly. The subway can accommodate a lot of people.There were also several large dugouts, some of which could hold as many as seven thousand men, who spent their days and nights in peace, not knowing what a direct bomb hit would do to them.I demand that brick walls be erected in these dugouts as soon as possible.Concerning the use of the underground railway, there was some controversy, which was settled by a compromise. Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges, Home Secretary and Transport Secretary September 21, 1940 1‧A few days ago I asked in the cabinet why the underground railway could not be used as an air defense shelter to some extent (even at the expense of traffic). The whole problem was studied.Now I see the Alderwich Underground Railway being used as a bomb shelter.Please tell me the details of the matter, and why the previous dogmatic arguments were abandoned. 2. I still advocate the extensive use of the underground railways, and I mean the use not only of the stations but of the lines, please send me a one-page concise report of the number of persons that can be accommodated in the various sections, and the ways in which these sections can be used What modifications are needed for the new use.For example, is there room for 750,000 people in the Alderwich section alone?We can adjust the relative needs of transportation and air defense. 3. I am waiting for the Secretary of the Interior to report to me what approach will be taken to carry out the following matters (1) Construct more air defense shelters. (2) Strengthen the existing basement. (3) Prepare the empty basement and house that can be used. (4) The most important thing is: use the method of issuing permits to designate fixed locations for most people, so that they can be placed in the air-raid shelters we designate to avoid crowding. In this new phase of the war, not only the factories, but even more so the government offices in London, which are constantly bombed day and night, must be brought to maximum efficiency. At first, whenever the alarm sounded, the personnel of some two dozen ministries were assembled and taken to the basement, whether it was necessary or not.At the time, I was even proud of being able to enter the basement so quickly and thoroughly.There were many times when there were only five or six incoming enemy planes, sometimes only one.These enemy planes often did not fly over London.A small air raid can stop the work of the London administration for more than an hour. I therefore propose that there be a preparatory warning stage for the siren; the preparatory warning differs from the emergency warning, which only occurs when the watchman on the roof (later known as the Jem Crow) reports the imminent danger. That is, it can only be issued when the enemy plane has reached the sky or is very close.Based on this proposal, corresponding measures were formulated.As we live in a situation where the enemy is constantly raiding during the day, in order to make everyone strictly abide by this rule, I require a weekly report of how many hours the employees of each department spend in the dugout. Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges and General Ismay September 17, 1940 Please report to me tomorrow evening the number of hours that the various London agencies were not working in the dugouts during the September 16th air raid. I ask General Ismay to ask the Air Ministry and Air Combat Command what they think of the opinion that emergency alerts should not be issued if only two or three enemy planes are approaching London. Prime Minister to Sir Horace Wilson and Sir Edward Bridges September 19, 1940 Please send me a report from all the ministries (including those of the armed forces) on the 17th and 18th (hours lost by various government departments due to air raid alerts), and reports after the 18th should be sent daily.While sending the report to me, it was also circulated to the heads of various ministries.That way you can see who did the best job.If reports from certain departments are not received for one day, the received ones will be sent to the heads of departments for circulation. This approach encouraged everyone.Eight of these reports were seriously written.It's funny how the operations department is the worst sometimes.They were displeased with this implicit reproach, and felt that it was a spur to them, and they soon corrected their opinion.The loss of time for all government departments is minimized.Before long, our fighters took heavy losses from the daylight raids, and the daylight phase was over.Standby and emergency sirens have not been interrupted, and no government agency has been bombed or killed while workers are on duty during the day, but if civilian and military personnel show cowardice or are led astray, then How much time will be wasted in the work of government agencies in time of war! I had written to the Home Secretary and others as early as September 1st, before the heavy night air raids began. Air raid warning and air defense 1. The current air raid warning method is designed to deal with occasional large-scale air raids on a certain target, not to deal with batches of air raids several times a day, let alone to deal with sporadic bombers flying at night.We cannot allow large parts of our country to stand still for hours each day, or to be constantly disturbed at night.It will never be tolerated that the enemy should hinder our war efforts by stopping work in factories which they cannot destroy. 2. Therefore, a new system of warning should be developed: Prepare to be alerted. emergency alert. All clear. Daily life in an area should not be interrupted by a readiness alert.Non-public servants, if they choose, can shelter or place their children in a safe place, but, in general, they should learn, and they do learn, how to adapt to their dangerous situations and take only those Precautions that are commensurate with duties or that you feel are appropriate. 3. The air defense work should be controlled by a sufficient number of backbone elements, instead of calling everyone out every time like the current red light alarm.The system of lookout posts should be implemented in all factories engaged in wartime production, and operations should begin after a preliminary warning is issued; lookout posts have full authority to issue warnings to local factories or agencies. The daytime preparatory warning signal can be indicated by the raising of yellow flags by civilian air defense personnel with sufficient numbers and responsibility.Yellow lights (or red lights) that turn on and off can be used at night.The method of using street lamps should be studied, and special signals can also be sent by telephone. 4. An emergency siren is a direct order to hide and all air defense personnel to go to their posts immediately.It is likely to have been sent at the same time as the actual air strike or a little earlier.The daily work in each place must be arranged according to the local conditions. An emergency siren is signaled by a siren.Once the whistle blows, there may be no need for additional lights or telephone signals. 5. The signal to clear the alarm can be sent out in the same way as it is now.When a clear alarm is issued, the emergency alarm phase ends.If the preparatory warning is still going on, the flag should still be hoisted; if the enemy plane has indeed returned, the preparatory warning flag can be removed and the light of the preparatory warning can be extinguished. The signals of standby alert and emergency alert can be used in different ways in different regions of our country.Standby sirens are commonplace in areas frequently bombed by air, such as east Kent, south and south-east London, south East Anglia, Birmingham, Derby, Liverpool, Bristol, and a few others. An emergency siren meant an actual air strike.The above also applies to Whitehall. In other parts of our country, emergency sirens should be used sparingly so as not to overwhelm the air defense personnel. 6. In the government offices of London, no one should be compelled to take cover until the actual bombing has begun and the emergency sirens are sounded in accordance with the new regulations. Nor should anyone stop working simply because the standby alert has been raised in London. I had to concede to the siren, the ghostly howl I described to Parliament. Prime Minister to Home Secretary and others concerned September 14, 1940 I promised the House to consider within the last week new regulations on air raid sirens, sirens, sirens, Jem crows, etc. However, it would not be appropriate to remove sirens at this time due to the intensification of air raids.I would like to give you a brief explanation of what I have improved over the past week. One feels great sympathy for all the poor, who mostly live in their huts without any shelter above them. Prime Minister to Home Secretary September 3, 1940 Despite the scarcity of materials, do your best to help people drain the water in their Anderson home bunkers, which will give you a lot of prestige, and prepare them for the winter rains.Spare bricks at the edges, no plaster, and a layer of linoleum on top would be all right, but gutters and seepage wells are a must.I intend to help you develop an overall plan to deal with this.Instructions can be given over the radio, and of course district commissioners and local authorities should also be used.Please send me a plan. Prime Minister's Letter to General Ismay and the Prime Minister's Private Office September 11, 1940 Please gather reports on whether the airstrike had any serious impact on: (1) Food supply and distribution; (2) the number of homeless persons, and food supplies for such persons; (3) The degree of fatigue of firefighters; (4) Sewers in the London area; (5) Gas and electricity; (6) the supply of water in the London area; (7) General Ismay should ascertain the actual effect of the bombing on Woolwich's production.See also the report sent to me by the Minister of Munitions. Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges September 12, 1940 Please pass on my suggestion to the Cabinet and Ministers that our office hours be moved forward a little.Lunch should be at one o'clock in the afternoon and cabinet office should be half an hour earlier. In principle, it would be more convenient if we had dinner earlier (for example, at 7:15 pm).It was getting dark earlier, and heavy bombardment was likely in the next few weeks once the fighter cover was removed.It is advisable to have clerks and servants in the bomb shelters as early as possible, and to ask ministers to try to find a place to work in a safer place during night air raids, and especially to find a place to sleep, which, unless directly hit by a bomb, will No interruptions. When Parliament meets on Tuesday as usual, I propose that these unscheduled meetings be held at eleven o'clock in the morning and run until four or five o'clock in the afternoon.This will enable the MPs to return to their homes before dark, and, I hope, reach their dugouts before dark.We have to adapt to these circumstances, which may become more apparent.Indeed, as the days get shorter, we may have to advance our office hours by another half hour. Guidance is also needed on how Parliament should conduct its work in these perilous days.MPs feel it is their duty to lead by example.This is true, but it is possible to go a little too far; and I am obliged to advise Members of the House of Commons to exercise due caution, and to adapt themselves to the particular circumstances of the time.I made them realize at the secret meeting that necessary and thorough protective measures should be taken.They agree: Dates and times of their meetings were not announced, and when Jem Crow reported danger to the Speaker, they suspended debate.Then, they lined up neatly and walked into the very crowded and simple air-raid shelter prepared for them.Throughout this period, MPs have continued to meet and carry out their duties in an event that will forever honor the British Parliament.Members of the House of Commons are sensitive on such matters, and their moods can be unpredictable.When one chamber was blown up, they moved to another, and I tried to persuade them to follow wise advice cheerfully.The circumstances of their relocation of the conference venue will be described separately at an appropriate time.All in all, everyone behaved rationally and seriously.A few months later, the House was bombed to pieces, luckily at night and not in the daytime, and luckily the House was empty rather than full of MPs in session.隨著我們能夠有效地擊退白天空襲，遂大大地減少了個人的麻煩，但是，在頭幾個月裡，我對議員們的安全始終惦念在心。歸根結底，通過公正的普選產生的獨立自主的議會，可以隨時推翻政府，但是在最艱難困苦的日子裡卻以支持政府為榮，這是可與敵人爭一日之長的一點。議會勝利了。 我懷疑任何一個獨裁者是否能在他自己的整個國家裡行使像英國戰時內閣行使的那麼多有效的權力。當我們一說出我們的意圖時，人民的代表就支持我們，全體人民也心悅誠服地表示服從，但是從來沒有發生過侵害批評權利的事。批評家們幾乎是始終不渝地以國家利益為重。當他們偶爾向我們挑釁時，上下兩院便以絕大多數的票予以否決，這一點，與集權統治的手段恰恰相反，我們決不強迫、干涉或利用警察和特務，每當我想到議會民主或用任何其他名詞表達的英國的公眾生活能夠忍受、克服並戰勝一切考驗時，我就感到驕傲。甚至連亡國滅種的威脅都沒有把我們的議員嚇倒，但是，亡國滅種的事也好在沒有發生。