Some time ago, The Globe and Mail posted this column from the archives to mark the years since D-Day. It begins with words from Winston Churchill written in 1940. With the war continuing in Ukraine, the attack on Israel by Hamas, and other military strife in our world, there’s a message for us all in these words.
“The soul of freedom is deathless. It cannot and will not perish . . . Rearm your spirits before it is too late . . . We shall never stop, never weary and never give in. Our whole people and Empire have bowed themselves to the task of cleansing Europe from the Nazi pestilence and saving the world from the new Dark Ages . . . Sleep to gather strength for the morning, for the morning will come. Brightly will it shine on the brave and the true; kindly upon all who suffer for the cause; glorious upon the tombs of the heroes – thus will shine the dawn.” Winston Churchill 1940.
Included below are excerpts from the newspaper article.
“Glorious was Tuesday’s dawn, opening upon that “hour of deliverance” which, in these words, Winston Churchill four long years ago promised imprisoned Europe would come. Invasion, that single task by which Britain has lived out those years, toward which Allied nations have toiled, piling up the weight of arms which would make deliverance possible, is effectively begun.
Across the Channel where the beachheads have been established, invasion means liberation . . . There is no telling how long the struggle must be, how great the sacrifice. But in the early despatches there is good cause for hope that the time will be short and the cost light . . .
Looking back upon the sequence of planned, closely synchronized events which culminated in the invasion, it is possible to realize how air superiority has cut the cost of yesterday’s landings. An army with superiority in the air above it can go anywhere. This has been the prime lesson of the war. It was the lesson drawn from the long string of German successes beginning with Warsaw. It was the lesson of the whole Middle East campaign and of the island-hopping excursions of the Pacific forces . . .
To those of us at home [in the case of this article, Canadians] the task is plain. We must add by every ounce we can to the strength of our men in battle. And . . . keep vigil in prayer, believing that the sacrifice will find its reward in the forward march of the common people of all lands toward true equality, true justice and a broader, fuller age of permanent peace.”
Stirring words from a life-altering time. What technology defines today’s superiority? Who is fighting for freedom today? Refugees? Those seeking asylum from war or hunger? Those on the front lines or in leadership positions in Ukraine? Those defending Israel from an enemy intent on its annihilation? Those reporting from war zones or from countries where freedom has been lost? Those fighting for the freedom to choose their life’s path?
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel is THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, a dual timeline set in Hong Kong. Mary’s other novels, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.
2 Responses
What a writer Churchill was! I appreciate the comparisons to be drawn with today’s struggles in our world. Unlike the time of WWII, we now have the capability to annihilate, to obliterate and to end the world as we know it. Perhaps we need to study how to wipe out that characteristic in humans which seeks to control the world by the most powerful means possible.
Amen to that, Elaine.