Former MP for Chelsea
The right hon. Gentleman the Member for South Hackney (Mr. H. Morrison) has covered a very wide field and has asked me a number of questions. I propose to deal with some of them in the course of my speech, and I propose, as he himself suggested, to leave others of them to my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty. During yesterday's Debate, the Prime Minister dealt at some length...
In Scandinavia. I have had the chance during the last few weeks of seeing something of the pilots and the airmen who have been carrying through these very difficult and dangerous operations.
No, I am not going to give numbers, and I would ask the hon. Member not to press me. What I said was no exaggeration. I have had the chance during the last few weeks of discussing these operations with the young men who have actually taken part, and I think the House would like to know what tremendous impression these talks have made upon me, not only of the courage of the officers and men...
I think they were flown on, but I will confirm that.
I am speaking of Air Force squadrons. I think they were flown on by Air Force officers, but I will confirm that.
I find that they were flown on by Fleet Air Arm pilots, and I would be the last person in the world to say anything to depreciate the courage and efficiency of the Fleet Air Arm.
It was a combined act which is the kind of act I hope we shall see in future between the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Air Force. At 7 o'clock that evening they landed on the lake and began to establish themselves, and by 10 p.m. the first patrol was in the air. That night it froze hard, and the Dawn Patrol was not able to take off until 5 a.m. owing to the very hard frost. Let the House notice...
No, I am sorry to say there were not. The arrangements for anti-aircraft guns had been upset by the sinkings of ships, and it was a question whether to hurry on the squadron or wait some further days for the anti-aircraft guns. On the whole, we took the decision, and I believe it was a right one, to send the aeroplanes on and to engage the German bombers at once.
