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FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015

THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

THE SPEC.COM

SALUTING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE

PART 1 OF 6

It begins
Monday September 4, 1939:
Britain and France declare
war on Germany

It Is War

Non-commissioned
officers of the
Hamilton units
mobilized in the
Canadian Active
Service Force
trained recruits who
volunteered to aid
the Empire when
the call came.
A Spectator
cameraman visited
Eastwood park,
where routine
training was
accelerated.

THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

The days of uncertainty are past. Thank God

we have come down from the mountain of
temptation unscathed. We yearned for peace
and the prospect of peace through appeasement a gentle, persuasive word seemed
fair. With anyone but a Hitler, a Stalin or a
Mussolini, appeasement would have been
the proper Christian course. At Munich,
Britain gave Hitler the chance to show that he
was not the vile thing the world suspected
him of being. The rape of Czechoslovakia,
whose integrity he had guaranteed to respect
for twenty-ve years, and his attack on Poland in violation of a ten year non-aggression
pact justied the worlds worst suspicions of
him. Peace through appeasement of Hitler
had become as out of the question as relief for
the people of the United States from gangster
depredations would have been through the
chumming up of Hoovers G men with Dillinger and Capone. Because Germany had
persisted in attacking Poland, an ally which
Britain and France had promised to defend, a
state of war with Germany was declared by
Great Britain at 11:00 a.m., E.S.T., and by
France at 5:00 p.m., E.S.T., yesterday, September 3rd.
The Canadian government has declared
that Canada will give the fullest measure of
co-operation to the Mother Country, and
parliament has been called to ratify this declaration on Thursday next. The news was
taken calmly by the people of the Empire. Relief that the long uncertainty was over found
general expression, and there is grim determination to end Hitlers atrocities, no matter
what the cost. All over Canada yesterday the
armouries were crowded with volunteers
desiring to enlist. It is said that already nearly 100,000 men have been enrolled. There
has been no undue excitement or confusion;
nor will there be. Stocks of all commodities
are plentiful and the government has announced that neither hoarding nor proteering will be countenanced. The best way in
which Canadians can serve the great cause at
the moment is to carry on normally with
their usual occupations and pursuits.
With Joab of old we say, Be of good courage and let us play the men for our people and
for the cities of our God, and the Lord do
what seemeth Him good.
What the Hamilton Spectator had to say,
bottom left corner of the page, on Sept. 4, 1939

DO YOU
REMEMBER?
BETTMANN/CORBIS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTRAL PRESS, TORONTO STAR

Were you there? Did your

parents pass along what
they were doing, where
they were and what it was
like when the war came to Canada and the
Commonwealth that day?
If so, wed love to hear from you.
Over the next six weeks, well be looking at
key moments of the Second World War and
how Hamilton and the world reacted. Each
week, you can help us remember and relive
those moments by sending us stories,
anecdotes, memories, even photos.
Selected submissions will be published on
Friday, May 8 in a special Hamilton Spectator
section commemorating the end of the
Second World War.
Please send your submissions to
VE@thespec.com and jday@thespec.com
Next week: The attack on Pearl Harbor

A platoon of Polish cavalry troops rides to the plains of Eastern Prussia to

await the invading forces of Adolf Hitler.
Survivors from the British liner SS Athenia are brought ashore from the
Norwegian cargo ship MS Knute Nelson at Galway, Ireland, after their ship
was torpedoed without warning by a German submarine on Sept. 3, 1939,
killing 118 passengers and crew.

L
LETS
REMEMBER, LETS REMINISCE,
L
LETS SING AND DANCE FOR THEM
We saluted them with style and with feeling 10 years ago.
W
We want to do it one more time, for them.

Call 905-679-4183, ext. 230

C

M Y

R0013226991

70th Anniversary Victory in Europe Gala Dinner and Dance

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May 15, 2015, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
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