House Of Commons
Wednesday, 15th August, 1945
The House met, in St. Stephen's Hall, at Eleven of the Clock.
Prayers
[Mr. SPEAKER in the Chair]
The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod ( Vice-Admiral Sit Geoffrey Blake, K.C.B., D.S.O.) was announced.
Addressing Mr. Speaker, The Gentleman Usher said: His Majesty, the King commands the presence of this Honourable House, in the House of Peers, to hear the Speech from the Throne.
The House went, and having returned,
The Sitting was suspended until Four o'Clock, when Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the Resolution of the House [ 3rd August], resumed the Chair and forthwith adjourned the House, without Question put, to the Chamber appointed for the use of the Commons.
Members Sworn
The following Members took and subscribed the Oath, or made and subscribed the Affirmation required by Law:
- John Beattie, esquire. Borough of Belfast (West Belfast Division).
- Thomas Loftus Cole, esquire, Borough of Belfast (East Belfast Division).
- John Galway Foster, esquire, County of Chester (Northwich Division).
- Major Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser, commonly called the Hon. Hugh Charles Patrick Joseph Fraser, County of Stafford (Stone Division).
- Peter Freeman, esquire, Borough of Newport.
- Edward Herbert Keeling, esquire, Borough of Twickenham.
- John Hanbury Martin, esquire, Borough of Southwark (Central Division).
- John Parker, esquire, Borough of Dagenham.
- Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn, esquire, University of Cambridge.
- Colonel Charles Edward Ponsonby, County of Kent (Sevenoaks Division).
- Lieutenant William Stanley Shepherd, County of Chester (Bucklow Division).
- Alexander Sloan, esquire, County of Ayr and Bute (South Ayrshire Division).
- Gerald Wellington Williams, esquire, County of Kent (Tonbridge Division).
- Sir John Graham Kerr, University of St. Andrews, University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen, and University of Edinburgh.
Japan (Surrender)
Prime Minister's Announcement
4.5 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, at midnight last night the terms of the Japanese surrender were announced to the world. The House will, I trust, bear with me while I repeat them, for I feel that it is fit and proper that they should be for ever on record in the annals of this ancient and honourable House. They are as follow:
"With reference to the announcement of 10th August, regarding the acceptance of the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and the reply of the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China, sent by Secretary of State Byrnes on the date of 11thAugust, the Japanese Government has the honour to communicate to the Governments of the four Powers as follows:"That this House do now attend at the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster, to give humble and reverent thanks to Almighty God on the victorious conclusion of the war."
Question put, and agreed to nemine contradicente.
4.15 p.m.
I propose to proceed at once to St. Margaret's and I invite the House to follow. I will go first with the Mace; then I invite Privy Councillors to follow in fours, as far as may be, in order of precedence, and then the rest of the House will fall in behind. After the Service, the House will return to the Chamber in the same order of procession, and by the same route.
I should like to mention to the House a strange coincidence. We met to-day, 15th August, in St. Stephen's Hall. Curiously enough, the last time the House of Commons sat in St. Stephen's Hall, was on 15th August, in years ago exactly.Service Of Thanksgiving
Whereupon Mr. Speaker and the Members proceeded to the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster, and attended a Service of Thanksgiving to Almighty God.
Order Of Service
The Speaker of the, House of Commons, preceded by the Serjeant at Arms bearing the Mace, entered the Church in procession by the West door.
The congregation being assembled, there was sung:
The National Anthem
Then the Speaker's Chaplain (Rev. Canon Don, D.D.), moved the congregation to Thanksgiving and Dedication, in the words following:
"Brethren, it is with full hearts that we gather here to-day to give thanks for the victorious ending of the war.
As is meet and right, we lift up our hearts in thanksgiving to God, saying, 'The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoice.'
And as we humbly acknowledge that it is by his over-ruling providence that our cause has prevailed, so we thank him for all those through whom this mighty deliverance has been wrought. We thank him for the gift of great leaders: for the valour of our sailors, soldiers and airmen: for the devotion of the men of the Royal Merchant Navy: for the gallantry of those engaged in civil defence: for the courage and endurance of our people throughout our Commonwealth and Empire: and for the self-sacrifice of all who have laid down their lives for their friends.
And inasmuch as we know that the fruits of victory have yet to be gathered in, we would here pledge ourselves afresh to the ordering of the world in righteousness and peace, praying God so to fill us with his spirit that we may be worthy instruments in his hand for the fulfilment of his purposes for our country and for mankind.
Let us therefore join in giving glory to God, and in dedicating ourselves to his service in the coming years."
There was then sung, by the whole congregation, "The Old Hundredth":
"All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
Come ye before him, and rejoice.
O enter then his gates with praise;
Approach with joy his courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless his name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
For why, the Lord our God is good:
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom heaven and earth adore.
From men and from the angel-host
Be praise and glory evermore."
The First Lesson:
Isaiah Lxi 1–4 And 11
Then, the congregation remaining seated, was sung by the Choir the Metrical version of Psalm 124, to the tune "Old 124th":
"Now Israel may say, and that truly,
If that the Lord had not our cause maintain'd;
If that the Lord had not our right sustain'd,
When cruel men against us furiously
Rose up in wrath, to make of us their prey;
Then certainly they had devour'd us all,
And swallow'd quick, for ought that we could deem;
Such was their rage, as we might well esteem.
And as fierce floods before them all things drown,
So had they brought our soul to death quite down.
The raging streams, with their proud swelling waves,
Had then our soul overwhelmed in the deep.
But bless'd be God, who doth us safely keep,
And hath not giv'n us for a living prey
Unto their teeth, and bloody cruelty.
Ev'n as a bird out of the fowler's snare
Escapes away, so is our soul set free:
Broke are their nets, and thus escaped we
Therefore our help is in the Lord's great name.
Who heaven and earth by his great power did frame."
The Second Lesson:
Ephesians Iv 1–6
The Hymn following was then sung:
"Lord, while for all mankind we pray
Of every clime and coast,
O hear us for our native land,
The land we love the most.
O guard our shores from every foe;
With peace our borders bless;
With prosperous times our cities crown,
Our fields with plenteousness.
Unite us in the sacred love
Of knowledge, truth, and thee;
And let our hills and valleys shout
The songs of liberty.
Lord of the nations, thus to thee
Our country we commend;
Be thou her refuge and her trust,
Her everlasting friend."
Then the congregation knelt and joined in saying The General Thanksgiving:
"Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen."
After remembrance had been made of those who had laid down their lives, the congregation rose, and sang the Hymn following, to the tune "St. Anne":
"O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home;
Under the shadow of thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home."
The Blessing
At the conclusion of the Service, The Speaker, preceded by the Serjeant at Arms bearing the Mace, left the Church by the West door.
Whereupon the bells of St. Margaret's Church were rung, in celebration of Victory.
The House having returned——
King's Speech
I have to acquaint the House that the House has this day attended His Majesty in the House of Peers, and His Majesty was pleased to make a Most Gracious Speech from the Throne to both Houses of Parliament, of which, I have, for greater accuracy, obtained a copy, which is as followeth:
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:
The surrender of Japan has brought to an end six years of warfare which have caused untold loss and misery to the world. In this hour of deliverance, it is fitting that we should give humble and solemn thanks to God by whose grace we have been brought to final victory. My Armed Forces from every part of My Commonwealth and Empire have fought with steady courage and endurance. To them as well as to all others who have borne their share in bringing about this great victory and to all our Allies our gratitude is due. We remember especially at this time those who have laid down their lives in the fight for freedom.
It is the firm purpose of My Government to work in the closest co-operation with the Governments of My Dominions and in concert with all peace-loving peoples to attain a world of freedom, peace and social justice so that the sacrifices of the war shall not have been in vain. To this end they are determined to promote throughout the world conditions under which all countries may face with confidence the urgent tasks of reconstruction, and to carry out in this country those policies which have received the approval of My people.
At Berlin My Ministers, in conference with the President of the United States and Premier Stalin, have laid the foundations on which the peoples of Europe, after the long nightmare of war, may restore their shattered lands. I welcome the establishment of the Council of Foreign Ministers which will shortly hold its first meeting in London and will continue the work begun at Berlin in preparation for a final peace settlement.
My Ministers will submit to you the Charter of the United Nations which has now been signed without reservation by the representatives of all the fifty States who took part in the Conference at San Francisco and which expresses the determination of the United Nations to maintain peace in accordance with justice and respect for human rights and to promote the welfare of all peoples by international co-operation. The devastating new weapon which science has now placed in the hands of humanity should bring home to all the lesson that the nations of the world must abolish recourse to war or perish by mutual destruction.
It has given Me special pleasure to meet the President of the United States on his brief visit to My country after the Conference at Berlin. I have also been glad to express the gratitude of this country to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force for his inspiring leadership in the campaign for the liberation of Europe.
My Forces in Europe continue to discharge the duties entailed in the occupation of enemy countries and the repatriation of the many thousands of persons who were deported from their homes by the enemy. My Navy, aided by the Navies of My Allies, is clearing the seas of mines so that merchant ships and fishing fleets may once more sail in safety.
In the Far East My Ministers will make it their most immediate concern to ensure that all prisoners in Japanese hands are cared for and returned to their homes with all speed. The bringing of relief to those who have suffered under Japanese tyranny and the disarmament and control of the enemy will continue to impose heavy demands on My Forces.
Members of the House of Commons:
You will be asked to make further financial provision, not, happily, for the continuance of the war, but for expenditure on reconstruction and other essential services.
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons:
My Government will continue the orderly release of men and women from the Armed Forces on the basis of the plans announced in the autumn of last year and will take every step to secure that these plans are carried out with the greatest speed consistent with our military commitments and fair treatment to serving men and women. The arrangements already in operation for the resettlement in civil life of men and women released from the Forces and from war work, including those who have been disabled during their service, will be continued and, where necessary, expanded.
The continuing shortages in the supply of many necessaries, especially houses, food, clothing and fuel, will call for the same spirit of tolerance and understanding which the nation has displayed during the past six years of war.
It will be the aim of My Ministers to see that the national resources in labour and material are employed with the fullest efficiency in the interests of all and that the standard of living is progressively improved. In the pursuit of this aim the special problems of Scotland and Wales will have the attention of My Ministers.
My Government will take up with energy the tasks of reconverting industry from the purposes of war to those of peace, of expanding our export trade, and of securing by suitable control or by an extension of public ownership that our industries and services shall make their maximum contribution to the national well-being. The orderly solution of these difficult problems will require from all My people efforts comparable in intensity and public spirit to those which have brought us victory in war.
In order to promote employment and national development machinery will be set up to provide for the effective planning of investment and a measure will be laid before you to bring the Bank of England under public ownership. A Bill will also be laid before you to nationalise the coal-mining industry as part of a concerted plan for the co-ordination of the fuel and power industries.
Legislation will be submitted to you to ensure that during the period of transition from war to peace there are available such powers as are necessary to secure the right use of our commercial and industrial resources and the distribution at fair prices of essential supplies and services.
An urgent and vital task of My Ministers will be to increase by all practicable means the number of homes available both in town and country. Accordingly they will organise the resources of the building and manufacturing industries in the most effective way to meet the housing and other essential building requirements of the nation. They will also lay before you proposals to deal with the problems of compensation and betterment in relation to town and country planning, to improve the procedure for the acquisition of land for public purposes, and otherwise to promote the best use of land in the national interest.
You will be asked to approve measures to provide a comprehensive scheme of insurance against industrial injuries, to extend and improve the existing scheme of social insurance and to establish a national health service. Legislation will be introduced to repeal the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act.
My Ministers will develop to the fullest possible extent the home production of good food. To this end they will continue, with suitable adaptations, those war-time policies under which food production has been organised and the efficiency of agriculture improved, and will take all necessary steps to promote a healthy fishing industry. The ravages of war have made world food supplies insufficient to meet demands, but My Ministers will do all in their power to provide and distribute food to My peoples at prices which they can afford to pay; and they will keep in being and extend the new food services for the workers and for mothers and children which have been established during the war.
A measure will be laid before you for the reorganisation of air transport.
It will be the aim of My Ministers to bring into practical effect at the earliest possible date the educational reforms which have already been approved.
My Government will continue to work in close consultation with the other Members of My Commonwealth on all matters of mutual concern.
In accordance with the promises already made to My Indian peoples, My Government will do their utmost to promote in conjunction with the leaders of Indian opinion the early realisation of full self-government in India.
They will also press on with the development of My Colonial Empire and the welfare of its peoples.
I pray that Almighty God may give His blessing to your counsels.
Victory In Far East
Motion For Address To His Majesty
5.18 p.m.
I beg to move,
"That a humble Address be presented to His Majesty as followeth:
Most Gracious Sovereign,
We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, would humbly convey to Your Majesty our congratulations on the achievement of final victory over Your enemies.
The enemy in Asia has followed the enemy in Europe into complete defeat and submission to the will of the victorious nations which have pledged themselves to free the world from aggression. We would rejoice with Your Majesty in the liberation of our fellow subjects in those lands which for more than three years have been subject to the ruthless oppression of the Japanese and in the removal of the peril of invasion from Your Dominions of Australia and New Zealand, Your Indian Empire and the eastern territories of Your Colonial Empire.
We would humbly acknowledge the great debt which Your peoples owe to Your Majesty and to Your most Gracious Consort for the courage with which You have sustained them. and the sympathy which You have shown them, reaffirming their love and their loyalty during the dark years in which You shared their afflictions.
On this occasion of national rejoicing, we would pay especial tribute to Your Majesty's Forces from all parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire who, fighting side by side with the Forces of Your Majesty's Allies, have bought with their blood and toil the return of peace to the world.
Nor at this time would we forget our gratitude to the Merchant Marine, the Civil Services, the Civil Defence Services and Police, and to all those who in home, office, industry or agriculture have contributed to victory.
We have just returned from giving thanks to Almighty God for the deliverance of this country from the manifold perils which have beset her so long, for the victory vouchsafed to the Forces of the United Nations against the Japanese aggressor and for the surrender of the last of our enemies. It is, I think, altogether fitting that our first action should be to express our loyalty and gratitude to the Sovereign. It is exactly three months to the day since in this House the then Prime Minister, the right hon. Gentleman opposite me, moved a Motion similar to this on the occasion of the end of the German war. In that Address to the King the House pledged its resolute support to the prosecution of the Japanese war. I imagine that few Members on that occasion thought that the end would come so soon. Few envisaged the changed conditions in which this Motion would be brought forward. We have had a General Election which has brought great alterations in the composition of this House. We have had a change of Government; but in the midst of change there are things which remain unaltered. Among those are the loyalty and devotion of the House of Commons to His Majesty. It is the glory of our democratic Constitution that the will of the people operates and that changes which, in other countries, are often effected through civil strife and bloodshed, here in this island proceed by the peaceful method of the ballot box. The institution of the Monarchy in this country, worked out through long years of constitutional development, protects us from many of those evils which we have seen arise in other countries. I believe that the peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another, during these last few weeks, so smoothly and with such acceptance, has been a valuable demonstration to the world of the working of real democracy. My right hon. Friend in his speech three months ago, with an eloquence which I cannot emulate, drew a picture of the position of the King as a symbol of unity not only to his subjects in these islands, but to all the many nations which are united in the British Commonwealth and Empire. He spoke with the general assent of all parties in this House and I shall not, this afternoon, attempt to traverse the ground which he covered; but in rendering our congratulations and thanks to His Majesty we pay tribute to something more than the institution of kingship. His Majesty the King and his gracious Consort the Queen have shared our anxieties, our tribulations and our sufferings during the war, and the shadow of bereavement has fallen on them as it has fallen on the homes of their people. The King and Queen have throughout set us an example of courage and devotion which will not be forgotten. By this, and by their sympathy, they have strengthened the bond uniting them to their people. This bond is no mere constitutional formality, but the basis of the deep affection and understanding which, I believe, have been strengthened by the experiences through which we have passed. However well and skilfully constitutions may be framed they depend in the last resort on the willingness and ability of human beings to make them work. Our British Constitution, in war and peace, works because the people understand it and know by long experience how to operate it. A constitutional monarchy depends for its success to a great extent on the understanding heart of the monarch. In this country we are blessed with a King who, as my right hon. Friend said, combines with an intense love of our country and all his people, a thorough appreciation of our Parliament and democratic Constitution. In the difficult times ahead I believe that the harmonious working of our Constitution, in which the people's will is expressed by King and Parliament, will be an example of stability in a disordered world. It is, there- fore, to my mind, a fortunate thing that this new Parliament, like its predecessor, should, in this Address, have the opportunity of expressing its feeling, and of giving thanks to the Sovereign.It is now our most earnest prayer that the clouds of war which have overshadowed Your Majesty's reign will lift for ever and that the splendour of the victory which, by God's providence we celebrate to-day, may be matched by the glory of Your peoples' achievements in the constructive work of peace."
5.26 p.m.
I rise to second the Motion which the Prime Minister has proposed in such fitting terms. This crowning deliverance from the long and anxious years of danger and carnage should rightly be celebrated by Parliament in accordance with custom and tradition. The King is the embodiment of the national will, and his public acts involve all the might and power, not only of the people of this famous island, but of all the British Commonwealth and Empire. The good cause for which His Majesty has contended, commanded the ardent fidelity of all his subjects, spread over one-fifth of the surface of the habitable globe. That cause has now been carried to complete success. Total war has ended in absolute victory. Once again, the British Commonwealth and Empire emerges safe, undiminished and united from a mortal struggle. Monstrous tyrannies which menaced our life have been beaten to the ground in ruin, and a brighter radiance illumines the Imperial Crown than any which our annals record. The light is brighter, not only because it comes from the fierce but fading glare of military achievement, such as an endless succession of conquerors have known, but because there mingle with it, in mellow splendour, the hopes, joys and blessings of almost all mankind. This is the true glory, and long will it gleam upon our forward path.
5.28 p.m.
On behalf of my hon. Friends and myself I desire to support this Motion. The greatest and most terrible war in the whole long reign of human history is over and peace once again reigns on earth. It is with full hearts and surging pride that we, the Commons of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, tender our humble duty and sincere congratulations to His Majesty on the triumph of right over evil. His Majesty is no mere symbol of the Commonwealth and Empire with all their might. Indeed, it can be said of His Majesty that he embodies in his personality and in his bearing, the conception that he is indeed the people. He and his gracious Consort have shared with us the dangers, trials, tribulations and now the triumphs of the last six years. They too have suffered their family bereavement and have mourned with those who have suffered. Both their Majesties are enshrined in our grateful hearts, and, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, I tender to His Majesty our humble and deeply sincere congratulations.
5.30 p.m.
The Prime Minister referred to the fact that we have just had a General Election. During that time many heated things were said on both sides, and probably during the course of this Parliament much controversy will be exchanged. It is fitting that on the first meeting of this Parliament, we should be unanimous in passing this Motion of congratulation to His Majesty the King. Therefore, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, I wish to join in the most fitting words that have been used by the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford (Mr. Churchill).
5.31 p.m.
On such an occasion as this I would like to associate myself with the remarks that have been made. Whatever the future may hold—and with the coming of atomic energy some of us who hitherto considered ourselves quite dynamic figures may find ourselves well in the background—everybody must recognise the fact that as a constitutional Monarch, the King has, at all times, sought to serve the best interests of the country. Not only so, but he has commendably accepted and applied himself to the new Government, and he will, I am certain, assist in carrying out the work that they have in hand. I hope that this example will be followed by hon. Members opposite. May I say this concluding word? This is a time of great rejoicing. It is also a time of very deep sorrow, and I hope that the Members of this House, as they pass this Motion of thanks to His Majesty, will have in their hearts a thought for those who have suffered.
Question put, and agreed to nemine contradicente.
Address to be presented by the whole House.
Privy Councillors humbly to know His Majesty's pleasure when He will be attended.
Sittings Of The House
5.33 p.m.
I beg to move,
"That during the remainder of the present Session, until the House otherwise order:
(1) Standing Orders Nos. 1, 6, 7, 3 and 14 shall have effect as if, for any reference to a time mentioned in the first column of the following table there were substituted a reference to the time respectively mentioned in the second column of that table:
| TABLE | |
| Time mentioned in Standing Orders. | Time to be substituted. |
| 2.45 P.m. | 2.15 p.m. |
| 3.00 p.m. | 2.30 p.m. |
| 345 P.m. | 3.15 p.m. |
| 7.30 p.m. | 6.15 p.m. |
| 9.30 p.m. | 7.45 p.m. |
| 10.00 p.m. | 8.15 p.m. |
| 11.00 p.m. | 9.15 P.m. |
| 11.30 p.m. | 9.45 P.m. |
(2) The following Order shall be substituted for Standing Order No. 2:
2. 'The House shall meet on Fridays at 11 a.m. for private business, petitions, orders of the day and notices of motion. Standing Order No. 1 (as amended by this or any other Order) shall apply to the sittings on Fridays with the omission of paragraph (1) thereof and with the substitution of references to 4 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. for references to 9.15 p.m. and 9.45 p. m'
This is the Motion, of which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave notice earlier, relating to changes in the Sittings of the House which are to be made in the regular Standing Orders. What we are doing is to continue the practice which operated in the House during the last Parliament for some time, and the provisions of the Motion are very simple We are proposing that on ordinary days, that is, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the House should meet at 2.15 and sit until 9.15, and, allowing half-an-hour for the Adjournment, until 9.45; and on Fridays meet at 11 a.m. and sit until 4 or 4.30 p.m. These hours were in operation during the latter period of the last Parliament. They were calculated to meet the convenience of Members as far as that could be ascertained, and they had to take account, of course, of the limited travelling facilities after 10 o'clock at night. Broadly speaking, those travelling facilities still remain a matter of some difficulty. It is necessary to pass the Motion to-day, so that it may come into operation to-morrow, and I hope it will commend itself to the House generally as it did on the previous occasion.(3) Standing Order No. 25 shall apply:(a) to sittings on days other than Fridays, with the substitution of references to half past seven and half-past eight for the references to a quarter past eight and a quarter past nine; and (b) to sittings on Fridays, with the substitution of references to a quarter past one and a quarter past two for the references to a quarter past eight and a quarter past nine."
Question put, and agreed to.
Adjournment
Resolved: "That this House do now adjourn."—[ Mr. H. Morrison.]
Adjourned accordingly, at Twenty-five minutes to Six o'Clock.