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September 3
1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany
[ 2007-09-03 09:16 ]

September 3
Neville Chamberlain broadcast the news to the nation at 1115 hours
1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany

England have

Britain and France are at war with Germany following the invasion of Poland two days ago.

At 1115 BST the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, announced the British deadline for the withdrawal of German troops from Poland had expired.

He said the British ambassador to Berlin had handed a final note to the German government this morning saying unless it announced plans to withdraw from Poland by 1100, a state of war would exist between the two countries.

Mr Chamberlain continued: "I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and consequently this country is at war with Germany."

Similarly the French issued an ultimatum, which was presented in Berlin at 1230, saying France would be at war unless a 1700 deadline for the troops' withdrawal was adhered to.

King George has called upon "my people at home and my peoples across the seas".

He continued: "I ask them to stand calm, firm and united in this time of trial. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield. But we can only do the right as we see the right and reverently commit our cause to God."

A War Cabinet of nine members has been set up with two new ministers, including Winston Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty, the post he held at the outbreak of World War I. Lord Hankey becomes Minister without Portfolio.

Anthony Eden will take over as Dominions Secretary with special access to the War Cabinet. Mr Eden resigned from the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs last year because he disagreed with the policy of appeasement.

The National Service (Armed Forces) Act has been passed making all men between 18 and 41 liable for conscription. The armed forces have already been mobilized for war and in July the first Territorial Army conscripts were called up.

Latest reports from Poland say the Germans have bombed a number of towns and cities, some with little or no strategic importance. About 1,500 are reported to have been killed or injured in the attacks on Friday and Saturday.

In his broadcast to the nation, Mr Chamberlain spoke of his sadness that "the long struggle to win peace" had failed.

He continued: "I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different that I could have done and that would have been more successful."

Yesterday there was anger in the House of Commons over the Government's apparent delay in taking action against Germany.

Acting Labour Leader Arthur Greenwood had accused the Prime Minister of vacillating when "Britain and all that Britain stands for are in peril".

Today's declaration of war was received with rousing cheers. As Mr Chamberlain informed the House Britain could not take part in a five-power conference proposed by Italy while Poland was being invaded.

It has also been received with great enthusiasm in the Polish capital, Warsaw, where crowds took to the streets outside the British and French embassies cheering and singing. 

September 3
The airline previously had a very good safety record

1998: All feared dead in Swissair crash

Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA A Swissair plane flying from New York to Geneva has crashed in the sea off the coast of Nova Scotia, just over an hour after taking off.

A spokesman for Swissair confirmed there were 229 people on board the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear, but US intelligence sources said they had no reason to suspect terrorism.

The Canadian authorities immediately launched a rescue operation but the chance of anyone surviving is said to be low.

According to rescue services, the pilot of flight SR-111 reported smoke in the cabin and requested an emergency landing at about 2115 local time (0115 BST).

Air traffic controllers directed him to Halifax International airport, but shortly after they lost radio contact and the plane disappeared from radar screens.

An airport worker said the crew had dumped fuel in St Margaret's Bay in preparation for the emergency landing.

Witnesses in the Halifax area reported hearing spluttering noises before a huge explosion.

"It was the worst-sounding deep groan that I've ever heard," said one local resident.

The chief financial officer of Swissair's parent company SAirGroup, George Schorderet, said the plane had been overhauled last year.

"It was in perfect working order", he said.

This is the company's first crash since 1979, when a Swissair DC-8 overshot the runway at Athens and burst into flames, killing 14 people.

Vocabulary:
 

appeasement: the act of calming(缓和)

conscript:someone who is drafted into military service(被征入伍的士兵)

spluttering: emitting or making sporadic spitting or popping sounds(溅射)

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