New Year’s Resolutions
“… The future of this country will not be bright until we, its people, make it so! To rest on our laurels, particularly at this pivotal time in world history, with the era of conflicts at an end, would be tantamount to national suicide. We can no longer build an Empire, but must defend our great and wide lands from any who would oppose us. The days of using war to gain power have been banished, now we must depend on other roads to glory and greatness. Some say this is hard, unattainable. But I say that we have the tools: British ingenuity, British excellence, British endeavour, British reliability, British diligence, British genius and British spirit! Some tools, indeed! With these formidable allies and aids, we can reach the pinnacle of our strength, in our place, at the top of the world! Throw down your weapons and pick up your tools! The time for good, honest, British work is here for good!”
-- David Lloyd George, speaking at an industrial estate in Glasgow, January 1937.
1937 began quietly in Britain, like most years. Lloyd George was in Wales, his birthplace, spending New Year with family. Because of this, there was little work taking place in the cabinet, with Eden filing a virtually un-noticed report at around 4:00 p.m. on New Year’s Day. The report was mostly a letter from the Dutch ambassador, explaining how his country had found a trade deal with Britain no longer viable. Eden and the ambassador were good friends, and Britain didn’t need the Dutch metal to maintain a surplus, so what few people were informed of the occurrence were fairly blasé towards it.
The Dutch government cancelled a deal for their metal on New Year’s Day, 1937.
Eden made the only other report of the first four days, noting down his acceptance of a Czech trade proposition. The Czech economy was leeching more rare metals than could be mined from Czech soils. Therefore, they agreed to pay a fairly good price for rare metals, which Britain was stockpiling in abundance.
The Czechs wanted rare materials for their industry. Britain was happy to oblige.
After his latest report, the British Foreign Minister had expected a quiet end to the first week of the year. He was to be very wrong. At midnight, the Prime Minister informed the cabinet, who had assembled in 10, Downing Street (even Sir Hugh Sinclair, who had been holidaying in Switzerland) of something particularly interesting to Ernle Chatfield, the First Sea Lord.
‘Starting today (orders have already been sent), fourteen factories in Glasgow and Newcastle will begin production on a new aircraft carrier. Industrial plants in Liverpool will begin production of the air-wings that the carrier shall hold. She has been dubbed ‘Nassau’, but this will likely be changed at a later date. The expected time of completion of the carrier is the 5th of October, 1939. I am told to expect the C.A.G.s by the 19th of September, 1938. Orders have been given that, after completion of the carrier, construction will begin on another, currently given the provisional name ‘Y2A’.’
The news was greeted by great excitement by Chatfield, satisfaction from Owen Boyd, and dismay by Deverell, who exclaimed that the army ‘needed tanks more than the navy needed carriers’. Lloyd George calmly reminded him that Britain was still building tanks and training tank crews. Gort was worried by how much the pace of upgrading the British Armed Forces would be slowed. Lloyd George replied that upgrades had been temporarily moved down the list of priorities, as the Navy would simply not be ready for a war at its current strength.
A new carrier is ordered, with another one to follow after its completion.
A section of British military production is shown, along with the distribution of British factory space, 5th of January, 1937.
The scaffolding rises outside the shell of Britain’s aircraft carrier-in-waiting.
By the 11th of January, British understanding of artillery and its usage had climbed massively since the days of the Great War, making the British army ever more ready for the war that seemed increasingly improbable. Nevertheless, the state of Britain’s armed forces had always been a matter of national pride, and Lloyd George was adamant that it would stay that way.
British artillery knowledge had moved on considerably by the 11th of January.
British 25 pdr. Mk.1 gun howitzers were the pinnacle of modern technology in 1937
By the 13th, the exact same could be said of British chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. New, very high-tech chemical research centres and facilities were springing up, particularly in and around the best reservoirs of skilled young people, Oxford and Cambridge. Rolls-Royce was world renowned as a hugely reliable, luxurious and respectable brand.
Britain was a haven of industrial knowledge and expertise.
British coffers were bolstered by an agreement with the French on the same day. An agreement was made to export rubber, mostly from the British colony of Belize, to France, for a large amount of money. Lloyd George commended Eden’s economic knowledge, as this had been just one of many successful trade deals that the British Foreign Minister had negotiated.
The French struck a deal with Britain for valuable rubber.
On the 19th, Britain received some slightly worrying news. The Australian economy was faltering, with a lack of funds being the key problem. Agreements for the selling of British coal and metal were cancelled by the Australian ambassador, who rejected any offers of help from Britain.
The Australians took measures to stave off an economic crisis by stopping many trade agreements, two of which were with Britain.
Life continued as normal until the 28th, when Lord Gort made a presentation to the Prime Minister on the advances recently made in officer training. The new approaches that this advance would herald would have many good effects on the British army. The next day, he informed Lloyd George that an increase in officer recruitment of 7.5% could be expected from the new training regimes.
Officer training underwent major reforms in January, 1937.
An increase in officer recruitment of 7.5% was heralded by the improvements in training.
By the end of January, Britain resembled the Roman God, Janus. She had one head pointed towards rearmament and military strength, but no present reason to undergo such expansion. What good would it do Britain to ride out decades of peace with a huge army leeching resources? Her other head faced economic improvement and the disregarding of the military, but that would seem short-sighted at the best of times, and times were far from excellent. War still raged in Europe, with the Spanish Civil War not yet ended and political turmoil was bubbling up everywhere.
Lloyd George made his intent quite clear. A note, seven words long, was sent to all members of the cabinet. Lloyd George quoted a Roman, Vegetius, in Latin.
‘Si vis pacem, para bellum.’
‘If you want peace, prepare for war.’
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