The case of the Navy was one of life or death for us and all our Allies;
so the merchant fleet, fishing fleet, and shipbuilding yards had to let
the Navy come first, no matter what the cost might be. But we must never
forget that the Navy is only one-half of our British sea-power, that the
Mercantile Marine is the other half, and that all kinds of British
sea-power must work together or be lost. So we cannot separate one kind
from another here; and we would not if we could.
Nor should we forget that British sea-power was itself only one of the
many kinds of war-power put forth by Britain in the cause of freedom.
Britain raised by far the largest force of volunteers ever raised by any
country in any age or for any war--five million and forty-one thousand
men for the Army alone. This takes no account of conscripts, or of
naval, air force, or civilian Services; nor does it include one man
belonging to any part of the British Empire overseas.
Then she forced into the ranks those that could but would not go as long
as they got others to do their fighting for them.
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