Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-12-18 | Page 9 | Great Britain is Told in 6 Minutes

GREAT BRITAIN IS TOLD IN 6 MINUTES News of England's Being at War Flashed in Hurry. LONDON, Dec 11. It required only six minute to Inform th British Km. pire that England was at war on the InigHl of August 4, 1914, says Lord lUarcourt, who was then colonial secretary. sec-retary. ! "On that unforgettable night, he j said to the Km pi re Parliamentary -, soclatlon. ! was In the cabinet room tin lownlng street, with a few col- league. Our eye were on th dock. our thoughts on one subject only; but ; there was a feeble effort to direct th J conversation to other matters. W were waiting for a reply, which w knew full well would never com, to I our ultimatum to Iterlln. j "When His lien struck 11: mid-1 night in I -rhn we left the room I know ing that the Britl'h Empire was at war. j "I crossed to the Colonial nffle to send a war telegram to the who! of I the British Empire I asked the of-jflclHl of-jflclHl In charge of that duty how long U would take. He said 'about aia (mtnutes. "I aked him to return to my room w hen he had done his work. In seven minutes he Was back and before I morning I received an acknowledgement acknowledge-ment of my telegram from every sin-1 sin-1 gle colonial protectorate, and even -Islet in th Pacific. "Ho the grim machinery of War be-I be-I gan revilving In perfect order and j w it h ' fterfect preparation bec ause, more than two years previously an Individual Indi-vidual wurbook had been prepared by the colonial committee of defense for every single protectorate and Island. It waa at that moment locked tn the isaf of each governor or commissioner commission-er and they knew at once what to do.