Bisbee daily review., 1915-07-11
SPEECH OF CAPTAIN CENSORED AFTER 1T
 IS PUBLISHED ONCE
Captain in British Army, on Visit Home, Says Half of Casual ties in Force Due to Lack of Enough Ammunition.

LONDON, July lO.-Ihe following speech by Captain Jersey De Knoop, of the Cheshire Yeomanry, emphasiz. ing the thousands of casualties in the British forces caused directly by shortage of ammunition, was publish. ed in the Manchester GUARDIAN. but the Press Bureau censors refused per mission to certain of the London news papers to reproduce it.
 Captaiu De Nnoop is a well-known provincial political leader and the probable candidate of the Unionist party for the next vacant seat in the House of Commons. He is at present home from the front, recovering from two severe wounds. The speech was delivered at the annual meeting Of the Northwich Unionist Association.
 We are just about approaching the crisis of the war" said Captain De knoop "and it depends upon the be- havior of the people of the country whether the war is to drag on into the years.
 Many things have conduced to the tone of opinion now prevalent among a largeg section. Before the war.many believed there could be no such thing as war, and that it was stupid 10 spend money on war munitions. This led people into a comfortable frame of mind, and they can scarcely be blam. ed for not even yet realizing the state of affairs. But they must be told.
 'I arrived from the front ol Mon- day There was nothing in London to suggest that l had just left only six. teen miles away, a life-and-death struggle. Any number of young un. married men were meandering about the streets and they certainly did not seem to be detained by business of vital importance. In the country districts the only indication of war was the notice in the railway carria- ges to draw down the blinds and this was generally disregarded
 But the people must be made to re. alize the position, for every minutes delay is jeopardizing thousands of lives.
 "I was sent on the wild-goose chase of trying to relieve Antwerp. Then my command Joined up with the main army which hung on simply by the eyelids, and kept the Germans from breaking through Co Calais. Thousands were killed largely through lack Of ammunition on our side The men were kept in the trenches lay after day night after night, simply because there was nos hCuy to relieve them They hung on and fought as well as Britons ever fought since the world began. They fought and they died for want of fore. thought
 We in this country have got to see to it that no more are thus sacrificed.
 Then We were told that ammuni- ton was coming along and that an would be well But We have seen in the papers how the brilliant infantry attack north of La Bassee was stoDp- ed and thousands of casualties incurr- ed owing to lack of ammunition
 "On the day was hit. we were re- lieying men in the trenches who were so dog-tired that they could scarcely nioye. At four o'clock in the morning the smelling by the Germans began. l had seen a certain amount of shelling before that but everybody agreed with me that there had never been anything like this in the history of warfare. Ten, twelve. fifteen shells at time were bursting up and down the line Our gunneIs COZ q do practically nothing The reason of all this was that we had had to recruit in a hurry and had taken mechanics who ought to have remained behind to make shells. As long as we have the yolun- tary system We cannot really orga- nize labor. Contrast our position with that of the French, who quickly real ized the likelihood of a shortage of shells and immediately sent back the mechanics. It is owing to the French 70 guns that the French army has done so well.
 At the front we read in the British newspapers Of workmen at home go- ing on strike for another half-penny an hour, or because they are asked to do bit of extra work What would happen if a battalion refused to go in- to a trench because they had only had day off after doing for.y-eisht hours? What would happen to the Empire ii there were such a spirit at the front?
 "The men in the trenches look upon these fellows at home as stark, star ing mad Strikes ought to be abso- lutely unheard of
 'It is a long lane before we reach the turning, and a thorny path that we have to tread in the meantime But people at home must see to 1t that more munitions are turned out. Lord Kitchener must have his BOG, ,O0O men today rather than tomorrow
 We must win, but we have got to break down a machine which has been preparing for 45 years We must let the French know that this country is going to fight with the whole and not with a quarter of its power. Those who talk about it's not mattering whether