Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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8 The Admiral ' s Address Vice-Admiral Curteis spoke particularly of the meaning of the British Empire, of the part it played in the world, and of the responsibilities of citizens of the Empire. It stood, he said, for peace and freedom, but these ideals could only be realised by the continuing efforts of its citizens to face reality and to live in a state of preparedness in a changing world. Freedom, he main- tained, meant the freedom to choose the form of government under which they might live, and, having chosen it, to support it as good citizens should. Concerning the war, the Admiral considered that we had arrived at a situation similar to that at last Empire Day — one of waiting. During the -intervening year, tremendous strides had been made in the war on land, while the Navy had efficiently per- formed its duties of keeping the sea routes open. The submarine menace had been effectively fought, while the enemy surface fleet, notably the Tirpitz and the Scharnhorst had suffered heavy at- tacks. This had the effect of making the sea much safer for the Allies. In conclusion, the Admiral stressed the importance of the King: if peace and freedom were the ideals of the Empire, then the King was the stabilising influence which made the development of these ideals possible. Prize- Winning Essay — I 0 D E Competition By R, L. Barnard Good Citizenship Within the British Empire We are constantly being told — and with considerable truth — that the future of the world depends upon the coming generation. The statement is no less true of the British Empire, which today occupies a position of world importance. To maintain, and perhaps to improve, not by territorial ag- grandisement, but by material development, this position, it will be necessary to educate the subjects of the British Empire, par- ticularly the younger members, to be good citizens. The term British Empire implies all territory the inhabitants of which look to the King as their ultimate head, and includes both self governing and Crown lands. The extent of the Empire may be conveyed best by the somewhat hackneyed phrase The Empire on which the sun never sets, for it occupies one-fifth of the earth ' s land surface. This extensive commonwealth owes its origin, not to any excessive British pugnacity or acquisitions, but to the fact that the British are a trading people.

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7 Visit of His Excellency the Governor On February 2nd we were honoured by a visit from His Ex- cellency the Governor, Lord Burghley, accompanied by Lady Burghley and the A.D.C., Lieut. D. C. A. Goolden, R.N.V.R. He was met at the gate by the Headmaster and the Head Prefect, R. L. Barnard. After inspecting the Cadet Guard-of-Honour, which, since it was raining, was drawn up in the Assembly Hall, His Excellency inspected the class rooms, making enquiries about the work in progress in each. When the tour ot inspection was over, the School assembled in the Hall to hear the Governor ' s address. In the course of his address His Excellency stressed the need and importance of technical education, saying that he hoped that more emphasis would in the future be placed on such subjects as commercial mathematics, modern languages and economics. He went on to accentuate the importance of the development of character, one of those intangibles to which the boys themselves contributed so much by their attitude one to another, especially on the playing fields, where they learned the value of co-operation, the team spirit and self-discipline. After the Headmaster had thanked His Excellency and the proceedings in the School were concluded, the Governor and Lady Burghley went over to the Headmaster ' s House, where the members of the teaching staff were introduced to them. Empire Day Celebration On May 23rd, Empire Day, was celebrated at Saltus Grammar School. We were privileged to hear an address by Vice- Admiral Sir Alban Curteis, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic and West Indies Station, after a service conducted in the Hall by the Headmaster. Before the assembly, the Admiral, accompanied by his Flag Lieut- enant, the Hon. A. L. Hood, inspected a cadet Guard-of-Honour. In a brief introduction, the Headmaster referred to the valuable work of the I.O.D.E. in Bermuda in keeping alive Empire Day and its objects. The day was established by Lord Meath in 1902, to emphasize the necessity for training in good citizenship. In this connection he was most pleased to welcome Mrs. Leon Powell, who represented the I.O.D.E. The Headmaster welcomed the visitors, especially three of our Trustees, the Hon. E. H. Trimingham, C.B.E., the Hon. J. W. Cox, and Mi. H. D. Butterfield, and then expressed his pleasure in introducing the Commander-in-Chief, whose work was largely responsible for the security in which we had lived.

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9 In spite of the maxim Trade follows the flag the Empire grew with the development of overseas trade. Gradually Great Britain acquired and developed overseas settlements for trading purposes. The rest of the Empire was built up around the trading stations. Only then was it necessary to employ military operations to keep and strengthen the stations. The countries of the British Empire fall roughly into two groups, the large producing territories, of which the Dominions form the principal part, and the smaller Colonies, which serve as links between the Homeland and her Colonies. If this Empire is to grow or even maintain its present situa- tion, the forces of growth must be stronger than those of disrup- tion. Among the material forces which have kept the Empire united, are advances in science and communications. On the other hand various inevitable developments tend to operate against Empire consolidation. There has been, particularly since the first world war, an awakening of racial consciousness, a craving for political expression in self-government. Each war that has been fought by the Empire in this century has not weakened but strengthened the ties that bind England to her Colonies. This war has shown how solid the relationship is. Most remarkable evidence of this is the fact that, in India and the Colonies, so many of what our enemies would call ' ' Our subject races have voluntarily answered the call to arms in defence of a supposedly alien Empire. For example thcx Cripps Mission to India, at a time of much strife there, found that she has provided for more Indian fighting men than could have been equipped within measurable time. In peace time, however, the situation is entirely different. After the last war, when the Empire had fought to establish demo- cratic ideals, her people began to apply them to their own lives. By the time of the last Empire Conference before the war, it was recognised that the conference was not held to discuss the Empire ' s relationship as between Home Country and Colonies, but rather as between a group Qf autonomous countries. The position will be exactly the sarhe after this war. The Atlantic Charter provides that it is the right of all peoples to choose the form of Government under which they will live. Therefore the problem which confronts all citizens of the British Empire today is this — after the war shall they renounce all ties and have each of the larger colonies existing as separate states or shall they continue to live in a satisfied union, working for the good -of all its members ? The latter part of this question seems to me to be the more satisfactory arrangement. To accomplish this we must be good citizens, not only as individuals, but as members of the Empire. Let us now consider what the term Good citizens implies and how good citizenship must be applied to the Empire. Since