Ernest Bevin: Quotes about war

Ernest Bevin was British labour leader, politician, and statesman. Explore interesting quotes on war.

Ernest Bevin: 34 quotes0 likes

“If anyone asks me who was responsible for the British policy leading up to the war, I should, as a Labour man myself, make a confession and say: "All of us". We refused absolutely to face the facts. When the issue came of arming or rearming millions of people in this country… we refused to face the real issue at a critical moment. But what is the good of blaming anybody? We cannot make our action retrospective whatever we do. We have to start from now and try to do the best we can.”

Hansard, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 373, col. 1362.
Speech in the House of Commons, 29 July 1941.

“So long as I have any power at all I will never be a party to treating the Army in the future as it has been treated in the past. They broke up in peace-time the very foundations of the Army structure, and expected to build it up during war-time with the enemy at the gates.”

Western Daily Press, 30 March 1942.

“The fact of it is that all of us agreed to save 6d. in the Income Tax by breaking up the Army in peace-time and not having it prepared when war broke out…I will never be a party to it again.”

Hansard, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 376, col. 1336.
Speech in the House of Commons, 4 December 1941.