The War Illustrated, Volume 1, No. 1, Page 7, September 16, 1939.

In the Crisis of 1938 – that crisis which had its origin in German aggression against Czecho-Slovakia and its outcome in the Munich Conference which dismembered the little republic – Britain’s material preparations were supposed by some to have fallen short of what would be required to support her readiness of spirit. For years she had believed, and acted on the belief, that the nations were resolved, in the light of the bitter experience of the Great War of 1914-1918, that war as an instrument of national policy should be abandoned. The unscrupulous conduct of Nazi Germany, however, in attacking her peaceful neighbors led to Britain’s realization of her true character and aims, and when Poland’s turn had come to receive the German onslaught, "ready, aye ready" was the watchword, and in the armed forces, the civilian defense organizations, and the ranks of the population as a whole, the signs of alert resolution were much in evidence.