Mr. Churchill's Declaration, May 13, 1940

The War Illustrated, Volume 2, No. 38, Page 538, May 24, 1940.

I say to the House, as I said to the Ministers who have joined this Government, I have nothing to offer but blood and toil and tears and sweat.

We have before all of us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

If you ask what is our policy I will say it is to wage war – war by air, land and sea, war with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.

If you ask us "What is your aim?" I can answer in one word – victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terrors, victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival – and let that be realized – no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages that mankind shall move forward towards its goal.

I take up my task in buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. I feel entitled, at this juncture, and at this time, to claim the aid of all, and I say, "Come, then, let us go forward together in our united strength."