There is a pervasive myth that Britain fought on without allies after the fall of France in June 1940. David Cameron repeated the myth in a speech on May 9 which led Alistair Lexden to write the following letter published in The Times on May 12.
Sir, The Prime Minister has reiterated the widely held view that Britain made a “lone stand” in 1940 (“Cameron invokes legacy of Churchill”, May 9). It is untrue. Every country of the Commonwealth and Empire fought from the beginning to the end. It is unlikely that defeat in the Middle East could have been avoided without the large contingents of troops provided by Australia, New Zealand and India.
Churchill calculated that on land Britain and the Commonwealth had more divisions than the United States in fighting contact with the enemy until the summer of 1944. This essential element of Allied victory, said Churchill, reflected “our union in freedom and for the sake of our way of living, reinforced by tradition and sentiment”. His closest wartime colleague, Anthony Eden, added that the countries of the Commonwealth “saw clearly from the first. The vision of the men beyond the seas gave us courage”.
Lord Lexden
House of Lords