What Happened in England.
On leaving Berlin our squadron was part of the force that had to return
to England. I had hoped to break the journey at Brussels, to meet Helen
Goche, but Fate stepped in. To my disappointment the troop-trains passed
on to Ostend along a line to the south of Brussels.
On arrival in England, the Flying Corps were not disbanded, but were
attached to the permanent forces.
Nap, however, desired to return to the United States, and as we shook
hands in "good-bye," I felt I was losing a friend to whom adventurous
days had linked me by heart-grips.
"I'm going along through to that country of yours," he said to me as he
swung into the train. "From what you tell me, it must be 'some place.'
We'll grip again there, sure." And the train pulled out and tore him out
of my life for many days.
The months succeeding the Declaration of Peace were troublesome times
for England. Troops were pouring back from the Continent and being
dismissed to return to jobs they found had disappeared.
During the war a fine spirit of "cheer up" generally prevailed. People
tried to put vim into themselves by tacking the motto over their shops:
"Business as Usual." They knew full well that business was nearly dead;
but they were like the boy who whistled going through the graveyard in
order to keep up his courage.
Apart from the trades making munitions of war, few factories maintained
their full output. Recruiting lessened the number of employees, and
those who stayed behind fought for shorter hours and higher wages.
Investors generally eased off, as money was too high in value to risk in
new concerns in such uncertain times. Even the highly boosted scheme to
bring back to England from Germany the Aniline dye industry failed for
the want of the necessary capital.
Then a great movement was inaugurated throughout the British Empire.
"Trade only with the Allies." It seemed a fine idea in theory, but when
Russia, in desiring to place an order for L1,400,000 worth of railway
plant, found English prices inflated by labor demands and placed the
order with America, the "Trade-only-with-the-Allies" movement began to
wobble.
Then the troops began to pour back into England in thousands.
Manufacturers and investors kept off of any new enterprises as they saw
the Asquith Government, always rather radical, lending a sympathetic ear
to the workers' demand that the State should control all industries.
Cities and towns now began to fill with unemployed and riots broke out
everywhere.
Then the Government took action. All steel and woollen industries were
placed under military control with "preference to returned soldiers."
The outcries of the owners were pacified by the promise of 10 per cent.
of all profits on work done, with proportional profits according to the
value of the plant and enterprise. But under the military control, as
increased wages were given and shorter hours worked in order to absorb
all unemployed, profits diminished rapidly.
The General Elections in February, 1916, divided the country into two
parties. The Humanist party, headed by Lloyd-George and Blatchford,
aiming at Government control of all production, and the Individualist
party, in which Winston Churchill was prominent, standing for "private
enterprise." Though the latter had behind it the full force of British
capitalists, the Humanist party, elected on a general franchise, swept
the poll. Thus England became Socialistic. Heavy land and income taxes
followed with high wages ruling for the working classes. It was a
bloodless revolution!