Volume Two
Arranged for broadcasting in twelve episodes by H. Oldfield Box
Produced by Audrey Cameron
PART 8
Part 7 told of some of the events that led up to the resignation of Mr. Asquith, who had been Prime Minister for a longer period than any other in our history-the Liberals having smashed the Tory Government in 1906 by the biggest majority ever known and won three successive General Elections. His famous phrase ' Wait and see,' originally uttered as a threat in the House of Commons, was taken up by the newspapers and quoted as meaning apathy and delay.
Part 7 told also of the campaign of calumny by the press and political enemies against Mr. Asquith and his wife. Mr. Asquith, Lord Kitchener, and Sir Edward Grey , being the most prominent members of the Government, were the chief victims of this abuse. Violent quarrels in the * Silent Service,' intrigue in the Army, and disloyalty at home caused the forming of the Coalition Government in 1915.