3 September 1939
At 0900 hours, British Ambassador in Germany Nevile Henderson delivered the British declaration of war to German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, effective at 1100 hours; British Commonwealth nations of New Zealand and Australia followed suit. France would also declare war later on this day, effective at 1700 hours. In the afternoon, Adolf Hitler issued an order to his generals, again stressing that German troops must not attack British and French positions. Finally, Hitler also sent a message to the Soviet Union, asking the Soviets to jointly invade Poland.
This document is the script of the address to the nation of Neville Chamberlain on September 3, 1939, declaring that Britain had declared war on Germany. It was broadcast on the Downing Street BBC at 11:15, shortly after Germany refused to withdraw its troops from Poland.
In his speech, Chamberlain reiterated his attempts to win a peaceful solution and opposed Hitler’s statements that Poland had rejected an agreement. Finally, it offers encouragement to the British people to defend their country for a just cause.