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August 25th, 1939 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:
For the first time in seven and a half years, the base rate of the Bank of England is increased, from 2% to 4%.

Coventry: Five people are killed and there is extensive damage when an IRA bomb explodes in Broadgate.

Dahlerus arrives in London.

A treaty of mutual assistance is formally signed between Poland and Great Britain.

18 trawlers are provisionally allocated to Fleetwood command for minesweeping and anti-submarine patrols. 8 of these are sent to Larne. Milford Haven Command gets 15 trawlers and assigns 2 to Belfast. Operational Command at Belfast is vested in the FOIC Belfast, who sets up his headquarters at the Custom House.

GERMANY:
Ambassador Attolico tells Hitler that Italy will not support Germany without German help with arms. On hearing of this and the formal alliance between Britain and Poland, Hitler cancels his invasion date, 0430 the following morning.

The Panzerschiffe "Deutschland" sails from Wilhelmshaven in preparation for raider activities in the North Atlantic in the event of a declaration of war. (Alex Gordon)


POLAND:
Numbers of border incidents increase.

In Makeszowa, near Katowice, German soldiers took over the court house and railway station; Poles broke into an wrecked the offices of a German newspaper.

More reservists are called up and cars and horses requisitioned.

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