H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16432, 28 January 1919, Page 8

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND

' Australian commission. i J fc 1 (Br Cable. —Press iwociation.-Copyright.) (Australian and S.Z. Cable Association.) ! LONDON. January 24. H M S N " eW Zealand will sail on/ ' February 20th. Ib is anticipated that - she will be absent for eighteen months. . K has not been decidcd whether sho ; will proceed to India or Australia - first. Lady Jellicoe will accompany 1 her husband, provided her health is 1 restored. Lord Jellicoe s staff inchules Commodore Dreyer. ex-captain oi the Iron Duke: Paymaster-Captain Share, formerly private secretary to j Lord X orthcotc; Commander Ramsey, ex-captain of the Broke; Commander Desalis, a nephew of Count Desalis, Minister at the Vatican; Flag Lieutenant Morgan, formerly flag lioutenant to Admiral" King-Hall, of the Australian Bfinidron. Commander Dreyer has he"n appointed chiei-of-staff, with Lieu-tenant-Commander Lloyd as secretary. Cant? in Leggett, formerly navigator 01 the Iron Duke, commands the New Zealand Other officers are:—Commander Calvert. of the submarines; > Lieutenant-Commander Boyle, of the I New Zealand; and Lieutenant Cheva- , j ier w ho served in the Vindictive at 1 Zeehrugge. The majority of the prin--2 oi pals served under Lord Jellicoe in the I Iron Ihike. • THE NEW SHIP'S COMPANY. ) i A MUSEUM OF TROPHIES. t j (from our own correspondent.) f LONDON, November 28. f There is a very striking difference, 3 if one can judge by mere externals, in 1 the sentiment shown in New Zealand \ towards H.M.S. New Zealand, and that 3 shown by the Australians to ■ their flagJ ship. The Now Zealand has probably a I finer collection of plate and trophies . than any other ship in the Navy, and 1 they are cared for and prised with as f much solicitude to-day as if the whole b ship's company,had taken part in the > visit to the Dominion. When the war s broke out the question arose whether 1 this valuable collection should be reJ tained in the wardroom and the gunl room of the. ship, or should be; placed 1 ashore in safe deposit. Captain Halsey > came to the conclusion, in which all or I his successors have concurred, that the » donors would much prefer that their I gifts should not be separated from the . skip. If she had been sunk they would 1 have gone down with her; as it is they ' remain on board, and when she finally • goes out of commission they can • 1 transferred to the vessel that replaces 1 her. [ THE ZEALANDIA'S TROPHIES. When the first Now Zealand was launched in 19CK4 the school children of i New Zealand subscribed to present her with a large bell for the quarter-deck. It was presented in 1906, and its mount- [ ing was a very handsome Maori's head i in copper. The mould of the head was i used to cast a pair of tompions in brass , for the two quarter-deck guns. This ! vessel had her name changed to Zea- ) landia in 1911, in consequence of the •; building of the present battle-cruiser at l the cost of the New; Zealand Govern- : ment. Obviously ' it was the • thing that these trophies should? come, i to the New Zealand, and they have.now: (. been transferred. Commander R. C» [ t Davenport, who was previously-in -the Zealandia, anticipated jthe early break- [ ing-up of the vessel, and took steps to • secure,that the bell and the tompions ■ should not go into the shipbreakers' [. hands. Shortly afterwards-he was himself appointed to the New' Zealand, and I he arranged that the trophies should come with him. They are now'fully ; installed in the Dominion's - battle- [ cruiser, and are used on dress occa- . sions. I The official list of plate and tro- , plvies belonging to the New Zealand,. • which has been furnished to me by Captain Donaldson # comprises forty--1 seven items, of which seven are pic--1 tures. The signed portraits and let- > tor from the King and Queen were pre- > sented in November, 1912. Mrs Wil- , cox presented a portrait of a Maori 1 warrior, Te Aho, and the late Captain • Seddon a portrait of his father, in ' January, 1913. In April Mr It. Turnr ' bull (Christchurch) presented a paint- ' ing of Mount Sefton, and during the 1 visit to Russia, a month or two before the war, the Czar and Czarina presented their signed photographs. In "the gunroom is a portrait, presented by the 1 Victoria League,'of Tamati Waka'Nene, ? the celebrated warrior who, it seems, held the rank of post-captain in the • Royal Na^y. ' Amongst the other items presented to the ship are the silk Ensign and Jack ! presented by the women of New Zealand. It is now in-a battle-worn con--5 ditionj and, if the fitness of things is ' preserved, will be returned to the Dol minion by the battle cruiser in person. Maori • tikis were presented-by the Boy Scouts of Wellington in April, 1913, and | by Mr C. J. Sloman in May of.the same . year; the latter charm is to be sent to • the Christchurch Museum when the ship , disappears from the'.Navy' List. . The first gifts to the ship were, I i think, a pair of silver ash trays, pre- , sented by Colonel Douglas to the wardroom in 1912, and a plaque made of copper from the Victory, presented by . the British and Foreign Sailors' Society. 1 in the following month. In January, 1913, Mrs Seddon presented a silver cup, and the New Zealanders in London a carved wooden-shield. . The.latter has ever 'since been fixed to the steel super--1 structure overlooking the quarter-deck, and has suffered very little damage in action. In March the people of-Natal presented a silver cigar biox and punch bowl and two candlesticks; the Public Works Department at Pretoria and New Zealanders in the Transvaal each a silver dog collar. In -May ;a stag's head was. received from Mr B. M. - Wilson (Wellington), and a silver salver from Sir James Allen. In June the people of Nelson and Mr E. Riddiford each gave a boar's head, and some Wellington residents a .silver claret jug; the Wellesley Club, Wellington, a' silver salver; Mr P. ; Warneford-Davis an ivory hammer; the Canterbury Swimming Association a silver shield; the Auckland ■ Harbour Board a silver tea service in , case of New Zealand woods; North Auckland a shield for gunnery efficiency, and the Auckland Club the silver words 'on the wheel and grog tub. In the following month, July, 1913, 1 the New Zealanders of Honolulu gave a kava bowl; in August the Government and people of British Columbia a loving cup; Mr H. M. Stevens, M.P., of Vancouver, a silver cup, and the Navy League, Vancouver, a silver salver. In December, 1913, the ship received from the people of Suva a silver salver; from New Zealanders in buva • seven silver tankards ;• from the people : of Auckland a large silver shield for 1 the engine-room department, and three • smaller ones for the chief stokers; the > stoker P.O.'s and the E.R.A. s. The women of Timaru gave a silver loving 1 cup; the Women's Patriotic" League of : New Zealand a pair of silver kettledrums; Mr Andrew Claxk a silver rose bowl, and the people or Barbadoes a silver cigar box. The wardroom officers in 1913 presented a silver globe ■ and plinth, which stands m-the centre of the table on state occasions, and shows the exact route taken by the 2vew ,

Zealand in her world cruise. In 1914 Mr P. Herbert gave a- silver football cup, and in 1915 Captain Halsey gave a smaller cup for second teams. Last year Major A. N. Strode-Jackson, D 5.0., gave two small silver cups, and Mr P. A. Cohen a silver cup. On leaving the ship a few months ago the Earl of Medina (formerly Prince George of Battenberg) gave n set of silver liqueur glasses. THE SHIP'S COMPANY. The present ship's company o. H M.S. New Zealand includes the for lowing' officers, who joined since she was in New Zealand: —Commander ltobert C. Davenpcrt,iwho spent_the earlv part of the war on the West Coast of Africa, and some time later on the East Coast, in H.M.S. Astroca. He was in several other ships before coming to England. Commander Davenport, like Captain Donaldson, served in the Boer War. _ , Lieut.-Commander Claude H. banwin got his D.S.O. for destroying the submarine El 5 in the Dardanelles, whon she was hopelessly stranded. GunneryLieutenant E. W. H. Blake served botli in West Africa and East Africa, during the war.' Lieutenant W. 0. Spurren, the navigator, was torpedoed m H.M.b. Alfred and was for some time engaged in the convoy service from the West Coast of Africa to England. Lieutenant O. T. Keeling served.from beginning to end of the Gallipoli expedition. and saw a good deal of the New Zealanders there. Lieutenant R. M. Alleyne saw fighting in tho Dardanelles and in Greece, and was for some time in H.M.S. Britannia, recently torpedoed. Lieutenant S. W. Tucker was in the Duke of Edinburgh at the Battle or Jutland; Lieutenant J. W. W. M. Sfandring came to the New "Zealand from a. monitor; Lieutenant Cecil White: R.N.R., was formerly in command of a mine-sweeping flotilla, ana had the experience of being blown up with considerable casualties; Lieutenant A. A. Easton, R.NVV.R.,- comes from British Columbia. He saw service in South Africa. Eng.-Commander L. Howell was stationed for some time at the' Abrolhos Islands, for the protection of commerce,. and. also served, in H.M.S. Vindictive. Eng.-Lieutenarit L W. Robinson was with the Grand Fleet in the beginning, but he has fiso served in the Mediterranean, and was in the Calypso when _ she had her fight with cruisers protecting the German minesweepers in tho. Bight. Eng.Lieutenant R. M. Logan also comes from British Columbia, and was manager of a steamship company there. The chaplain, the Rev. R. V. Hodson, came to the Grand Fleet from Queensland, where he was a member of thef 1 Busli Brotherhood. The InstructorLieutenant is Mr T. H. Matthews, B.A. Surgeon-Captain O. W. Andrews is well known in New Zealand, whCTe_ho spent more than three years in H.M.S. Ringdove. During that commission he dealt with an outbreak of leprosy in Penrhyn Island, and ■ did • a ■■ certain amount .of healtn.work in -Rarotonga, which was then under a Resident Commissioner. For these -services he received the thanks of the New' Zealand Government. During the war he has served in the old Revenge.' afterwards H.M.S. Redoubtable, in the operations on the Belgian coast, and in H-M.S. Prince George at -the Dardanelles, where he was mentioned, and "for which he received the Italian Silver Military Medal.- He then came to New Zealand. . _ The Surgeon-Lieutenant is Dr.- J. L. Owen, an Australian,'who graduated at Edinburgh in •"■1916. " He was m the 10th Cruiser Squadron on fhe Northern Patrol, at the Dardanelles, and convoying from America. The PaymasterCommander is Mr W. R. Hociuer, ana the other" members of the wardroom and gunroom are: —Sub-Lieutenants Douglas L. Lees and P. M. Archdale; mate, Mr Sydney J. Russell; Paymaster SubLieutenant, Ij. J. Birch • Paymaster-Sub-Lieutenant R.N.R., W. E. Ph.il" pot (late purser Cunard Line); 'Chier Gunner, W. C. F. Smith; Midshipmen, Francis B. Carslake, Douglas R. Alston, Thomas M. Oswell. Gerald F, J. Gould, Casper S. B. Swinley, Frank H. •J Trayes, Charles, A. G. Nichols. Alec. B. Goble, Derek C. Perry, William C. Jenks, H. Geoffrey Brookman, Lionel G. F. Moultrie, Edward H. M. Colegrave, P. C. Gordon. Robert W. Parker, Count Andrea, 3>. R. Metaxe Edward A. E. Gibbon, John O. A. Arkell, Frederick H. Wilkinson, an 3 James B. Wrisht; Paymaster Cadet, Arthur T. Phillips. •-