HOMECOMING OF SQUADRON.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18231, 15 November 1924, Page 14

HOMECOMING OF SQUADRON.

ARRIVAL AT PLYMOUTH.

LOYALTY OF THE DOMINIONS

(?B01£; OEB OWH COaEESPOKPEST.)

LONDON, October 7.

Prompt to" scheduled time, the two sections of the Special Seryico Squadron met off the Lizard last week, and steamed the first part of tho journey up the Channel -in company. Since leaving New Zealand the Squadron had called at Fiji and Honolulu, and then on to Vancouver. Thence to San Francisco, where a magnificent American welcome, official and unofficial, awaited it. Here the ships separated, the battle-cruisers, with the Adelaide, making for- the Panama Canal, and so home-by Jamaica, Halifax and St. John's." Newfoundland, while KearAdmiral Sir' Hubert Brand brought his lour light cruisers down the west coast calling at Callao and Valparaiso, through the Straits, and thence, not forgetting to call at the historic Falklands, by way of Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, and Rio, to British, -waters once again. „. " r His Majesty the King was one ot the first to welcome his Squadron back to Home waters. In a message to ViceAdmiral Sir Frederick Field, he said: "I wish to express to you, to Rear"Admiral Sir Hubert Brand, and the officers, and ships' companies, my warm congratulations on the success which has attended.this memorable cruise. You have proved yourselves worthy representatives of the British Navy, and have maintained its best traditions in many distant lands. I thank you, and those under your command, for the Treat' service rendered to the Empire, and I wish you all a happy return to your families and homes." ' The following official announcement has been issued from Downing street: "On the occasion of tho return to this countrv of .the Special Service Squadron of the Royal Navy at _ the termination of the Empire cruise, on which it proceeded in November last, I the King lias been graciously pleased to I cive directions for. the promotion' ot I fiear-Admiral Sir Frederick Laurence Field. K.C.B;, C.M.G., Acting-Vice-Admiral Commanding the Squadron to I be a Knight Commander of the Most ! Distinguished Order of Saint Michael ! and Saint George, and for the appomt- ! ment to be Companions of that Order I of Captain John Knowles im Thurn, ' CB E ' Flag Captain and Chief-Start ! Officer', H.M.S. Hood-Captain James Murray Tipon, M.VIO:, O.B.B„ -Flag Captain and Chief Staff Officer, H.M.S. Delhi: Captain Henry Wise Parker, C.8., Commanding H.M.S. Repulse."; A later announcement says: ViceAdmiral H. L. Maw-bey has been placed on the retired list at his own request, to date September 25th 1924, and in consequence Rear-Adnural (Act-ing-Vice-Admiral) Sir Frederick L. Field is promoted to.be Vice-Admiral^ in his Majesty's Fleet and Captain B. M. Burmester is promoted tp be miral in his Majesty's Fleet,,both to . date September :2'6th, 1924. .... - The inhabitants of Plymouth -were naturally disappointed'that.the ships | should have come into harbour under the cover of darkness. Not only .did Uhey.arrive in Plymouth Sound aftei ! dark, but -in passing the harbour in the early hour's of'the-- morrnng'they were obscured by the: most. _The ships steamed from the Lizard to Eddystpne together. There the Plymouth- fhips parted company with the others, which proceeded to their respective.; home ipbrte.- On theway up Channel many messages of- farewell were exchanged between the ships.. ... # ■■-.••■■• As the Hood 1 steamed into Devonport harbour the band of the Delhi, 'as ehe was passing, played "It s Hard to Say Good-bye.", As she lay alongside'.the wharf, unloading ammunition, the Hood looked more like a ship that. was about to go on a maiden voyage than one which, had completed a forty thousand miles' world's cruise.-

Tribute to the Dominions. Plymouth's welcome was. voiced By the Mavor; Mr Solomon Stephens,: who v went on board the Hood in state and accompanied by the macebearere, the Town Clerk, and the members of the Special Committee of the Town Council. He said it had been with great pride that they had noted the dignity with which the honour of England'had been maintained. Sir Frederick Field, in, reply, said they greatly appreciated the thought which had prompted : the official welcome back to that old naval port. "We have travelled some forty thousand miles," he -continued, ■■ "and with the exception, so -far. as this battle cruiser is concerned, of two places, we have never ..touched -at any port which does not belong to the British Empire. If you could the great loyalty to his Majesty King; George nnd seen the thousands of our countrymen cheering the British Navy and the British nation, indeed, your hearts would have been .as ours have been. We have had a mqst wonderful reception. We have been, received by the Mayors of practically all the ports in the Dominions, but great as their welcome has been to us, no welcome gives greater pleasure than this to the old naval port of Plymouth. If we have done our duty well, if we have in some small measure, by our efforts done something to weld.together the bonds of the great Empire p> which we belong, then we have been amply rewarded." \ ■ ; ' In a subsequent interview ViceAdmiral Field spoke, of the vast resources of the Empire awaiting development, and how essential it was that children should be taught in schools its possibilities and potentialities.. They had all been enormously.impressed, he said, with the wonderful loyalty to the Motherland that they had always' encountered. The devotion to the Empire, with England as the home always in the background, had found outlet in many spontaneous acts. For example, a dozen of them would .'be gathered in the Mayor's Parlour when, the company woxdd ris© spontaneously and sing" the National Anthem. "We have been close to that sentiment," he concluded, "and know what it is like. Nothing can exaggerate. the great loyalty to the Crown and love for the Mother Country. There, was always the feeling that we are all of the same stock."

Cost of Naval Defence. *]

"When the Dominion Premiers, at the Imperial Conference, welcomed the Admiralty's proposal to despatch the Special Service Squadron," says the "Daily Telegraph" in a leading article on the Empire cruise, "they may

Melody, ■ Fairy Ring, Thp Parisian, : Caryl, ; Salermo, Mountain Rose, Gay Gauntlet, Lewis Gun, Flight, Maytime,. Bran Pie,' Lady Balboa, Tommy Dodd. Set Sail*-Can: tara, Blue Dragoon, Soldiers Hope. Bright: Mark Monoxide, Kyleboa., Soltoe. Swim ■ Ashore, Hurdy Gurdy, Tione. Booster. DASH TROT (in saddle)/'of 150' soya; i llm-To Peka. Catriona, Quo Va&s, Vtom-. insOhitd, Moor Chimes Landlady, Trusty Child; Postmark, Adon, Eons, May Tiacey, Free Lance, b g-by Four .Cinmes >+ Chimes. Bonny Boy, -Great Pointer. Queen Thorpe, Trysoon, Oakland, Creekbank, Jazolock, Miss Adonis, Erin Chimes, Stolen Love.

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have foreseen and welcomed in advance the reUeetions to which its presence would give rise. They may have felt that the visit of the" squadron would arouse public interest in the Empire's Navy, and convince their sMf-gov-erning peoples that the problem could no longer bo ignored. "We can: only hope that something practical will como of it. The many hundreds of thousands of pocple who have boarded the cruisers m tho various Dominion ports have, at any rato, seen what an efficiont -squadron can do, and they know that ours is not tho only Navy in tho world. It remains for their leading statesmen to deviso the moans by which tho problem or> Empire naval defenco may bo put on ft new footing, and the cost of it distributed more "equitably than it is at present," . Serious Naval Weakness. . According to tho naval correspondent of tho "Morning Post," tho enriso will have failed in its purpose unless it brings homo to peoplo In this country our very serious naval weakness •abroad.

" Where wo used to have a hundred cruisers beforo tho war, wo have barely fifty to-duy, and theso latter aro for tho most part small Bhips, rapidly growing old and gotting worn out, and designed essentially 'for tho North Sea. Thay lack sea-keeping qualities, speed, and onduranoo for ocean work, yet we nro laying down only five now Bhips, which will scarcclv replnco thoso which will be worn out by tuo timo they are built, and will do nothing to make up our deficiency. In times past wo were wont to safeguard the lives and interests of British subjects and our seaborno commerco ull over the world, by maintaining adequate cruiser forces on every station. To-day we' have to send shipa-on. a-tour of demonstration like a stage army, which essays to make up for lack of numbers by tho brilliance of itß entries and its exits. This Empire cruise has, indeed, been a brilliant success, but its glories are already passing, and we shall do ■ well to reestablish .our eca. security on. & more solid and permanent basis." Some -very interesting figures have bean propared, showing tho number of visitors to tho ships of the Special Service Squadron during the cruiso. The Hood nlone roceived 752,049 members of tho general public and others who took part in organised visits, and 35,770 guests attended "at homes" and dances on the ship. The total number of visitors for the squadron was 1,936,717. Soveral mascots have been brought home, including two beavers, which aro going to the zoo, and a wallaby. The latter showed no desire whatever to leave the Hood, and the crew certainly has no desire that it should depart.