THE GRAND FLEET

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2564, 11 September 1915, Page 13

THE GRAND FLEET

TEN DAYS' VISIT

A RETROSPECT AND A TRIBUTE

(By tho Archbishop of York, in tlia London "Times.'") Sailor, what of the debt wo owe you? Day or night is tho peril more? Who so dull that ho fails to know you, Sleepless guard of our island 6horo? . . . Safe the corn to tho farmyard taken, Grain 6hips safe upon all the seasHomes in peace and a faith unshaken, Sailor, what do wo owe for these? These lines (from a poem in "The Times" of September 16, 1914) came into my mind when from tlio bridge of a destroyer I saw tho Grand Fleet stretchcd before me, tho grey ships silent and ready in tho grey Tight of the northern seas. It may perhaps serve to enforco tho debt of gratitude which tho nation owes to tho officer's and men of the Fleet if I giro a short account of a memorable fortnight which, at tho invitation of tho Commander-in-Chief, I was recently allowed to ' spend among them. My desiro was to bring them a message of thanks and remembrance from tho Motherland and of benediction from tho Mother Church which has tho great majority of thom iindcr her care. It is difficult for them to realise the value of their long-drawn vigil. Their one longing is to meet the Gorman ships and,sink them; and yet month after month the Germans ships decline the challenge. The men havo little time or chance or perhaps inclination to read accounts in serious journals of the invaluable service which the Navy is fulfilling by simply keeping its watch; and naval officers do not make speeches to ,their men. I think, indeed I know, that it.was a real encouragement to them to, hear a voice from tho land of {heir homes telling them of the debt their country owes them for tho 'command of the seas—the safety of the ships carrying food and means of work to the people, supplies of men and munitions to the fields of is secured to us by the patient watching of the Fleet. As for the deeper message in God's name which it was my main desiro to give them, it is nut for me here to write. All I can say is that no man trying to speak a word of God and from God to his fellow-men could wish for a more ready and inspiring response. Tho arrangements for tho visit were made by tho Commander-in-Chief and tho Admirals commanding the othor bases, whose guest I was. They were models of careful organisation. They proved that by the Navy, whether in the visit of an Archbishop or in preparing for a fight, nothing is left to chance; I wish that the masters of ecclesiastical ceremonies at home cou'd learn somo lessons from the flag captains of the Fleet. It proved to be pcssiblo to arrange great voluntary services on two Sunday afternoons find on a week-day morning. At the nrst there were the Commander-in-Chief and his staff, the other Admirals/ and nearly •5000 officers and men. Tho ships of the Fleet were lying, around, looming out of a dull grey mist—it was a most moving experience to commit that Fleet to the. care and blessing of God. The scene of the second, bathed in sunshine, where about 3000 officers and men were grouped, was very, different; Tho third service, if less romantic in its setting than the first, was as a spectacle the mo°t impressive of' the three—indeed, I have never seen anything like it. Nearly 9000 officers and men were- gathered in a vast dry dock. . The weather was beautiful: the acoustics'of the dock 'were perfect. 1 shall never, forget that sea of upturned faces frank and bronzed, the stillness with which they listened to every word, the sense of an unseen Presence in 'our midst.

Ten Days' work. There were four Confirmation services —two of them in the. flagships of the Admirals in command, attended' by hundreds of men. About"180 were confirmed—warrant and petty officers, artificers, men and boys, and one or two midshipmen. Ono afternoon, wet and squally, I consecrated a field as a now naval cemetery. The congregation was about 1800 men from the destroyer flotillas, who sang and listened with a true naval, - indifference to weather. , One whole day in a shelter extemporised as a. chapel,, one afternoon and one morning in churches ashore elsewhere, 'I spent with the chaplains -in ' quiet thought and prayer. Every day ■ thero were visits to selected' ships, to which drafts of men from neighbouring ships were sent; and thero I spoko■ and gave God's blessing to crowds of men standing on deck or sitting among tho turret 1 : in every variety of picturesque grouping. Never again, can I hopo to find such keen and ready listeners. " Altogether, during ten days, I .gave over 40 addresses. " It was impossible to feel tired in an atmosphere of such generous attentiveness and welcome.

As I left the last base the Command-er-in-Chief sent me this telegram:—., "On-,this eve of your departure from 'the Grand Fleet on completion of a visit which to us all will ever'be memorable, please accept from the officers and men their grateful thanks, for your self-sacrificing labours, the - result of which will be of lasting benefit. May I also express my personal gratitude in all sincerity?"

I can only hope'that the'unfailing sympathy and support which he and all the officers and men so ungrudgingly gave mo were not given wholly in vain. Let me try to describe some of the impressions which this visit has left indelibly printed on'my heart and mind. It is not easy. ' Tli© Grand Fleet is a world apart, with its-own life, its own task, its own wonderful and incommunicable spirit. It is difficult to speak of it to those who inhabit a world so different.

■ (1) To share the life of the Grand Fleet even for a short time enables ono to realise the sacrifices which its officers and men havo made and aro making for their country. We are ontoring tho second year of .the war. Let it be remembered that not for three or six, but for twelve months the Floet has been enduring tho strain of immediate Teadiness for battle. Almost all of its ships have been constantly at sea. Thoy had no harbours secure from danger. They roamed ceaselessly over waste' nortliorn and western soas at full speed, often in wild weather, with tho water covering the decks in a region where the winter light lasts only a few hours, each ship moving llithor. and thither in the dark,. hor hundred of men shut down belo'w. It is almost impossible to realise tho perpetual strain of such an experience. Officers and. men have all tho responsibilities of war without the thrill and excitement of battle. Day by day thoy havo to bo ready for action. Leave is almost impossible. _ Many of them have not had forty-eight hours' leave, few of them have had more, since the' war began. No men have a greater lovo of their homes. They havo often been within reach, sometimes even within sight, of them. Yet none can bo spared. Week by week thoy aro waiting for a chanco which never comes. Some of them, to the envy of their comrades, liave had their day—in the Dogger Bank, the tfleligoland Bight, the Falkland Islands, the Dardanelles. But for most of them "tho day" is still to come._ It is impossible "to ; describe the strain of waiting for it. j

The Spirit of Cheerfulness. (2) Yet in spite of all they aro full of cheerfulness. Every captain liatl the same word—nothing could be letter than tho ispivit of ilia ivibolo cwff, On itqk jou max. m iff cam m estligg .witk

the mighty "medicine-ball," and men playing cricket or quoits and every variety of ingenious game. Thanks to excellent food, fresh air, exercise, and the absence of shore temptations the health of tho Fleet is admiiable. When I was with the largest section, the rate of sickness (including accidonts) was just under one per cent. The men at work on board ship are a vision of smartness and alacrity. They aro all splendidly "fit" in body and spirit.. (3) The organisation of a great fleet mobilised for war is something which cannot bo realised until it is seen. This is tho place to mcniton with grateful remombranco a class of men of whose brave services wo at homo think too seldom—the skippers and crows of tho trawlers who day by day and night by night are facing the dangers of patrolling and mine-sweoping. Their crews are men with their own notions of discipline, rough, hearty, infinitely patient, devoid of fear. The war has brought tho Navy and tho fleet of coasters and trawlers into a new comradeship. Lot none of our people at homo forget what they on'o to theso hardy and fearless men.

(4) I must say one word about the chaplains. Theirs is not an easy place to. fill. _ But in ship after ship 1 heard of tho most cordial esteem and appreciation of the "padre" and his influence in tho ship. One of his difficulties in most ships is tho want of any place set apart for his use. In somo of the large new battleships and battle-cruisers a small chapel has been constructed; and I hope that this precedent may be followed. The chaplain is not likely to forget that his ship is his church as well as his parish; Dut it niakes a great difference to his work if he can have a quiet corner within it in which to celebrate tho Holy Communion, to hold voluntary services and classes, and to have undisturbed talk with tho men. . In the Navy the difficulties which seem to have beset the Army in the way of a sufficient provision of chaplains scarcely exist. Every ship of any size lias her own chaplain, who lives in her, shares-her life with his comrades, ana goes where she goes. Let me commend this work of our naval chaplains to tho prayers of my fellow Churchmen.

A "Band of Brothers." (5) Of the efficiency of the Fleet it is | not for a mere outsider to speak; but even he cannot fail to be impressed by tho .all-pervading sense of readiness. It seemdd as if thero was one word written on every ship, on every part of hor, on every man within her—the word Ready. There was no haste, no bustle, no con» fusion. Every ship in her place and every man at his post was ready. (6) I havo kept to the last the. deepest and most moving impression of all— the splendid spirit of comradeship and unity which binds the Grand Fleet together. At dinner or luncheon every day I met all the admirals, most of tho captains, and many of the other officers of the Fleet. v - Of course they havo had. their anxieties . about questions of naval policy which are not within their sphere; but no word haß reached the pu'blic ear. As for their relations with on© another and with their superiors in command I never heard one word of criticism, never felt , the slightest breath of jealousy. In manuer, in word, in spirit they justified the boast of one of tlie Vice-Admirals—'"We are all a great band of brothers." It was refreshing and exhilaratine , beyond words to find oneself in a world governed by a great tradition, so strong that it has become an instinct of unity and mutual trust. But to tho/influence of this great tradition must- be added the influence of a great personality. I cannot refrain from saying here that I left the Grand Fleet sharinc to the full the admiration, affectionj and confidence which, every officer and man within it feels for its Commander-in-Chief, Sir John Jellicoe. Here assuredly is the right man in the right place at the iright time. . His officers give him the most absolute trust and loyalty. When I spoke of him to his .men I always felt that quick response which to a speaker is the sure sign that he .has reached and touched the hearts of lis hearers. The Commander-in-Chief— quiet, modest, courteous, alert, resolute, holding in firm control every part of his . great fighting engine—has under his command not only the ships but tho heart of his Fleet. Ho embodies and strengthens that comradeship of singleminded service which is tho crowning honour of the Navy. I think as I write of tho scene on his flagship when- in the presence of the whole ship's company I took my leave j and I feel again the emotion which it stirred. It was.hard enough to hear his warm and generous words; but when, as I-went down the ship's side, the band struck up "Should Auld Acquaintance bo Forgot" I had no strength left; in me; No, that acquaintance with the Grand Fleet will never, be forgofc by me. Will its officers and men accept these sincere, unstudied words as a poor token of my gratitude for the in-spiration-which it brought me? But I hope that what I havo written may remind those who read it of. the debt which the whole nation owes to its Navy at this-momentous time. By one greatman that debt, ha-s been acknowledged in n o 'grudging terms. Said General Botha on his return from his victory in South Africa: "Wero it not for the British Navy keeping the seas clear, it would have been absolutely impossible to have achioved what we havo done." -Wo at home have even more cause to be grateful.- But thero is a danger lest wo forget. We read daily accounts of the bravery, the endurance, the achievements of our soldiers at the front, and it is . not less but more than wo want to. read. But for good reasons we can read little or nothing about the long watch kept by our sailors on 1 the. sea. Though they are out of sight, let them never be out of mind. Lot us keep a place for them continually in our thoughts and prayers. But there is something more that must bo said. The Grand Fleet does not-'ask.for our gratitude; it does ask for our support. It was simply intolerable to bo greeted on, returning from tho Fleet by the news that one of our unworthy domestic disputes oned tho coal_ supply which is tho first necessity of its life. It has become more plain than ever that it does not rest, only with tho Fleet and the Army to win this war. It rests also, and perhaps mainly, with the nation at home. I tried to take a message from the country to the Floet. I would that could now bring a message from tho Fleet to the country, "\Vo are doing our part, day and night. We look to you to do yours." •It will bo well with our causo if tho people hero at homo will do_ their part with something of tliiit willingness to listen -to the call of God, ofethat spirit of readiness, of selfsacrifice, of patient cheerfulness, of comradeship and unity, which I . felt everywhere around me during my visit to the' Grand Fleet.