TRAFALGAR DAY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2909, 23 October 1916, Page 6

TRAFALGAR DAY

ENTERTAINMENT AT THE TOWN HALL 1 PATRIOTIC SPEECH AND SONG Rain fell in torrents pretty well all day Saturday, with the result that most people anticipated that the entertainment arranged by the Navy League in the Town Hall in honour of tho anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar would be postponed. '.'That it was not was a pity, for the hall was not a third full, and consequently there was not the same spirit of enthusiasm as there would have been had the big auditorium been filled. Among those present were the Countess of Liverpool and a party from Government House, tho Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), president, the vice-president of tho league (Mr. J. B. Harcourt), and other omcials. '.There were ako among the guests a largo number of nurses in uniform, the object of the evening being to raise funds i for. the French .Red Cross Society, all the centres of New Zealand, other than Wellington, having assisted in that direotion very substantially. The Mayor presided, and 6aid that owing to the inclemency of the weather it would have been much better had the_ function been postponed. Anyhow, if it was decided to repeat the entertainment, ho hoped that they would have a bigger rally. They were there to honour the Navy, and in particular that section of the Navy of old, commanded by Lord. Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. That great victory had meant everything to England, and had ensured the prosperity and happiness of her people. Tho experience gained in that battle, and the spirit born of it had. left its imprint on the nation for all time. The Mayor apologised for the absence of Mr. Sigurd Lestrup, who. was detained at Eastbourne, and announced that Mr. H. Fi Wood -would take his place on tho programme. Mr. Wood sane a very pretty ballad entitled "When You Come Home," and, for an encore, a still more charming song, "The Blue Skies of Bredon." Later in the evening Mr. Wood sang that charming lyrip, "A Chinese Love Song," which he made so popular in "San Toy," and again had to respond to an encors. Madamo Anderson, who was in capital voice, also sang several ballads pleasingly. Mr. George Holloway played the accompaniments. Our Debt to the Fleet, During the course of a most interesting adcress, Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., reminded his hearers that tho British Navy had cleared the 6eas for tho transport of foodstuffs and supplies for her peoples and Army, and had made it possible, for them to supply munitions to Russia, France, and Italy. The great Dreadnoughts bad made their appearance in 190b, and it was then that Admiral Sir J olin Fisher had prophesied that war would occur in IUI4. Ho based that conclusion on tho fact thajt tho Kiel Canal, between tho North Sea and the Baltic Sea, could not take vessels of the draught of a Dreadnought. It would cost £10,000,000 to enlarge tho canal, and ho judged that such a sum of money could not bo expended on such a work until 1914, and consequently war with Germany would not break out till then.

The speaker paid a fino tribute to the work of tho destroyers, which Kipling, had described as "half switchback, half water-chute, and hell continuously." Only one vessel had ever been torpedoed whilst being escorted by : destroyers— the Gulfland. Tho ill-fated Hampshire, the warship that carried Lord Kitchener to an honoured grave, had been escorted by destroyers up to within an hour of the tragedy, but only one vessel had gone down whilst in tho care of,these hornets of tho fleet. In paying a tribute to tho wondorful efEcioncy of tho Dovor patrol, Mr. Wilford said that in one period of six months, only nineteen vessels out of 21,000 had been sunk in the straits, whilst of the thousands of tons of munitions and hundreds of thousands of men transferred undor tho escort of tho Dover patrol not one pound of stores,or ono life had been lost. The trawlers, too, were not forgotten, those small boats which went out angling, night and'day, for "tinned fish" and "cuckoo's eggs." Theeggs were the deadly mines and the" tinned fish were enemy submarines. Whether it was among' the rocky islands of the Wost of Scotland, or on the devious ocean paths which separated Germany from England, tliej' were always steadily at work. A War of Revenge. A. most telling speech was that spoken by Mr. Alfred Jolly, au eloquent and forceful speaker, and one with a raro gift for narrative. Mr. Jolly said that ho thought that they should all be very grateful lor tho position the Empire was in to-day. lhough the price wo had to pay was becoming increasingly bitter every day, siiil they had.ample cause for thankfuiacss. (Applause.) They ought to be very proud to be in it at all, considering that they had entered into the conflict in order to keep faith with a little nation. (Applause). Though it was not fus part to speak particularly of tho work of the Navy, yet he would stress the fact that within six months it had cleared the seas of the enemy flag, an achievement that had taken 21 years to accomplish in the Napoleonic War, ?nd he would also stress tho fact iha t right through the present war no single man of the Navy had done anything to tarnish the lustre of its glory. In speaking of the Army, Mr. Jolly referred to Lord Kitchener's magnificent achievement, and asked tho audience if they considered his availability to the nation a matter of chance. He did .not. He reminded them of Tennyson's ode to the Duko of Wellington: "All' is over and done; Render thanks to tho Giver, England, for thy son." So in this case he, at least, was oldfashioned enough to believe that tho late Lord Kitchener was God's gift to tho Empire. Navy League's Task. Speaking of the Navy League, and the future, Mr. Jolly, said that he could not delude himself into the belief that tho present gigantic conflict was the last war. Would that it were. England would have to be prepared for many years to come for a war of revenge. The Navy, as our shield and first l!ne of defence, should ever be the, nation's first consideration. They would havo to guard against any weakening in the strength of the Navy or any reducation of expenditure under that heading. As it must bo our safeguard now and for years to come, they could not do better than advocate tho establishment in every city, town, and part of tho British Empire a- strong brauch of tho Navy League, whose business it would bo to promote and foster a strong healthy sentiment towards the Navy—a sentiment that would make tho nation equal to any demand put upon it. (Applause.) If, for instance, Germany had commenced this war with 150 largo submarines instead of 30, and 150 great war vessels, able to keep at sea for a lengthy period, they would have been able to prey upon our commerce in every sea, and probably would havo been able to blockade the shores of England. Unless they were going to secure a lasting and absolute peace that would prevent Germany constructing warships they might later on find themselves confronted not with 30 submarines, but with 500, or even 1000, so if Britain was to be equal to any emergency the Navy must be prepared always in tho future, as she was splendidly prepared at tho beginning of the war, as far as the Navy was concerned.

Mr. Jolly reminded tho audience that the German Navy League was established in tho year 1898 with 44 members. .In 1914 it had no fewor than 4,000,000 members. With. German thoroughness of organisation, throughout all thoso intervening years, they had distributed postcards bearing tho words, "Our Future on the Water," to every bookstall throughout the German Empire, and had run excursions continuously, taking teachers, school children, and adults to tho ports, docks, warships, and even to Heligoland—all part of a deliberate programme. A "Pageant of Empire" was produced by Mrs. James Hannah in her usual artistic manner. In this patriotic interlude, Mr. Herbert Wood sang "Rule Britannia," Miss Kitty Boyle danced as "A Spirit from the Sea," Miss Hazel Hardwicke and Dorothy Macdowoll danced as "Winter and the Maple Leaf," and Miss Mavis King sang the "Italian Anthem." The orchestra of the Wellington Savage Club played a couple of patriotic selections, under the baton of Lieut. H. M'Comish. FRENCH RED CROSS. . The Navy League collection on behalf of tho French Red Cross resulted as follows :— £ s. a. Per Mrs. F. M. B. Fisher, sweets, flags, donations .... 37- 0 0 Wellesley Club (per Mr. R. Darroch) 17 6 0 Collection Town Hall, per Ladies of Nursing Divisions ..17 3 9 Star Matinees of "Britain Prepared" 4 0 0 "Peg-o-My-Heart Company ... 1 10 Total 76 10 9 As, owing to the weather, thousands of citizens were unable to attend, and so contribute to tho collection, donations will be gratefully received by tho hon. secretary, Mr. Shallcrass, at Harcourt's Buildings, or by Mr. R. Darroch, hon. treasurer, at Roseneath School. As this is the first effort in Wellington on behalf of the French Red Cross, the Navy League is very desirous that the remittance shall be a substantial one. THE ''DAY" ELSEWHERE MASS MEETING AT OAMARU. By Telegraph—Press Association. Oamaru, October 22. A mass meeting of citizens in the streets last night was organised by the Navy League in honour of Trafalgar Day. The speakers included Mr. Frank Miiner (rector of Waitaki Boys' High School), Captain Redmond, and the Rev. S. F. Hunter. The following resolution was carried, with cheers: — "That this meeting of citizens desires to express its sense of deep gratitude to the officers and men of the Royal Navy and to the mercantile marine.for their devoted self-sacrificing and loyalty to King and tho Empire; and its enthusiastic appreciation of the invaluable services rendered by them and the fleets of our Allies to the sacred cause of liberty and humanity throughout the War." CELEBRATIONS IN LONDON (Rec. Octiibfir 22, 0.5 p.m.) London, October 21. Trafalgar Day was celebrated with a series of stirring demonstrations. Tho Nelson Column wasbedecked with hundreds of magnificent wreaths, including one of fifteen feet, in memory of the nallant sailors of Franco who died at Trafalgar, from their comrades in arms to-day; also New Zealand flowers encased in ico, an Australian tribute, and many from crews, of warships to fallen comrades. There wero similar tributes at Nelson's tomb in St. Poul's A great .mooting passed resolutions of confidence in Sir John Jellicoe and the High Sea Fleet. Tho Bishop »f London preached to a big representative congregation. The Ny.vy League i gavo a luncheon at tho R-itz Hotel, those present including admirals, ambassadors, and other "notables, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward. . *