ADMIRAL ROGER KEYES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 249, 9 July 1918, Page 6

ADMIRAL ROGER KEYES

THE HERO OF. ZEEBRUGGE. . (By H. W. Wilson, author of "Ironclads in Action," in the "Daily Mail.") Vioe-Adniftal Ifogcr John Brownlow Keycs is a leader who even in the British Navy, whoro the standard of energy and courage is so gloriously high, has always been noted for his combination of qoijlness and extraordinary daring. He is young, as vice-admirals go; only 45 years of age, and he has the vigour and air of youth. Of him it might be said that he has done nothing without putting forth all his strength, and that, like his immortal predecessor Nelson, he lias always counted nothing done while aught remains to. do. As a midshipman he served in one of cur many petty wars in Africa. As a, ' lieutenant ho 'leapt into fame by his conduct during the Boxer rebellion in China, when he showed the stuff of which .J lie was made. In command of a British destroyer with a mere handful of bluejackets he captured the ' Talm forts which wore garrisoned by some thousands or-more men in .Time," 1900. The exploit sounds incredible, but he aohieved at, and the Boxers whom ho thus surprised and. overwhelmed afterwards proved that they could fight well. Nor was this all. In company with the -British destroyer Whiting he captured four Chinese destroyers of great speed. These four vessels were afterwards divided among the various navies which took in the operations, and one of them was added to the German Fleet, where she still was, under the name of Taku, at the opening of the For this splendid service Lieutenant Keyes was promoted to, the rank of commander, was mentioned in dispatches, and received tho praise of the Admiralty. A few weeks later he again distinguished himself by diving from a height of 30' feet into the Peiho to save a midship- , Jnan from drowning. In the years before the war he specialised as a submarino and torpedo, officer, find for his daring and enterprise was selected to command tho British sub- ' marines. In the operations against the High Seas Fleet carried out by the Bri- ' tish Navy on August 28, 1914,. he was once moie conspicuous, hoisting his flag' as commodore in the Lmcher, and accompanying eight submarines which were used as bait to decoy the Germans t Qut. ■ The .trap worked' so successfully , that tha German light cruisers Ariadne, iMainz, and Koelu were sunk with a loss to the enemy in killed or drowned which ,vns probably about 800. Other German warshijps and destroyers were severly punished, and any attack by German , ships on the British transports,. which were thou conveying largo reiniorcenienta to France, was prevented. Commodore Keycs was again foremost in .the air attack on Cuxhaven which 'was .attempted by British seaplanes on Christmas Day, 1914, when some damago 'was done to tho enemy and great alarm iwas caused in Hamburg and Bremen. He went to the Dardanelles when the Government had decided to attempt the ' forcing of the' passage, and there he served as Chief of 11 ib Staff to Vice-Ad- \ miral Sir Michael de Eobock. In 1917, after h.'a promotion to Rear[Admiral's rank, lie was appointed Director of Plans at the Admiralty, a position lor ' which his own strong affection for .the strenuous offensive fitted him peculiarly. He did excellent work in that position, but his qualities and his special aptitude for executive command at one of the most, arduous posts led to his appointment at the end of last year to the command of Dover, the- complete transformation of the Admiralty. It is not possible to state'what tho material results of this change have ' * been, though they have been Very important and far-reaching. It can only bo said that his unremitting efforts have made the Straits of Dover less agreeable to the German submarines, and thus greatly hnmpered their campaign against the Allies. Admiral Keyes has always hen unsparing of himself., Tho heroic fighting men who man the drifters on -■ tho Channel anti-submarine (juard are all the better at their devoted woric because they know that there is no danger cf theirs ho does not eagerly share.