NELSON DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 22, 21 October 1918, Page 4

NELSON DAY

Trafalgar Day (October 21) is the festival of the British Navy. It is the day on which we commemorate , the heroic deeds of the sailors who have fought and died for Britain, not only in the brave clays of old, but also in the war in which the British Empire is now engaged. The Navy is our invulnerable shield to-day as it was when the proud Armada sailed from Spain and when Napoleon vainly tried to land an army on Britain's shores. The conditions and methods of sea warfare have undergone many changes since Nelson won the Battle of Trafalgar, but the same unconquerable spirit which animated Nelson and his men was manifested by the British seamen who did battle with the Germans in Jutland Bight. The Navyhasnot been so constantly in the limelight, as the Army during the present war, but its eagerness and capacity for fight have been shown by lurid ' flashes in the encounters whioh took place off Jutland, at Zeebrugge and Ostend, and at the Falkland Islands, or when Admiral Ceaddock went down with his ship in fighting against overwhelming odds on Coronel. Ever since the war began the Navy has maintained its silent vigil unceasingly. Day and night, winter and summer, in fair weather and in foul, its work goes on. When the call came it was found ready for every emergency, arid. it has never for a moment relaxed its deadly pressure on the enemy's throat. In a recent tribute to the Navy Hn. Lloyd George reminded us that the fate of the war depends upon the strength of our fleets and the efficiency, alertness, pluck, and endurance of the men who man them. If the Allies were defeated on the seas, "the war would be over; until they arc beaten there Germany can never triumph, and in tho main this momentous deciding struggle is .being carried on by the- British Navy." No part of tho Empire owes a deeper debt of gratitude to the Navy 'than New Zealand. Its ceaseless watchfulness and _ unmatched strength have made possible the security and _ wonderful prosperity this Dominion has enjoyed in a crisis which has made the whole world reel. Let us never forget that our safety has been bought at a Ki'eat price. What.is the Navy's task? Mr. Lloyd George asks this question and answers it. Every trade route in tho world is patrolled, by its ships, which are also convoying, mine-lay-ing, mine-sweeping and chasing submarines over vast areas. In tho month of June.alone our warships steamed no fewer than 8,000,000 miles. Take the blockade. This means that the seas from Shetland to Greenland, from Greenland to Iceland, from Iceland to thq coast of Norway, have been incessantly patrolled for four years, and an impenetrable barrier raised against the assaults of the enemy. Our ships have destroyed more than 150 hostile submarines, half of the number being accounted for during the past year. The tonnage of the Navy has grown from 2,800,000 at the beginning of thenar to 8,000,000, including the auxiliary fleet. Admiral Beatty is still waiting for the German High Seas Fleet to emerge from its hiding-place, For four years and more our sailors have longed for the opportunity of a gigantic fight to a finish with the Kaisek's ships and men. ■It is still possiblo that such a battle may take place , . If it does we are quite confidont that Abmieal Beatty and his gallant men will givo as good an account of themselves as did Nelson and his comrades' whoso daring exploits we celebrate on Trafalgar Day. But whether the German Fleet comes out to fight or not, the part played by tho British Navy m this war will provide the material for one of the most glorious chapters in British history. Not half the story has yet been told. It can never be told in full; but when the conflict is over, and things can be spoken about which cannot be mentioned now, tho world will be able to form a more adequate idea of the wonderful achievements of the men of the Navy and the mercantilo marine. Wo know now that they have done their duty fearlessly and cheerfully, but wo cannot yet know ill that that word duty has meant to tho Navy since it took stations for the defence of the Empire when the storm broke'in 191<f.