HELIGOLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 51, 25 November 1918, Page 4

HELIGOLAND

PROBLEM FOR THE PEACE CONFERENCE

BRITISH DIPLOMACY REVIEWED

Mr .T J[. Kennedy, of Hie London "Daily Telegraph" and author of several works dealing 'with history and literature, contributed to "T.P.'s Weekly in the early days of the war. on article, in which lie discussed "the importance ot Heligoland and the possibilities of the Northern Gibraltar." DetLunn if you prefer it in its native l'rismn; Heligoland to- call it by its present ,oflicml name (wrote Mr. Kennedy). A mere speck on the map, Heligoland will turn out on insnection, to be two islands and not. one. * Even the German public would know little about Ihe p.ace if it were not for the bathing facilities ottered by the smaller island—the "Duneninsei." or sandbank, separated from Helgoland proper by a. channel nearly ' l The 6 normal population of 2300 lias hardlv varied for years; but the visitors raiVit to more than 20,000 when the season begins in the- early autumn. From tbe nearest point on the mainland the distance is only twenvy : eight miles;from the mouth of the Elbe it is about thirtysix. A boat takes yon from Hamburg in a few hours.

Why We Relinquished It. In 1807 Great Britain seized Heligoland and it was formally made over by Denmark in 181}. We kept it. unti IS9O never having made much use of it in the meantime, it did not appear to be worth while doing so; for there was no German navy worth speaking of. and briti-ih Foreign Ministers of the last cenhirv did not expect; a quarrel between tfc'j country and Germany. . Our two partners in'the Triple Entente were our enemies t.Vs''- &>> o»e gathers, it was with feelings of relief that Lord Salisburv in 181)0, exchanged Heligoland for Zanzibar and one ov two minoi' concessions in Africa. The people of the island acquiesced in the chnnge. This acquiescence did not by any means indicate disloyalty .to England and friendliness to Germany. Now, as alwnvs, the standing population is divided into two classes, who are, from a racial point of view, quite different. There are, first, the descendants of the original inhabitants of the island-tull, wellbuilt fisherfolk of purely I'risian breedpartly Anglo-Saxon, partly Scandinavian. They are as loyal to the as they were to us; but their affections are confined to their own little land. Secondly come the trading classes, who have never k-sn Frisian, but always Danes or Germans. They are now almost entirely German. The size of the gamson is'not known, but it is large, considering the space. Harbourage for a Fleet. The small Duneninsel lies about a quarter of ti mile from the larger. It is known that they were formerly connected, but an irruption of the sea in 1720 separated them, and ever since coast erosion has been going on with somewhat alarming rapidity. The larger island is in two divisions: Unterland, a small section built on the shore almost at the water's edge, and Oberland, built on the high cliiV above, and connected with Unterland by a stair and a lift. The town of Olwrland is confined to within a short distance of the edge of the cliff; and to tho back of it stretches the remainder of (lie small rocky plateau, fjomo two hundred feet above sea level. Here the German Government has constructed powerful fortifications. A glance at tho man will show why Heligoland is admirably situated for purposes of fortification.' It; commands, in tho first place, the entranco to Wilhelmshiiven—tho base of tho German. Navy; in tho second place, the entrance.lo the Eivev AYcser; iii the third, the mouth of tho River Elbe; and, in tho fourth, the Kiel Canal. In other words, the island of Heligoland, dominates a naval base two rivers, a canal, and the towns of Bremen, lircmorhaveu, Cuxhaven, and Hamburg. It is true that the islands of Neuwerk, Waugcroog, and Spiekoroog are geographically in -an almost equally powerful position, but they afford hardly any -shelter to shipping in comparison with Heligoland. A licet win ride in perfect safety in the space separating the main island of Heligoland from tho smaller. • i

Did Lord Salisbury Blunder? For once, then, the inference is that Loril Salisbury was not so farsceing as liu generally was in making over Heligoland to Germany. It i=, nevertheless, well -to remember that the position in IS'JI) was very tlilVereivt. As 1 have said, a quarrel with Germany seemed, at that time, to be a grotesque assumption, and tho development of our possessions in Africa .was of the utmost: importance. Until the time comes When iv complete life of tlio late Lord Salisbury can be published it would hardly be fair to judge his action; but it would certainly be interesting to know by what motives ho was actuated in giving way such a commanding position. It is true tiiat Heligoland would never have served us as a naval base. It lies too far from our own shores, and yet too near, for such a use. If-we had still had possession of Heligoland when the war broke out we may be sure that tho mine-layers would have made access impossible." But it is difficult to argue about what might have happened at the outbreak of war if Heligoland had not been German. In 1900, when the first German Navy Act was passed, and a few years later, when the German JCavy leaguo had secured an enormous membership ami influence, there would have been such an agitation against the appearance of the British ling, in German waters that war might have broken out even sooner. ' Our possession of Heligoland at the time of the Algeciras Conference (1903(i), or when the Anglo-French Agreement was signed (1001), or, move particularly, at the time of the Agadir crisis (June, •1911),- would almost certainly have brought about a rupture. There would have" been precautionary movements of ships mid some little excitement, ns there was at other places; and the delicate machinery of diplomacy \vou|d have broken down.

The Navy Discounts It, In one respect Heligoland, as it is at present, may bo compared with the Rock of Gibraltar. Both positions are so strongly fortified and mined that the boring'of anothei gallery is almost enough to bring about a complete collapse. 1 saw some of the German preparations for fortifying Heligoland eight or niiio years ago, when tho work' was being earned on openly. Since, then it lias been pushed forward with vigour, but; very little strategic use has been made of' it. On the declaration of war the German fleet appears to have retired into Wilht-'linshavpii, -and from the exploit of a squadron of our own fleet on August .28, when five German' warships were sunk, we may judge that the defences of Heligoland have caused littlo concern to our own Navy.

It is doubtful if we shall ever have Heligoland in our possession again. If our ships and soldiers played a decisive , part in the war. and helped to win nn incontestable victory, it would still hardly l)i) possible for us to ask for the island back again. Our presence there in the future would be n perpetual eyesore to the 'German nation, anil by book or by crook we should be got out of it again, even though Europe had to run with blood for a second time in this century. We may hone that the ' destruction or capture'of the German Navy will render HcHrolmh! and its superb fortifications entirely superfluous for the purposes ol naval strategy.