British Warning

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 181, 18 August 1937, Page 5

British Warning

(British Official Wireless.)

SUBMARINE ATTACKS Waships Will Protect , Merchantmen MEDITERRANEAN RAIDS

(Received 18, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 17. Afteir a meeting of Ministers *at the Foreigu Office a statement was issued stating that the British Government had been seriously perturbed at the inereasing number of attacks upon shipping which had oecurred of late in the Mediterranean aud at the extension of the area in which theso incidents wore now taking place. The British Government had issued in-structi-on,s through the Admiralty that if anv British merchant ship were attackcd by a submarine without warning his Majesty's ships were authorised to counter-attack the submarine. Although no official reply has yet been received from General Franco to the British protest about the bombing of the British Corporal, a reply has been handed to the British vice-Gonsul at Palma by the insurgent naval authorities denying any attack on a vessel displaying the British 'colours and claiming that the markings of the aircraft involved in the attack indicato an attempt to imitate the markings on the Nationalist aircraft. As this reply is unaeceptablo to the British Government, further instructions have been sent to tho British Ambassador at Hendaye asking him to ; bring to General Franco 's notico immediately that the British Government is quite unable to accept the contention that the attack was carried out by aircraft other than those uuder iusurgeut control,, a faet on which the Government is eompletely satisfied. An Algiers message states that the captain of the Spanish steamer Gonde de Abasolo, upon arrival in the British steamer City of Wellington with 23 of the crew, declared that an Italian destroyer torpedoed his ship oif the island of Pantelleria, lrilling several of the crew. Seventeen were missing, and the remainder were picked up the following morning by the City of Wellington. The captain adds that an Italian aeroplane flew over the ship two days before the attack.