ROGER KEYES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1918, Page 4

ROGER KEYES.

and the offensive spirit

(P>y H. W. Wilson, Author of “Ironclads in Action.”)

Vice-Admiral Roger John Brownlow lveyes is a lender who even in the British Navy, where the standard of energy and courage is so gloriously high, has always been noted lor. his combination of coolness and extraordinary daring. He is young, as vice-admirals go ; only Jo years of age, and lie has the vigour and air of youth. Of him it might he said that he has done nothing without putting forth all his strength, and that, like his immortal predecessor Nelson, he has always counted nothing done while anght remains to do

As a midshipman he served in one of our many petty wars in Africa. As a lieutenant he leapt into fame bv In’s conduct during the Boxer rebellion in China, when he showed the stuff of which he was made. In command of a British destroyer with a mere handful of bluejackets he captured the Taka forts which were garrisoned by some thousands or more men, in June 1900. The exploit sounds incredible, hut he achieved R, and ihe Boxers whom he thus surprised and overwhelmed afterwards proved that they could fight well.

Nor was this all. In company with ihe British de-imycr Whiting he captured four Chinese destroyers of on at speed. Thcso lour ve-s Is were niter wards oivul d among the various Navies wh c!s took part in the operations, an i on;; of them was a (led to tin: Germ.a flier, where she still was. urnli r the name of Taku, at the opening <•! the war.

F r thi j splendid serv ee L cut K"\os vib promo"' d to tiie rank of .am in mder, was nifnlkmed in dt - .! a!'die-, and :•> e iwd t.w praise of i lie Ad nil'llity. A few weeks Inter ii again hist inguislied himself by diving from a height of .1 • Ret into the Pei ho to save a midshipman from drowning.

. < * ft «> * ih i In; years hid'oie the wir he special seal as a submarine and torpedo officer, and for his daring and enterprise was selected to command the British submarines. In the operations ngaiirit the High Seas Fleet carried our by the British Navy on August 28, 1914, ho was mice more conspicuous, hoisting his flag as Commodore in the Lurcher, and accompanying eight snbmariihs which were used as bait to decoy the Germans out. T'ne trap worked so successfully that thfi German light cruisers Anadne, MHnz, and Koala, were sunk with a 1 >ss to the enemy in killed or drowned which was probably about SCO. Ofclnr German wiuships and destroyers were severely punish* <l, and any attack by German ships on the Brifi.-li transports, which were then conveying large reinforcements t i France, was prevented. Commodore Keyes was again foremost in tiio air attack on Ouxhaven which was attempted by Briti-h seaplanes on Christmas Day, 1914, when some damage was done to the enemy and great alarm was caused in Hamburg and Bremen. He went to the Dardanelles when the Government ha i decided to attempt the forcing of the passage, and there he served as Chief of the Staff to Vice-Admiral Sir Michael do Rohcek.

in 1917. ;iftec his promotion to Roar-Admiral's rank, he was appointed Director of Plans at the Admiralty, a position for which his own strong affect’on for the strenuous offensive fitted him peculiarly. He did excellent work in that position, hut 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 Vice-Admiral, Dover, after the complete transformation of the Admiralty.

It is not possible to state what the material results of this change have been, though they have been very important and far-reaching. It can only be said that his unremitting efforts have made the Straits of Dover less agreeable to the German submarines, and thus greatly hampered their campaign against the Allies. Admiral Keyes has always been unsparing of himself. The heroic fighting men who man the drifters on the Channel anti-submarine guard are all the better at their devoted work because they know that there is no danger of theirs he does not eagerly share.