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Hokitika Guardian, 10 July 1922, Page 2

A cable last week stated that the narrative and charts of the Battle of Jutland had been sent to 1/frd Jellicoe tor per. sal. The tactics of Lord Jellicoe in the Battle of Jutland have been the subject of very considerable discission and a good deal of adverse criticism. The action opened by Beatty’s battle-cruisers attacking the Gorman liatt.e-i misers and soon after encounle;iim enemy battleships. When Lord Jellicoe came gp with his battle Mjltad. ion hi- found that the position of the enemy differed from that which had been previously signalled to him by twelve jniles. His Ships were ill six columns, each of four ships, and the columns were steaming in parallel lines. In deploying into line to engage the enemy he had the choice of turning to starboard (to the right) towards the enemy, nr port (to the left) .away from them. He decided riot to deploy oti the starboard wiilg column hecatise Ids weakest ships were on his right and also because that manoeuvre would hate involved risk of a torpedo attack. In liis hook ‘•The Grand Fleet,’* Lord Jellicoe deals very fully with this phase mid explains clearly and dispassionately the reasons which influenced his decision. The battle-fleet fired its first shots at 6.17 p.m. At 7.15 p.m. the battleships turned away from the enemy to avoid u torpedo attack. Lord Jellicoe very fully explains his reasons for this manoeuvre, one being tnat a turn towards tile etlenty would have meant meeting the torpedoes travelling at high speed. At least twenty torpedoes were seen to pass through the British line, ahd individual ships avoided them by skilful use of the helm. Some tittle after the end of the war the Admiralty set up a committee, under Capt. J. T. Har|>er, to go through the whole of the official dispatches,* reports, signals, etc., and prepare a narrative of the battle for publication. AVhen this was completed it was announced in the House of Commons that it had been decided not to make the narrative public. Whether this decision wn s due to the discovery of Lord Jellieoe’s critics that the narrative was not to their liking, is not known, hut shortly afterwards a large volume, containing th o whole of the despatches, report, signals and track charts relating to the battle was issued. Tt also included a letter written by Lord Jellicoe to the Admiralty in October 1914. in which he set out his proposed course of action in the event of his meeting the enemy in a fleet no--tio'i under conditions similar to those obtaining at Jutland, and which was approver! bv the Admiralty.