WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 November 1929, Page 8

WAR STORIES

TWO DOGGER BANK ESCAPES

(By “Signals.”)

On January 24, 1915, the British battle cruiser Lion, at the head 01 the line of battle cruisers under * Sir David Beatty, was in hot pursuit o, Admiral Kipper’s “baby-killing' squadron off the Dogger'Bank. The British were going about 20 knots. Hipper was compelled to steam at comparatively low speed, 2-1 Knots, because some of his smaller craft were in difficulties. His position was therefore exceedingly grave. At 9.5 a.m. the Lion signalled to the four other British battle cruisers, “open lire and engage the enemy.’ At 9.8 Hipper sent out a cry fo. help by wireless: “Seydlitz is in action with the Ist Battle Cruiser Squadron; position 109 delta (corresponding with a particular square numbered on the secret German charts of the North Sea); steering southeast.” But there was no force quickly available which the German command could send out to his aid. At 9.9 the Lion made her first hit on the Blucher between the two anchors on the forecastle; the shell buAt, doing slight damage;, a little, later she shifted her target to the Seydlitz and hit that ship, again without causing any very serious injury.

She then signalled to her battlecruisers to “engage corresponding ship in (enemy’s) line.” This meant diat she was to fire at Seydlitz. the Tiger at the Moltke, the Princess Royal at the Derfflinger, and the New Zealand and Indomitable at the Blucher. Actually, however, the Tiger missed the signal and continued t j lire at the Bluclier, leaving the Moltke unongaged.

HIT THAT KILLED 159 MEN. Both the Moltke and Seydlitz appear to have fired at the Lion and the Derfflinger at moments joined in. About 9.45, almost simultaneously, the Lion and the Seydlitz were in danger of destruction. The Seydlitz was hit by a shell from the Lion which caused terrific ammunition fires in her two after turrets and killed nearly all the officers and men in them. Six tons of ammunition blazed up, but the explosive burnt and did not explode. With 159 officers and . men dead, her stern heavily down, and 600 tons of water in her, she escaped destruction.

In the Lion, an 11-in. shell, probably ‘ from the Moltke, struck and perforated the trunk leading to the 4-in. gun magazine . If it had exploded the magazine would almost certainly have been set on fire by the flash, but luckily for the British flagship the projectile did not detonate.

SAPPERS AND HIGHLANDERS AT

high wood,

On September 3, 1916, the Ist Place Watch tried to extend our hold in High Wood while 'the, Ist- Camerons attacked the German trenches to the south-east of fit. Both battalions were assisted by parties of the 23rd Field Company, v R.E. For the assault of the Black Watch flame-throwers, blazing oil drums, and “push-pipes” containing high-ex-plosive combined with machine guns and trench mortars to supplement Qie (artillery 1 far rage. And at thp edge of the wood in advance of our front trench a mine was blown as the signal 'for the attack, wljich was launched at 12 noon.

The Camerons on the right made good progress except upon their outer flank; the two left companies of the Black .Watch were mown down by streams of machine-gun bullets as soon as they started forward. But on their right the mine exploded, leaving a crater 40 yards in diameter and the Highlanders succeeding in reaching the German front line, where they captured many Germans and a machine gun. A Black Watch machine-gun post was established in front of the crater, which the' sappers placed in a state of defence, although they were exposed to heavy fire from the lelt flank and many of them were hit.

During, the afternoon an overwhelming counter-attack, delivered from the north-east, forced hack our v hole line. Then it was that the sapper subaltern, the only, officer left unwounded at this point, conducted the defence; first at the crater and then in our front trench. His men, ioo, did great execution with their rifles.

Half the engineers were killed or wounded and the Black W atch lost more than, 300 of all ranks. ihe first successful advance had resulted in the capture by the Highlanders of over fifty of the sth Bavarian aiUl sth Bavarian Reserve regiments.