PLUCKY WARSPITE

Nelson Evening Mail, 26 September 1916, Page 1

PLUCKY WARSPITE

HOW (SHE FOUGHT IN' JUTLAND {BATTLE. "The Germans had every intention.of sinking us, and would' have done so had it not been for the timely appearance 61 the Grand! Fleet." In t/hds way William J. Lowe, son of Mr J. Lowe, of Wesftmeadi, Parramatta, who is an engineer on H.M.IS. Warspite, which took such a prominent part in the recent North Sea battle at Jutland, opens an interesting letter to Wis parents |by the maid. Continuing, the writer says:— ■/ ~..••.".. "Several of Us were working; for an hour and a half, up to our knees:in water, plugging urn holes caused by a shell which entered the stem of the iship at the .waterline. You talk of being gassed'—well l *-I was as near as 1 ever want to 'be. 'For two hours you could not see your hand in front of you. I had to cover- my eyes wdth the gauze of the respirator I waa wearing, for they were running water. A "big thick-armour door was the means Of my. being saved from being 'blown to pieces; as it was my cap was blown off, and landed several" yards away. That same shell "burst just outside the church, and 'Mew the stoker to atoms who was not more than four yards away from me. "The sights I saw. dn connection with the wounded were terrible. I worked - hard carrying the wounded to the sick ibay. Some of the -wounds were ghastly, and, strange to say, I looked upon bttood as water, and I am glad to say that, by others and'myself helping, to carry the wounded to the sick bay, it was the means of saving ail their lives, with the exception of two, wlho died in hospital the next day. . : "The Germans had every reason to believe they had sunk us, for when we drew out of action three big fires were raging aboard, and were only kept under by the men, wno worked hard and: well. You <jould hear the pieces of shelf hittririg the side oif the ship,- and it sounded like heavy rain. The water all round us was 'boiling, caused' by the number of shells that "burst in the water. The action lasted three hours and 40 minutes. All the boats except one were rendered unseaworthy by the shell's and pieces of shell that struck them. On our way back to ißosyUh.' we encountered, submarines, one ef which firedl two torpedoes at us ; but, luckily, we escaped them, and reached port safely on Thursday evening, June 1." -.'■■• i' The Warspite was iighly praised by all the Home papersfor" the gallant •'way m which she fought. - '•','. »-^