WONDERFUL WAR FAMILY

Shannon News, 29 December 1925, Page 2

WONDERFUL WAR FAMILY

ONE OF THE ZEEBRUGGE HEROES SUBMARINES “SAFE AS HOUSES” “Submarines are the only things that are really safe at sea, in my opinion,” declared Captain John Howell-Price, of the Ncav Zealand Shipping Company’s steamer Tekoa, when discussing the recent tragedy of the MI Avith an Auckland “Star” reporter. “Why, they are nearly as possible perfectly safe. I Avas four ' years in them, and I Avould sooner go to sea in a submarine than in any other class of vessel. Captain Howell. Price ; s a member of an Australian family which achieved remarkable distinction in the war. Sons of the Rga*. J. HowellPrice, of Waterloo, Sydney, seven brothers rallied to the Flag w’hen the trumpet called throughout the Em pire. Of these four-survived, and each of the four gained decorations, Captain HoAveil-Price, who served in theNavy, being awarded the D.S.O. and D.C.M., and the other three tho D.S.O. and M.C. The remaining three gave their lives for the Mother Country and civilisation, but not be‘fore th«y, too, had, •worf honours. One of these was Lieutenant-colonel OAven Howell-Price, D. 5.0., M.C., Avho at the age of tAventy-three Avas the youngest colonel with the British Forces; another Avas Major P. L. HoAvell.Price, D. 5.0., M.C., ,and the last Major F. .P. Howell-Price. A famous family of fighters, turly! In regard to the lost submarine, as fas as could be seen, slit; had been rammed, said Captain HowellJPrice. “But a submarine, I tell you, is the safest thing in or on the seas,” he declared. “It is very hard to ram, too, and hard to sink, even if rammed. I have been in a submarine Avhich was hit with Gin shells, and we got back .all right. ,An ‘H’ class submarine, under the famous / Canadian, Captain Johnstone, was struck by a German mine 40ft down and had her nose bloAvn off, but she returned to her base. Submarines are well divided into watertight compartments. If they don’t go doAvn lOAver than 30ft they can see all around with their periscopes. Some of the later models go deeper and still observe the surface. "Of course,” he continued, “if a submarine sinks over a certain depth she cannot again ascend, but thi s.milja ar<3 well known, and there is no reason to exceed them. The submarines they sent out to Australia were only constructed to dive 100

feet, but I have gone down and slept at 220 feet. Sometimes we used to go to the bottom and sleep on the floor of the sea all night.” Captain Howell-Price w,as awarded the D.S.O. for heroic work in raid on Zeebrugge, where he was second in command of the famous C 3. Lieutenant R. D. Sandford was in command, and the officers had four men with them in this desperate and forlorn expedition. It was a volunteer job, of course, and the eallant company of the. C 3 were bid an affecting good.bye by Admiral Kev/es. “For, of course, you know you will never get back, boys.” said the Admiral. The C 3 rammed the shore end of the mole at midnight of St. George's Day. April 23, 19IS. When her commander Avas satisfied that she was jammed fast an eight-minute fuse was lighted to fire the explosives on board, blow up the mole, and destroy communication, and the crew then launched a dinghy and pulled pea. ward under a, terrific fusillade from the shore. Hoav they came through that fire Avas a miracle. The commander- and two of the men were snot the body, but tl jet ‘others pulled aAvay seaAvard. and by a most, remarkable coincidence they wert rescued by a fast picket boat which | v\ r as in chargb of Lieutenant Sandford’s brother. All the wounded recovered, and wore suitably rewarded. Lieutenant Sandford being awarded the V.C. and Lieutenant HowellPrice the D.S.O. “Yes, it AA r as . a bit warm,” admitted Captain Howell-Price, modest. ,ly. He then produced a photograph of the mole, taken from an aero, plane by the aid of powerful para, chute flares on the follOAving night, showing the break made by the explosion of the submarine. The destruction of the heaA T y guns on the outer mole and the sealing of the mouth of the canal followed, ana is noAv part of the glorious history of the Navy. The subsequent death of Lieutenant Sandford Avas no less a tragedy because of its commonplace. The hero of the C 3 died three months after recovering from his Avounds by. being poisoned ashore by a meal of oysters. "That Avas a tragedy,” said Captain Howell-Price. “He was a grand i felJoAv. It Avas Avhat we call ‘V.C.’s * luck.’” :

Captain Howell-Price was awarded the D.S.O. when, as lieutenant of the Alcantara, he took part in the famous duel with the German raider Grief in th North Sea. The Grief was a heavily.a-rmoured merchantman, a sister ship to the notorious Mocwe, She fell foul of the Alcantara on Feburary 29, 1916, and after forty minutes’ fighting both ships were sunk. “It was a great scrap,’’ said Captain Howell-Price, reminiscently. “There was no time to launch any of the boats which were possibly left unsmashed when the Alcantara was sinking, and tlie survivors were left for two hours floating in the water before being picked up by the cruiser Munster. Sixty of the crew of 370 were either killed or drowned, and the Germans lost many of a crew of 400, the survivors of which were also rescued by the Munster —a good haul of prisoners, at any rate.” “Nq; I have no fear of submarines,” said the captain again. “I have been all over the world in them —ip every

part of the North Sea, around Arch, angel, in the Cattegat, at Christiania and Gottenburg, .all under waterbeen even sneaking under their wharves. I also returned to Australia in a submarine; but T left the Australian. Navy, which I had joined, because later there was not a suitable submarine job for me, and I would not serve in aontner class of vessel. T have served under the famous Boyle, V.C., who was in command of the Australian submarines, and was

the commander who went up the Dardanelles in the war; and under Max Horton, D SO., who did sucTT wonderful work in the Baltic. If there is ever another war it will only be in another submarine I will serve. Sale—the submarine is as safe as a house. There’s been a lot of fuss about this loss of a submarine recently, but what of the ships that were not submarines that have been lost—and around this coast, too?” Interesting souvenirs displayed to his interviewer by Captain HowellPrice were certificates of his decorations and his will made the night be. fore he went on the Zeebrugge “stunt,”