JOTTINGS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 13, 2 September 1914, Page 3

JOTTINGS.

All those who have already enrolled for Home Defence at Stratford arc requested by Captain Reeve to attend to-morrow night’s meeting called by the Mayor to ensure the success el the movement. Scarlatina has broken out at the Addington camp and an officer and a man have been taken to tho Bottle Lake hospital. Others have been isolated. All precautions are now being taken, but the medical officers do not regard the outbreak as seri-

‘ ‘lnactivity on tho part of tho German fleet in allowing Great Britain to reap the advantages of the command of tho North Sea, and in barely

riking a blow, excites amazement,” ;ys an Independent cable message

received in Australia at the end of last week. “The British fleet is sending the German fleet wireless messages, saying, ‘Como out from -shelter and fight.’ The German naval authorities have already lost tho main chances of inflicting real damage. British trawlers are now systematically dragging the main channels of traffic and exploding many Gorman mines, with the result that the seaway is rapidly becoming safe.”

As recently as Juno 20 the British and German bluejackets were fraternising at Kiel in a manner few would have predicted would be so rudely altered in a little over a mouth. It was during tire festivities at Kiel on the visit of the British warships to the Baltic port. About 1100 British bluejackets were entertained at a banquet by the crews of the German battleships. The feast was laid in the great dining room of the Imperial dockyard, and our bluejackets each sat with a German sailor on either side. Tt was surprising what a number of the Germans had quite a useful knowledge of English. Afterwards an impromptu concert was organised, and English and German comic songs and the sentimental ditties so dear to the seamen’s hearts were sung in turn till after midnight, ’file liberty boats never carried jollier

or happier rows back to their ships than those which quitted the Imperial dockyard in the small hours of the morning. It was quite the most common of sights to see them strolling about the streets arm-in-arm witJv German sailors, or going to be photographed together.