BATTLE FLEET SENSATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 306, 17 March 1928, Page 1

BATTLE FLEET SENSATION

OFFICERS SUSPENDED

Admiral and Chief-of-Staff

Rumour of Personal Quarrel

TROUBLE IN BATTLESHIP ROYAL OAK

AN official explanation of the wild rumours from Malta, of mutiny and the court-martial of senior officers of the battleship Royal Oak, has been issued by the Admiralty. As the result of a Court of Inquiry, Rear-Admiral B. St. G. Gollard, commanding the First Battle Squadron, his Chief-of-Staff, Captain K. G. B. Dewar, and Commander H. M. Daniel have been suspended from duty. Naval correspondents in London attributed the trouble to a personal quarrel between the Admiral and his flag-cap-tain. It is understood that the Admiral has resigned. By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright ,

Reed. 10.55 a.m. LONDON, Friday. A CCORDING to a British official ~ ak - wireless message, the Admiralty has issued a communique regarding certain incidents which have occurred at Malta aboard the battleship Royal Oak, the flagship of the first battle squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. The communique says: "A Court of Inquiry was held at

Malta by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Station, to investigate certain disciplinary matters in which Rear-Admiral Bernard Gollard, Captain Kenneth Dewar, and Commander H. M. Daniel were involved. As a result of the inquiry the three officers concerned were suspended from duty by the commander-in-chief, whose report has not yet been received at the Admiralty.” “The Times” says that according to information current in navy circles, there has merely been personal friction between Rear-Admiral Collard and his officers. The climax was reached when Captain Dewar and Commander Daniel laid a complaint against the RearAdmiral to th« Commander-in-Chief. Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, hoping to smooth matters over, suggested that Rear-Admiral Collard should transfer his flag to H.M.S. Resolution. Rear-Admiral Collard declined to do this and asked permission to haul down his flag. Sir Roger Keyes agreed and also ordered an inquiry which resulted in the suspensions mentioned. It is now ascertained that RearAdmiral Collard’s flag Was struck and not transferred to another ship. The commander-in-chief’s report has not yet been received. Rear-Admiral Collard is still at Malta. The Admiralty hopes that newspapers will not prejudice the matter, but await the Admiralty’s statement. Captain Dewar and Commander Daniel left Malta for England on Sunday, pending an investigation of the incidents, but up till now no courtmartial has been held. The two officers visited the Admiralty to-day. Rear-Admiral Collard is expected to follow Captain Dewar and Commander Daniel to London in order to answer their complaints at the Admiralty, but if he wishes he can formulate countercomplaints or even charges requiring a court-martial. ADMIRAL COURT-MARTIALLED Admiral Collard was; beach-master at the landing at Gallipoli, and also figured in a naval sensation at Portsmouth in 1906, when he gave the stokers the famous order “On the knee.” The subsequent court-martial exonerated him from the general charge, but reprimanded him for a special case. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. W. C. Bridgeman, replying to Mr. C. G. Ammon, Labour member for Camberwell, said that he was unable to give details of the Royal Oak affair. His only information was the wireless report, a part of which was difficult

to decipher. He expected a full written report in a few days. Mr. Bridgeman hoped that members would not give over-much credence to the sensational newspaper reports. There had been no court-martial, but merely an inquiry concerning two or three senior officers. “Is it true that the admiral’s flag has been hauled down?” asked Mr. Ammon. Mr. Bridgeman: 1 understand his flag has been transferred to another ship. Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy: Is it not in the interests of the Navy that the full facts should be announced at the earliest possible moment? Mr. Bridgeman: It Is in nobody’s interest to go beyond the bare facts as understood from the wireless report. Any attempt to interpret a rather obscure telegram will do more harm than good. TROUBLE OVER JAZZ BAND Though the facts cannot be known until the report referred to by Mr. Bridgeman arrives, several naval correspondents make the extraordinary announcement that the origin of the trouble was a disagreement over the proposal to have a jazz band aboard the Royal Oak. It is stated that the trouble in pp way involves the professional capacities of the officers concerned. The weight of evidence thus far available suggests that the dramatic? incident was nothing more unfortunate than the outcome of a personal squabble about the social life of the ship. It seems that the affair started as a regular complaint, but culminated in an irrevocable disagreement. The general belief is that it is not necessary to give prominence to an episode which, though most regrettable, is far removed from a mutiny or general unrest. A British United Press message from Malta declares that a dispute occurred between Rear-Admiral Collard and the bandmaster of the Royal Oak. A senior officer is said to have sided with the bandmaster.—A. and N.Z. The Malta correspondent of the Central News reported on Thursday that there was considerable speculation at the delay in the sailing of the First Battle Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet from Malta, which was due to reach Gibraltar on Sunday, but did not weigh anchor until Monday morning. The flag of the flagship Royal Oak was then seen to have been hauled down. The full significance of the act was not known. It was reported that it resulted from the conduct of the captain and the senior officers, two of whom were said to have gone to Gibraltar, en route to England.