"STAND FAST!"

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1915, Page 10 (Supplement)

"STAND FAST!"

A FAMOUS ORDER. PRINCE LOUIS AND THE NAVY, It will be remembered that just hetore the outbreak of war the British fleet was brought together for review, and instead of being dispersed, immediately afterwards was kept together, an arrangement which helped not a little to ensure us the immediate command of the seas. Many people have assumed that the credit of keeping our warships mobilised was due to Mr. Churchill, then Firßt Lord of the Admiralty. Lecturing in Sheffield some time ago, Mr. Fred T. Jane maintained this view. He. used these words; — I am proud to stand, here and say .that it was Mr. Churchill who saved the British Empire by refusing to demobilise the fleet. Had that been done' it would have meant one half of onr Navy being unprepared when war broke out—all because some members of the Cabinet were afraid of irritating the Kaiser. Mr. Churchill was the only man who really understood what was then likely to happen. ' THE PRINCE'S CLAIM. An extract from the lecture was forwarded by Dr. Payne to Prince Louis of Battenberg,' who was First Sea Lord when war was declared. His reply appeared in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph. It runs as follows. Prince lAiuis' allusion to a book on medals is due to the .■fact that Dr. Payne also is interested in such things:— "Thanks so much for the cutting. 1 had not seen it. To be quite accurate, it was your humble servant, and not Jir. Churchill, who was spending the ..week-end vvith hi.s wife ul I'rotner, who ordered ali -hip.- to stand fast instead of demobilising, a.- ordered. "Very busy on my medal book." CONFIRMATION uF THE XEW VIEW. A lew days ngo .Mr. .lane showed that he had discovered the inaccuracy of his Sheffield statement, for he wrote a- follows: — It is generally put down to Mr. Winston Churchill that these things happened to the British Fleet. We have all read it in the press: we have all believed it. But the real tacts are as follow:—None oi us did understand, if wo work back on our memories vie know that. .So • one expected war. 'Mr. Churchill was. I believe, week-ending .with his wife at Cromer, on the Ka-t Coast—Cromer, which years ago gave birth to "The Harden of Sleep." II vvjfl.ll the "Garden oi Sleep." So one worried, except one man. And that man wa- the i'ir.-t Sea Lord of those days—Admiral I'rinc" Louis of 1 B:il.teuberg. lie it was who kepi the Fleet together, he it wa- who -aved IH from the horrors of Belgium. Sir George Scott Robertson, l.ili-?ial member for Central Bradford, further conlirnis the claim of Prince l.ouis in a letter sent to the London Standard, and containing the subjoined pa-sages:

It was undoubtedly I'riiu-e Louis who gave the fateful order to "Stand la-t' at thi- critical moment when liie Fleet was about to demobilise. . . . Some time ago I wrote directly to i'rince Louis, although I had no personal knowledge of the Admiral, unci obtnined his confirmation. The real story is this. Mrs. Churchill war, very ill at Cromer, and, Mr. Churchill was compelled to i'o there for the week-end. Bill Mr. Churcbili knew hia First Sea Lord well; he trusted him implicitly; they were, in ,the fullest sympathy with one another, and Mr. Churchill left behind him the f-ullest powers for Prince ljouis to deal with any emergency which might arise. Prince Louis, in virtue of this complete authority to act on his own responsibility, issued tlic famous order when the moment arrived to make a final decision.

"Of course, it was only a question of time for full justice to be done to Prince Louis: but in his reply to me. Prince Ijoais seemed to think that, in some way or other, if I announced the facts of the case just then, some sort of injury to national interests might follow. I did not agree with him, but 1 deferred to his opinion. I merely wish inow to add my tribute of admiration lo Prince Louis for his public spirit and chivalry, as well aa for the splendid service he was able to render the Empire.''