THE MAN WHO SAVED ENGLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

THE MAN WHO SAVED ENGLAND.

INVADERS WHO WENT HOME. When fchia war broke out it was "Dcr Tag." "Der Teg" depended for success mainly, if not entirely, on fehe British Navy being caught unprepared at the "selected moment" of the Germans, writes F. T. Jane, in the Standard. Few people have yet realised how carefully "Der Tag" was selected. The British Fleet had just been engaged in a test mobilisation, which had been advertised to happen months beforehand. After it, the inevitable result was to be expected—the main fleet sent to its home ports to give leave, the mobilised ships paid off, and ttfie crews distributed hither and thither. That was routine. Suddenly all this routine vanished into thin air. The fleet was kept mobilised. It was sent away to certain places; but the entire British Navy was kept ready a-gainst emergencies. When the war came the entire British Navy was ready and waiting. Had we been caught unprepared 100,000 picked German troops would have invaded our shores. The fate of Belgium would have been our fate. . There is no doubt about this matter; the beginning of the war synchronised with the embarkation of those 100,000 German picked troops. They came out. They were ready to inflict on the East Coast of our island those unspeakable outrages that have marked their occupation of Belgium. Our pro-Germans may call it a He—but it was so.

They came out. They saw a British light cruiser, which made off. They came a little further, and saw another little British warship, which likewise made off. Having seen which, they all turned back again, and retired to their own country. From every point of view the business was undramaiic. But —well, the German is no fool. He realised from the indications that the British Navy was somewhere in the way, and he abandoned the idea of sudden invasion. It is generally put down to Mr. Winston Churchill that these things happened with the British fleet. We have all read it in the press; we have all believed it. But the real facts are aa follows: None of us did understand. If we work back on our memories we know that. No one expected war. Mr. Churchill was, I believe, week-ending with his wife at Cromer on the East Coast—Cromer, which years ago gave birth to "The Garden of Sleep." It was all the "Garden of Sleep." No one worried —except one man. And that iiian was the' First Sea Lord of those days—Admiral (Prince Louis of Battenberg. He it was who kept the fleet together, he it was who saved us from the horrors of Belgium. Prince Louis is half Russian, and for the other half just exactly as much Frcrech as he is German. But whatever •he may be, he is a British naval officer. And whatever may be said about the British naval officer, there is one sure thing, and that is that he would go to hell for the flag under which he serves. Owing to our being ready, Germany's projected commerce war was also a failure. Instead of our being starved into surrender we, thanks to sea power, captured all the ovejsea German possessions, and destroyed all their corsairs. It has been a dull yea.r so far as naval warfare is concerned. I admit the dullness. I attribute the dullness to the fact that the Britrh Navy is much too efficient for *he Germans to attempt , anything really bin