THE MARQUETTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1916, Page 2

THE MARQUETTE.

DETAILS OF THE DISASiER. AN OFFICIAL REPORT "TO DEFENCE MINISTER. SOME MIS-STATEMENTS CORRECTED. Wellington, Yesterday. Some erroneous statements that have been published in connection with the sinking of the hospital ship Marquette arc corrected by Lieutenant-Colonel McGavin, Officer Commanding No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital, in a letter to the Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Allen). The officer gives an emphatic contradiction to a'cabled report that "the nurses. . . ; refused to go to the boats until most of the soldiers had been saved. The nurses stayed on deck cheering the 'Tommies' until only a few of the men remained to help the women into the boats."

"The implication that the men neglected the nurses and permitted them to remain on the ship while endeavouring to same themselves is in direct opposition to facts," says Lieutenant-Colo/-nel McGavin. "Many men imperilled, and some possibly actually lest, their lives in gallant attempts to assist the nurses; - This statement has' naturally caused no Jifctle indignation amongst the members of my company. The nurses did not refuse to go to the boats. Had they done so, they would have been placed in"ike boats by force. They did not cheer the 'Tommies.' I myself saw that all the nurses were clear of the ship, and then signalled to the men of'my company who were standing at their alarm posts on the forward main deck to come aft to get/into the remaining boats. I then went down to .the hospital cabins,' two deete below, to ascertain, that the patients had been brought up, and that ray men posted there had come on deck. This must have occupied some four or five minutes, as the greatest lißt to port and the downward inclination of the head of the ship, which dived a few minutes later, rendered descent and ascent of the companionways difficult and slower than usual. The nurses Were, therefore, all off the vessel some little while before she sank.

"In the following particulars also the statement ia incorrect:—The periscope was not sightedbefore the vessel) was struck by the torpedo! " Those' in the water were not picked up by a hospital ship, but by a British mine-sweeper and a French T.B.D.

"In my admiration of the courage and discipline of the nurses on this occosion I give way to no one. They fell in on their alarm posts rapidly, and put on their lifebelts witlr the. assietsanie, in many cases,, of several of my officers. They remained quite quiet and calm, and did hot cry out. Wlien told to go to the boats they did so at once and in a perfectly orderly manner. Exactly in the degree to which they exhibited this excellent discipline did'they assist the rapid evacuation of the ship. '.''l feel compelled to make this com-' mtmication in :the interests'of the bfji'-' ecr and 6.E. of my unit, but I feelconfident that it will meet with the approval of those remaining twenty-five nurses, who will properly feel that the calmness and discipline they showed were of the greatest vidue in f (militating, the clearing of the ship, whereas'"thV undisciplined and theatrical exhibition alleged in this statement couid' only have resulted in obstructing this work, and would, as I have already suggested, have necessitated such prompt and forcible suppression as the urgency of our case demanded. "I have asked the President of the Naval Court of Inquiry, held a few days after the disaster, to forward you' a copy of the evidence given to the court." FURTHER PARTICULARS. PUBLISHED EEPORTS HIGHLY INACCURATE. Some additional details of the disaster to the Marquette are given,in tlii? first number of the "Masseydonian Stretcher," a monthly journal issued by No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital. An article dealing with the sinking of the transport describes how nurses, soldiers, and crew took their allotted stations and proceeded to don life-belts after the explosion of the torpedo. "The nurses were next lowered into the boats under the supervision of those officers detailed for duty," adds 'the article. "Shortly after this was carried out, the command came: 'Every man for himself.' Our boys were paraded with their officers on the forward deck, and as no boats were available, immediately swam oil' in all directions. Rome could not swim, and simply threw themselves into the water, which was then half awash on the parade deck. The commanding officers stuck to their posts bravely, setting a splendid example, and were among the last to leave the ship. . . . |

The most unfortunate and saddest part of the disaster was that so many nurses should have been lost. This was due to the faulty lowering of the boats. The boats were lowered in ample time, and had this, work been carried out properly they would have been safely clear of the ship for a considerable distance before the vessel actually sank." Referring editorially to the disaster, the journal says:—''The first reports that reached New Zealand were incorrect in many details. We particularly refer to a Press Association message from London which appeared in the principal newspapers of New Zealand. This was purported to be the statement of a nurse who had been on the Marquette, but contained so many inaccuracies that it? is really hard to believe that it referred to the Marquette disaster at all. Among its many other inaccuracies, this report stated that the nurses refused to go to the boats, and actually stood by and cheered the men while they did so, saying: 'Fighting men first.' 'Poems have been written on this supposed extraordinary achievement, much to the indignation of our own and the R.F.A. units. . . When the disaster occurred, all fell in at their respective positions under the ordera of Colonel Cleve. The nurses bore up quite bravely, and before any of the men were thought of were hurried into the boats without a murmur. The statement that they stood by,and cheered v.'hile the men got into the boats is absolutely untrue."