LATE COMMANDER SANDERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 October 1918, Page 7

LATE COMMANDER SANDERS.

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. GLIMPSES OF A 'HERO'S 3GND. A compilation lias been made of letters written by the late LieutenantCommander Sanders, V-G, while on active service. This compilation, which will he forwarded to the Admiralty, throws an interesting light on the personality of the dead hero. He was a man of few words, .but the brief letters indicate the steady determination characteristic of him. In a letter dated December 21, 1910, he says:—"We are now in port, for a general overhaul. The ship lam now on is a 'special class' for patrol work—to find the enemy. We are all volunteers on this fighting ship—all picked men—so you will -understand it is no featherbed position. For our last action, our commander, a new one, received the D.SO., and two D.C.M.'s were recom-, mended for the crew- I have been, recommended twice for the Naval Cross, but, so far, have not received it. I have also been recommended by our admiral to have command of one of these ships, but I may be too young. Still I have had a good innings, having had the satisfaction of meeting the enemy twice. Should our fleet ever get the chance of a fair fight we shall finish them off. I am confident of this. We should all like to spend. Christmas at home, but the enemy must first be crushed for ail time A patehed-up peace is not wanted' in the navy or arnj'y." On March 9,: 1917, he writes:—"Since writing I have had pneumonia, through exposure and sleeping in wet quarters, but am now well on the road to recovery. I have, been appointed to the command of a ship from February 3, for good work on the last ship. I am the youngest in command of a ship of this, sort. The winter is creeping steadily along, but bitterly cold weather contimie3. It is snowing heavily to-day," In a letter written on April 4, 1017, the keen, professional, instinct asserts itself. He Writes:—"l shall begin another voyage to-morrow, and am now looking forward to being in the fray again very soon, and hope to have some good luck."

"Another good scrap,'- 1 was reported in a letter written on May 10. It .continued: —"I can give you no names, but it will give you some idea when I tell you we were only 80 yards apart. We are badly holed, and our internal fitting are all smashed ji», Inifcthc; eneiuy is no more; we are the victors-" There, is, a touch of sadness in the last' on Juljsip. It; reads:—"Still alive, although sorry tt> say not at; qresenj; in very goocj Jiealth-j Bather run ddwn, snd am I shall' have to speiKl for a short period. Nearly all "ilie me-i&on. thV job crack up with nerves, though so far I have not developed the complaint. But the constant keeping at sea., to say nothing of an occasional fight, does play up on one. ' I am pleased to siiy-- my wounds have healed now, and have .hardly left any mark's', so that is one thing to be thankful for. Did I tell: you I bad a sword given me by all my fellow officers on •the boat,, and presented ,to me by.'our Vice-Admiral Jt is a splendid piece of workmanship, all engraved. I should have gone to London on July 21, to receive my VC. from the King, but have'to go to sea tomorrow, and. they ljave ■consequently' put it off." This was probably one of the 1M letters, written by Lieutenant-Commander Sanders.' News of his. death was cabled to New .Zealand the following month.