AN EPIC OF THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1919, Page 12

AN EPIC OF THE WAR.

FIGHT WITH SUBMARINE. GALLANT CORJIISH FISHERMEN. The deeds that have illumined the history of the British f;mpiro during the war were referred to by. Professor David at aii Empire Buy gathering at the Sydney Girls' High' School-recently. "I only wish," said Professor David, "that you could hear the story, told from his own lips, of Captain George Irving, with whom I had the pleasure of returning to Australia. He was in charge of souks small anti-submarine ships. His story concerns one of those vessels—a little ship 0f,300 tons,-called the Gaelic, on the one side, and on the other one of the most up-to-date types of German submarine, which came to tho surface and shelled the little boat very heavily. Its maats were shot away. Its littlo motor engines were destroyed, and tho ship itself was set. on fire by shells from the submarine. Many of the crew—siiriple Cornish fishermen—under Captain Irving, and the captain himself were wounded. All, indeed, were wounded, and some were killed. But those who- survived fought on, despite their wounds, against what appeared to be overwhelming odds for two and a-half hours, against the attacking submarine. Some of the poor fellows had their thighs ripped open by fragments of a shell. But they bandaged them, wont back, and carried shells to their little guns. The engineer was wounded. One hand was bandaged, but when the bandage was taken off the hand dropped off to the deck. It had been severed. But that man, despite all this, had been working all tho time to fight tho submarine. In the long run, Captain Irving and his men sank the submarine."

"Such gallant deeds as this," Professor David went on, "make us not despair of our Empire. This little action recalls tho historic" engagements of Sir Richard Grenville."