GREAT NAVAL DEEDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 December 1919, Page 2

GREAT NAVAL DEEDS.

THE RAID ON OSTENB, A FIRST-HAND NARRATIVE.

The story of tlie raid on Zeebrugge on 23rd April, 1918, is being related throughout, the Dominion by LieutenantCommander R. Bourke, R.N.Vi?., in a series of lectures under the auspices of the Navy League. Lieutenant-Com-mander Bourke was fruit-farming in British Columbia when the war broke out. He at once joined up with tlia R.N.Y.R., and was appointed commander of Motor-launch 278, in which capacity he gained in turn the D.S.O. and the V.C., besides being made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Incidentally, his boat was liit 55 times, once with a Cin shell, and he was never wounded. His D.S.O. was awarded for the rescue of 38 officers and men from H.M.S. Brilliant during the blocking operations against Ostend on 23rd April, 1917. The Cross was won in the second and successful attempt to block the entrance to Ostend, the motor-boats assisting to cover and screen the approach of the Vindictive, and rescuing the survivors of her crew after she had been sunk between the moles of Ostend harbor. Lieutenant-Commander Bourke illustrates his lecture with a large number of lantern slides of British and French official photographs, and in the Auckland and Hawkes Bay provinces, where lie has so far lectured, he has attracted very full audiences, who have greatly appreciated his telling of the narrative of the big naval endeavor. The narrative and slides clearly illustrate work done by the Naval Patrol in blocking the English Channel, the kind of vessels that took part in the attack on Ostend and Zeebnigge, photographs of the Vindictive before, during, and after the operation, the damage to the harbor —in fact, almost everything that shows how and by whom and what the great task was accomplished. Speaking to ajPost reporter, Lieuten-ant-Commander Bourke remarked that a great many New Zealanders took part in the raids, and he knew some of them personally. At Napier, for instance, he _ met Chief Motor Mechanic Frank Chivers, who was a special volunteer on Lieutenant-Commander Bourke's motorlaunch in the second attack on Ostend. For his gallant services on that occasion he was awarded the D.S.M. He also met Lieutenant Kirkwood. of Auckland, at Rotorua. Lieutenant Kirkwood was' on Motor-launch 532, which was one of the launches that rescued the remainder of the block-ship's crews after she was sunk. Launch 532 was very badlv damaged, and both engineers 'were gassed. Lieutenant Kirkwood went down into the engine-room and rescued the engineers, returned, and had started the engines again when he himself was gassed. For that he was awarded the D.S.O. Then there was Chief Motor Mechanic Alexander, of Auckland. Mr. Alexander was a special volunteer on a coastal motor-boat, and took part in the raid on Ostend. The duty of bis launch was to light a flare off one of the pierheads to amide the blockshi'ps to the harbor. In spite of severe wounds he carried on for a considerable time, and then died. He was awarded the D.S.M.