NAVY’S CHIEF

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 May 1941, Page 3

NAVY’S CHIEF

TONIC FOR THE EMPIRE CHAT WITH SIR DUDLEY POUND. OVERWHELMING IMPRESSION. I wish the whole British Empire could have shared with me the tonic experience of meeting Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, supreme professional head of the Royal Navy (writes John Cashel, in the Melbourne “Age”). At the historic hour when Britain stands four-square to the threatened spring invasion. I found the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff neither harassed nor worn by 17 months of colossal cares. My overwhelming impression was of a hearty sailor’s laugh ringing reassurance in my ears. Those moments of bluff laughter, as it rollicked round his imperious, red-carpeted room, meant even more to me than those when his mood was serious and earnest.

It said in effect, "The Navy is on top of its job. . . . The JVavy is there. . . . There'll always be a Navy!” It was the loudest when I asked him if he had met Mussolini. “Mussolini? I'll give you a good bit of ‘copy’ about him,” he chortled. “Yes, I sat next to him at a lunch at Lausanne in the days when he wore white spats. The late M. Poincare, then France's Premier, was on the other side of him. During the main course an unfortunate accident happened. The waiter, overbalancing his tray, upset the spinach plump between Poincare and Mussolini. Mussolini pushed back his chair horrified. Then grabbing his trousers, pulled them up to see if any of the green dollops of spinach had soiled his beautiful spats. Had it been a bomb he could not have moved with greater alacrity." All the time Sir Dudley's racy sentences were being punctuated by the blitz-boom of bombs and gunfire outside. He did not even allude to it, but went on, now deadly serious, to answer my question with the Middle East Army. It was about Hitler's throat to the convoys bringing America’s “all aid” to Britain, and to our lines of communication with the Middle East Army. “The position is this.” he said, cautiously. Mt was easy for Hitler as an aggressor to build up in peacetime a strong submarine fleet and other weapons for attacking shipping, and to be ready to use them to attack the day war broke out. It was not so easy for us, a peace-loving, democratic nation, to rush through in peace-time a war programme to provide enough auxiliary vessels ilnd other craft to deal adequately with an attacker. “It takes years to build, requisition, and fit out the necessary craft, all the more varied and numerous today as we are fighting four methods of attack —by U-boat, surface raider, bombs, and mines laid both by sea and air. And officers and crews have to be found for these numerous craft —and whether they have hgd previous sea experience as yachtsmen or fishermen, or are fresh to the sea, we are full of admiration for the fine work they are doing. This time, too, we are facing enemies with convenient Atlantic and Mediterranean bases. Inevitably, we must expect bad weeks with heavy losses. But it is the average that matters, and the recent average has been reduced. New problems have constantly arisen, but, as war work has progressed, we have got stronger and stronger, and today we are stronger than ever before. To every menace there is always an antidote.” NAVY IS GRATEFUL. I reminded Sir Dudley that, through his mother, he had associations with Boston, U.S.A., and asked him if, on behalf of the Navy, he would like to, say. “Thank you, America!” for what we have received from our bloodbrothers across the Atlantic. “Yes,” he replied. “The Navy is more than thankful for the 50 destroyers and for the other help, both moral and material, that is coming to us at this vital hour.” I next mentioned the King George V and the race between Britain and Germany to get their respective 35,000-ton battleships into commission. “The Navy,” he said, "greatly appreciates the efforts of workers in the dockyards and private shipyards who I are working at high pressure, undeterred by enemy raids." 1 spoke of a visit I recently paid to a naval air station, where I was much impressed by the new planes coming into operation.

"The Fleet Air Arm is an integral part of the fleet, and it is essential for us to have every part of the fleet under our control,” commented the admiral. "We are very proud of the Fleet Air Arm, not only on account of Taranto, but also’ for the fine work they have done on numberless other, I though less spectacular, occasions. As I was a torpedo specialist in my youth. I like to see the torpedo come into its own. as it did at Taranto, when we were at the firing end.” During the Abyssinian crisis he was due to take over the fleet from the then C.-in-C., but. with the remark, “You don't swop horses in midstream,” he explained that before doing so he served for some months as a full admiral on the C.-in-C.’s stall—an experience unique in the history of the Navy. ALWAYS ON THE SPOT. Eoth our present Commanders-in-Chief of the main fleets. Admiral Cunningham (Mediterranean) and Admiral Tovey (home), served under Sir Dudley Pound in the Mediterranean. That brought me to his gigantic job. Everyone knows that he confers daily with "the Chief of the Imperial General Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff to co-ordinate the work of the three services, and that he accompanies the First Lord of the Admiralty. Mr A. V. Alexander, to the meetings of the War Cabinet. But how exactly does he operate .at

the Admiralty, especially when a naval battle or major movements are in progress? “Either myself or my Vice-chief (Vice-Admiral Tom S. V. Phillips) is always on the spot in case anything important happens,” he explained. “Under us are three assistant chiefs of naval staff, one concerned with home waters, one with everything outside homo waters, one with convoys and trade generally. Then the Second Sea Lord deals with personnel, the third with material and dockyards, the fourth with supplies, the fifth with air. “In the event of a battle or incident we leave everything as far as possible to the C.-in-C. or the flag officer in command, but it may be obvious that' he has not enough forces at his disposal to deal with the action. What we do then is to move forces from one zone to another, when they are operated by the flag officer in command of the latter. “On occasions it is necessary for me to drop everything else and sit in the war room watching the situation. A staff is on duty there night and day dealing with the particular part of the world concerned. "One wall is entirely covered by a map of the world, and the other walls by sectional maps. They are pinpointed w'ith small flags and other symbols representing the position of every British and Allied warship, convoy and merchantmen on the high seas, and every known' position of an enemy vessel. Thus, at any moment I can go in and see the picture.” We paused a moment to observe the solitary two portraits in his expansive room. "Yes, that’s Jackie." he said with enthusiasm —Jackie Fisher. Father of the Modern Navy. And that?’ "Yes, that’s Nelson. We keep him here, too—and hope he approves of our efforts."