NAVAL ACTIVITY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 72, 7 January 1936, Page 5

NAVAL ACTIVITY

BRITISH FLEET PERSONNEL. RETENTION ON ACTIVE LIST. RECRUITING2OOO MEN THIS YEAR (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, January 6. A correspondent of the "Sun-Her-ald" Service says that following the conversion of several liners into troopships, the Admiralty is retaining on the active list commissioned gunners and commissioned boatswains beyond the age of 50, who volunteer to remain. An extra 2000 men will be recruited for the Navy in 1936 as part of 12,000 whom it is proposed to enrol in the next six years.

FRENCH SQUADRON'S CRUISE. IMPORTANT MANOEUVRES. WARTIME BASIS PLANNED. (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, January 6. Important manoeuvres, as nearly as possible on a wartime basis, will be held near Brest on Wednesday and Thursday, when the French Second Squadron leaves for a 45 days cruise in African waters. Details ar£ secret, but it is believed that a battle plan has been worked out to meet the sudden arrival of a hypothetical enemy squadron.

The authorities state that the manoeuvres are not politically significant, but the arrival of the warships at Casablanca on January 20 will coincide with the resumption of the meetings at Geneva, at which oil sanctions will probably be discussed.

GERMAN POCKET BATTLESHIP.

THIRD UNIT COMMISSIONED

(Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) BERLIN, January 6.

The Admiral Graf Spee, Germany's third pocket battleship, has been commissioned in the presence of survivors of the battles of Coronal and the Falkland Isles. The Government is conducting an intensive propaganda in favour of increasing the navy. Only lack of funds prevents immediate building. STRONG NAVY AND COLONIES. SHIPPING MAN'S DEMANDS. LONDON, January 6. The Berlin correspondent of "The Times" says Dr. Firle (president of the North German Lloyd shipping line), in a speech on the eve of the maiden voyage of the Gneisnau, a liner for the Far Eastern service, declared that Germany may possess strength on the seas and living room overseas in order to secure her future.