ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 208, 3 September 1938, Page 11 (Supplement)

ROYAL NAVAL DIVISION.

Meritorious Record of Service.

A LTHOUGH associated with the Anzacs at Gallipoli, the Royal Naval Division is little known in the Dominion. It was formed at the outbreak of hostilities by Winston Churchill, then First Lord pf the Admiralty, who promised the War Office that he would help to relieve the German pressure on Antwerp. A force was sent, accompanied by Mr. Churchill himself, and although illequipped, they achieved their objective, but through a misunderstanding a. considerable number of the £orce crossed the frontier into Holland and were interned. The training ground of the division was the well-known London exhibition building, the Crystal Palace, which has since been partially destroyed by a disastrous fire. The Palace was renamed H.M.S. Victory IV., and the trainees were dressed in naval rig, and as far as possible naval routine was observed. With the exception of a few naval reservists, marines and naval surgeons, the division was recruited from the following divisions of the R.N.V.R.: London, Clyde, Tyne, Mersey and Wales. The battalions were named after famous admirals, such as Hood, Hawke, Drake, Nelson, Anson, Howe, Collingwood and Benbow, and used their crests for cap badges. King at the Cookhouse Door The following humorous incident occurred whilst I was in training at the Palace. An unofficial visit was paid by the King, who unfortunately timed his arrival with the sounding of * "Cookhouse Door," and His Majesty was overwhelmed by the boys rushing in to dinner. Amongst the notabilities who joined the division were the New Zealander General Freyberg. V.C., the eons of Mr. H. E. Asquith (then Prime Minister of Britain), Lord Rosebery, Lord Rothermere, A. P. Herbert, M.P. (of "Punch" fame), Rupert Brookes (the poet), Sir Leslie Wilson (Governor of Queensland) and the late General Sir George Richardson, who served on the staff both at the Antwerp and Gallipoli campaigns. The division was the last to evacuate Gallipoli on the night of January 8-9, 1916, and landed in France soon after, where it was known as the 63rd (R.N.) Division. As it was now in khaki uniforms, to avoid confusion the petty officers wore their naval badges on one arm ami sergeant's stripes on the other. Lieutenants wore three stars. The Ist Naval Brigade, comprised of the following battalions, Hood, Hawke, Nelson and Drake, became the 189 th Infantry Brigade, commanded by General Freyberg, V.C., then the youngest brigadier-general in the British Army. In the battle of Beaumont-Hamel (11/11/17), on the Somme, Freyberg led the brigade in one of the most successful actions, and although wounded seven times carried on and won the day, and his V.C. A message of congratulation was received from Sir Douglas Haig, who stated that the brigade had captured more ground and prisoners than any other division in the war.

An incident, which happened one day may be worth recording. A man was killed by a shell on the first day he arrived in the trenches, and it was discovered that it was exactly two months from the date of his enlistment to that of his death. » An Army order wa» issued .in 1917 that no soldier be allowed to serve overseas until he was 18 years of age. Consequently quite a number of our boys had to return to Britain, being under age, despite the fact that some of them had two years' active service to their credit. _ Amongst the honours gained by the division was that of marching with fixed bayonets through the City of London, which is a distinction accorded only a few of the "crack" British regiments. The Naval custom of hoisting and lowering the White Ensign at sunrise and sunset was one always observed by the division whenever possible. Amongst the thousands of ex-British troops in the Dominion, there mav be an old member of the R.N.D., who may read this and to whom it will bring back memories, and if so, I would very much like to hear from him.—W. Sack, 19, Hendon Avenue, Mount Albert, Auckland, SW2.

BRITAIN S WONDER WEAPON.—"A British aeroplane with ? q ?aT~ firm§ . gun . Was horv iflis "contraption" n>as described officially in 4. In such machines, however, the Allied "war birds" at the outbreak of war performed many deeds of heroism and rendered invaluable service.