CAPTAIN'S SPEECH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 46, 23 February 1940, Page 10

CAPTAIN'S SPEECH

THRILLING MOMENT. # ___ | SIGHTING OF GRAF SPEE. SIDELIGHTS OUT THE FIGHT. ' • Cheers rolled in wa'es through the length of Queen Street, over tho vast crowd assembled in front of the dais and from the hundreds of people who were perched precariously on thi tops of buildings as Captain Parry rose to speak. It was the spontaneous welcome of the people to a commander who had 1 led his men to -• ictorv. For minutes he was unable to speak, and when the cheering had 'lied down som -one s'arted "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow," and the immense crowd took up th* tunc. Tall, bronzed and ersct, the captaiu acknowledged the reception with a salute and a smile. He referred to the various speeches, and expressed the warm thanks of the Bhip's rompaiy for the tumultuous reception that had "been accorded them. "You have no idea how thril ed we were when the first broadcast of the action that we received on board ship after the action was a message 01 congratulations from the Mayor and citizens of Auckland,"' said Captain Parry. "You could almost have hear ', the cheers that went up all over the ship. "A short time before the action we had to escort a French ship, carrying Frenchmen from the Argentine serve in France," said the captain, in acknowledging the French Consul's remarks. "When we parted company the French commander sent aboard a parcel and asked us to drink to victory. The parcel was warmly welcomed, for it contained half a dozen bottles of champagne." For the company of the Achillea December 13 was a lucky day, he fdded. They were lucky to "be there at all, lucky to suffer as little da.nage as they did, and now they were lucky again in receiving such a welcome in Auckland. "My God ... a Pocket Battleship!" "On the morning of the action we were at all 'action stations' in th-i early dawn," he continued. "Some o' the men were shaving; that is, those who had to shave, for my ship I 3 now largely inhabited by 'beavers.' I was on the bridge for longer than usual, and the look-out reported a ship. It wa.; hard to distinguish what she was in that night for a minute or two, but we trained our puns 011 her. Then a'most simultaneously the navigating officer and T said, 'My God! It's a pocket battleship!' "I would not care to describe mv feelings at this moment," said Captain Parry. "I remember one thought, though, and it was, 'I wonder where we will be in half an hour's time?' But we had little time to think. The alarm bells were sounding throughout the ship. Men were jumping out of beds and baths. Those who shaved dropped their razors. The attitude of the crew was expressed in the remark of one of the stokers: 'If this is one of the captain's little jokes, I don't think much of it.' "Within four minutes the guns had been loaded, and we were firing on the enemy. One of the best descriptions of the hectic minutes was given by another of the stokere: 'It's a grand thrill, even if it is our last!' For four of our lads it was the last, and I want to join in expressing the deepest sympathy." Crew's Tribute to Fallen. "You will be glad to hear the results of the sale of the effects of those boys," said Captain Parry. "When a mau is killed in action his effects are sold on the ship, which gives an opportunity for his comrades to express practical sympathy. The result was the collection of £256- for the relatives, which shows the extraordinary generosity of a New Zealand ship's company. "We were lucky on the Achilles to be suffering so few casualties, but 011 the Exeter five officers and 52 ratings were killed, besides many wounded. The New Zealand sailors on the Achilles got up a subscription for the dejiendents of those killed ou the Exeter who might be left in poor circumstances, and by giving one day's pay each they raised £259. "After every battle, whether dummy or real, we have to make out a long report, and this is usually the worst part of the whole thing. At the end we have to put- any lessons that may have been learned. My lesson after the Graf Spee battle was to learn how wonderfully the ship's company of the Achilles rose to the occasion. This does 1 not mean that I did not expect them to, for I knew they would, but the wonderful spirit of cheerfulness, endurance and | esprit de corps was stronger than I have ever known before. Honours for Crew. "Certain of the members of the crew gained particular distinction in the battle, but I cannot give their names, because the awards are still under consideration by the Admiralty. But the conduct of the men as a whole made me proud to be captain of the first New Zealand ship to go into action. And I was proud also that my company should have behaved so splendidly. "Whatever/ lies ahead, I feel that we cannot fail," he said, "as the sailors will pull us through." At the call of the Mayor cheers were given for Captain Parry and his ship's company, and for the wives of the officers and men. The singing of the National Authem marked the end of a memorable gathering.