A MIDSHIPMAN'S LETTER.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15657, 1 August 1916, Page 8

A MIDSHIPMAN'S LETTER.

home thoughts going into

ACTION.

A midshipman of. 16, who was in a ship which took part in the battle, writing to his mother, says: As you no doubt have read the weather was very misty, which kept us from a decisive victory. It was very exciting, and once wo were in it I quite enjoyed it, but the waiting before wasn t very nice. My action station is in a turret right in the forepart of the ship, and I viewed the action through a periscope in the turret. The noise was deafening, and I had lost my ear protectors, but I was too excited to notice the noise. The battle cruisers gave them hell, and were firing just in front. A destroyer just in front of us had its funnel blown olf and started to blaze away. Jt was a desperate sight. Tk'on a big ship close to us blow up amidships and started to sink. I got a

fine view of her. There wer« bfe men hanging from the stern and is SiTS- dostow - Hugo splashes oame from fir,,,, shells falling into the waiter fkirtvclose to us, and some ricochettediLl' us (I can't spell it!). I am absolutely none tie worm !»■= it Our captain and commander htEh wore white heather in their caps j5?» the first gun in the turret I wjult! fired our gun's crew gave a SLS cheer, which made me feel all fSfr ' I thought a lot of you and how Z 1 derfully good you're been to m* ,n * through my life. I also tboujtM'o ?, a^ c ?\ * , had qnito a long time tc " think in before wo got into it > * morning we mot a Zepp aid " fired at it, but it disappeared behind ' a cloud. I have a memento i n tW shape of a tube which fired the second shot in our turret, c. *" c' We had a memorial service tfci' morning, the hymns being 499, igy* 140. At the samettiem e the dead were " buried ashore. We sent a midship! ' man to assist in carrying the coffin § a midshipman. < All the next night we had to sice®/ in our turrets. An overcoat laid «T a steel floor was my bed., , „ "