JUTLAND.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18397, 2 June 1925, Page 8

JUTLAND.

NINTH ANNIVERSARY. Tho ninth anniversary of the Battle of Jutland was commemorated last evening by a members' evening held by the Canterbury (N.Z.) branch of tho Navy League. Mr J. J.' Dougall presided and there was a large attendance. A: lecture on the Battle of Jutland was given by Lieutenant-Commander A. D. Btiyle, who 1 took part in the. action. LieutejiantrConimauder Boyle explained the situation in the North Sea prior to the battle, and dealt with the strategy ofthte British Navy., The British staff for deciphering the German wireless signalß was extraordinarily efficient, lie said,v and at Dogger Bank the British the German ships in exactly the position and steering exactly the course they were told they would be. He explained the meaning of straddle fire and mentioned that .it was never hoped to starike a' ship with all the shells fired. Five per cept. of hits was all that were hoped for. When the British Fleet, set out for Jutland those on board did not know where the> ships were bound for. They thought it waS just one of the periodical sweeps up aiid down the. North Sea. There was muph excitement /when it was found that the German ships were in sight. Fire-was opened at a range of about nine and/a half miles. It wss nedesSary tp find the range by shooting. After a an hour's fighting the Indefatigable was hit and blown up. Shortly after the Queen Mary blew up also. A shell ignited her midships magazine aiid she was broken in half. The Germans used their battle cruisers as a bait to draw the British fleet towards the German battle fleet. When the German battle fleet was sighted Admiral Beatty turned north |again.. The battle cruiserß were built for fighting all over the world and the German ship? were built for fighting in the North Sea only. That was Why the British ships blew up and the German ships did ftot. The German armour was strong enough to resist the British, fire, but the British ships were not in the same position. After getting a certain distance to the north they sighted tho battle fleet." After the battle fleet came up the light was very bad, and it was difficult to see what was happening.. Finally the time came when Admiral Jellicoe had to - decide whether or not to turn away. . His policy had always been to keep the British Fleet intact, and so he turned away. In the night the German fleet escaped. Lieutenant-Commander Boyle mentioned that the casualties at the Battle of Jutland were five times thoso at tho Battle of Trafalgar. The lecture was illustrated by an excellent series of lantern slides.