BRITISH SEA POWER

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 259, 29 July 1941, Page 8

BRITISH SEA POWER

Contribution By Navy League COMMODORE PARRY’S APPRECIATION Taking as his subject the objective of the Navy League —“To Urge the Vital Importance of Sea Power to the British Empire,” Commodore W. E. Parry, Chief of the New Zealand Naval Staff, the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the Navy League last night, paid a tribute to its valuable part in educating the public in the need for a strong navy, in its contribution to the training of boys for a sea career and in the provision of comforts for the men of the navy and merchant service.

There was a big attendance over which the mayor of Wellington, Mr. Hislop, presided. Associated with him were Sir Charles Norwood (president) and Mr. J. Gordon Keid (deputy-presi-dent). In Britain as elsewhere m the Empire the Navy League was doing a great job of work, said Commodore Parry. In particular did he wish to express appreciation to those who bad provided comforts. Only those who had experienced the hardships of life at sea in war conditions could estimate the real value of that contribution, which would play its part in the winning of the war. Three Main Theatres.

Reviewing the war at sea, Commodore Parry dealt with the preparations made in the three main theatres —the home waters, the Mediterranean and the Pacific —to meet the course of action anticipated of the enemy. It was never expected that the navy would have to fight in all three oceans, and the defection of the French Navy had been a tremendous blow. The enemy had also been vastly strengthened oy his occupation of bases from Norway to France. lu the Battle of the Atlantic his surface raiders and submarines had taken great toll of shipping. That battle was still undecided, but the enemy had suffered heavy blows. The moral effect of the-sink-ing of the Bismarck was enormous. The Navy had been called on for a tremendous effort in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and there was much cause for gratification in the results achieved so far. In the Battle of the Atlantic a noble part was being played by merchant seamen. They were not trained fighting men, but they had fought with magnificent courage. The third possible theatre of war, the Pacific, had come into serious calculations in recent weeks. Britain was fortunate in possessing in this theatre the powerful Singapore base, and New Zealanders would have just cause for satisfaction in having contributed £1,000,000 some years ago toward the cost of this base.

“I do not claim that sea power will win the war, though it has so far kept Hitler at bay and will help to defeat ,him ultimately,” said Commander Parry. Alone, sea power could not win. Air power and land power were also essential, and civilian power, that resolute purpose shown by the people of Great Britain under merciless air raids. Election of Officers. The election of officers resulted as follows: —President, Sir Charles Norwood; deputy-president, Mr. J. Gordon Reid; vice-presidents, the mayor of Wellington, Mr. Hislop, Mr, Forbes, M.P., Mr. Coates, M.P., Mr. J. G. Cobbe. Mr. Perry, M.L.C., Mrs. J. Darling. Mrs. L. 0. 11. Tripp, Sir James Grose, Sir Alexander Roberts, Sir George Troup, Messrs. E. F. Hemingway (Patea), J. C. Hare (Cheltenham), A. Preece (Palmerston North), C. Strouts (Wanganui) ‘. auditor, Mr. J. L. Arcus; treasurer, Mr. F. 11. Irwin; executive, Mr. P. B. Cooke (chairman), Sir Charles Norwood, Sir James Grose, Mrs W, 13. Parry, Miss B. Cable, Dr. Graham Robertson, Dr. G. F. V. Anson, Dr. M. Kronfeld, Colonel R. St. J. Beere, Colonel C. 11. Weston, Captain it V. Hale-Munro, Messrs. J. G. Reid. A. Walker, A. Mack, F. 11. Irwin, C. H. Mitchell, L. O. 11. Tripp, S. D. Waters, W. E. Fussell, A. Dickens, R. C. xAddison.

Tributes were paid to the untiring work of the secretary, Mr. It, Darroch. The appointment of Mrs. W. E. Parry, wife of Commodore Parry, as chairman of the women’s committee, was commented on in appreciative terms by Mr. Hislop and Sir Charles Norwood, to which acknowledgment was made by Commodore Parry. •