H.M.S. RENOWN

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 92, 19 April 1920, Page 2

H.M.S. RENOWN

ASSOCIATIONS WITH NEW ZEALAND'S EARLY DAYS

ADMIRAL rfALSEY'S FLAG LIEU-

.TENANT.

(?XOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, 26th February

Lieutenant. Duncan F. Forbes, who is accompanying Admiral Sir L. Halsey in the Renown as- assistant, secretary, has relatives in New Zealand, and he can date his connection back to the time of the Maori War, 1860-64. Lieutenant Forbes joined the Navy" in 1913, and served during the war for 3| years on, the staff of Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Leveson. two years in HIM.S.' Orion (Battle of Jutland)', and the remainder of the period in H.M.A.S. Australia, (being lent" to the Royal Australian Navy for that purpose). From September, 1918, to the following March, in H.M.A.S. Australia, he was on the staff of Sir Lionel Halsey and was with him at the Admiralty to July, 1919, during which period Rear-Admiral- Halssy was present at the Officers' Pay Committee. Lieutenant Fo%bes is the grandson of the late Fleet Surgeon Charles Forbes, M.D., R.N., who served in H.M.S. Calliope, on the Australian, station from 1849-54. He married the eldest daughter of the late Major-General G. F. Murray, 65th Regiment, at Wellington, in 1851, and was, after the return of the Calliope to England, for a- short time in private .practice in Wellington. On the outbreak of the Crimean war, however, Dr. Forbes returned to England and served through the campaign. He will be remembered as a writer on the geology of New Zealand. Lieutenant Forbes's great-graudfather, Major-General G. F. Murray, served in New Zealand with the 65th Regiment from 1847-65, and was in command at Taranaki during the Maori War of 1860-64. His grandmother's sister married Mr. William Russell, for njanj' N years manager of the Bank, of New Zealand at VVanganui, and now resident at Christchtirch, so that members of that family are cousins of Lieutenant Forbes. His mother was formerly Bliss Florence N. W. WelcE, of Auckland.

Sub.-Lieutenant Lord Louis Mountbatten, U.N., is the second son of Admiral the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven. He was born at Windsor in 1900, and entered the Royal Navy as a naval cadet in 1913. He was for a year at Osborne, and in July, 4914, was mobilised in H.M.S. New' Zealand. Thence he went to Dartmouth and Keyham Colleges,, and was promoted midshipman in July, 1916. when he was appointed tq, H.M.S. Lion, transferring in February, 1917, to H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, and' served in her until June, 1918. He served in H.M.Q. Submarine K6 (lent from Queen Elizabeth), for two months. After visiting the Western front in the middle of 1918, Sub.-Lieu-tenant Lord Louis went to Royal Naval Torpedo School, to take the torpedo control course, and in August, 1918, he. Was appointed to H.M.S. P3l, where he served until September, 1919. At tho present period under Admiralty scheme Lord Louis is at Christ's OflJlego, Oambridgo, working hard for an examination, and this shonld be completed before the departure of the Renown, to which he has been appointed as Flag-Lieutenant to Sir L. Halsev. .

only brother, the Earl of ■M«aina,.K:C:V.O., was. out in New Zealand in 1913, where he will I.;; remembered as Prince George of Battenberg. The Earl of Medina served in H.M.S. New Zealand during the war until the end of 1916, and he y/as present, at ajl the three battle cruiser actions. After that he joined H.M.S. Lion, and is now a. fullyquaJified'gunnery expert, having obtained 97 per cent, in passing his specialist examinations. ..'..'

Lord -Louis himself was known until 1917 as H.S.H. the Prince Louis F. of Battenberg, and, although still a prince, in common with nearly all the other members of the Koyal, Family, he now, at the King's request, styles himself as "Lord." Both he and his cousin, the Prince of Wales, are great grand-sous of Queen Victoria (the Prince through the eldest sons, and Lord Louis through the eldest daughters). The Prince and he aye great friends, and it is at the.express desire- of the former that his cousin .is aeeompnnying him on this tour as FlSg-Liue-tenant.

It is interesting to note that out of 80 other Ca<lets in the passing out examination at Keyham for the rank of midshipman. Prince Louis who, by the way, stands 6ft lin in his socks, came out top of the list. While serving in P3l, he was second-in-command. This vessel was a. submarine destroyer about 250 ft long with a complement of about 60, and she claims to have sunk one of the last submarines to be disposed of in the English Channel, while Lord Louis was second-in-command. She was selected to represent the anti-submarine service at the Thames River Pageant in August, 1919, and was inspected by the King.

Admiral the Marquess- and Marchioness of Milford Haven live at Kent House (built b^ Queen Victoria for her mother, the Duchess of Kent), Osborne, in the Isle of Wight,

Lord Louis's cabin in the Renown has been decorated in a shade of pa.le blue, and among the pictures, nearly all of which are orignal water colours,, are two rather fine ones—a "Russian Cossack" by Snlomke, and one of H.M.S. Renown herself steaming at full speed, bv.W. L. Wyllie. ,

There are six midshipmen of the Royal Australian Navy posted to the Renown, Their names are ,T. A. V. Nisbet, Hubert E. Carse, Henry. G. Carter, Sydney T. M. Gower, Ronald B. A. Hunt, and Walter H. S. Rands. They all six entered the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay in the early part of 1915 and completed the course in December, 1918. Leaving Australia the following month they came to Kncland via South Africa, and joined H.M.S. Renown in May and accompanied the Prince of Wales to Canada on his recent visit.

A new appointment to H.M.S. Renown announced this morning is that of Temporary Instructor-Lieutenant A. J Low, M.A. Reuters representative on the voyage will be Mr. Everard Coates. Paymaster Midshipman H. M. Home, R.N., is also nosted to the Renown.