BATTLE OF JUTLAND

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 10

BATTLE OF JUTLAND

ADMIRAL JELLICOE'S PART

A. GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.

Trafalgar, 21st October, 1605; Tsushima, 27th May, 1905; Jutland,' 31st May, 1916—the world's three greatest naval battles. It. is >. eight years ago since_ Jutland—the greatest naval battle in history—was fought. One hundred OWs separated Trafalgar from ,'lsushima; 11 years, only separated Jutland from' Tsu-shima. Between the battles of Trafalgar and Tsu-shima there had been only two fleet, actions' on a large scale—those of Lissa and the Yala : the first before the wooden vessel had disappeared and the rifled gun; had become universal.

; Admiral Jellicoe went into' Jutland's terrific conflict with infinitely greater responsibilities than Nelson at Trafalgar; Rezhdestvensky or Togo at Tsushima, writes E. George Markes in the Sydney "Sun." Nelson was in command of but one - section of the1 British Meet; the fcom.bined forces vanquished by him did not represent the entire sea power of France and Spain. ' The defeat of Nelson-.Would' not necessarily have meant the passing of British hea supremacy; other British squadrons would have been concentrated |to challenge Napoleon and his then Spanish ally. Different it was at Jutland—practically all Britain's battle units of real fighting utility were, for the first time'in England's history, assembled under a single Commander-in-Chief. i Jellicoe took with him into Jutland's momentous struggle Jthe-ifate of,the British Empire ; of the world's liberty; ' The triumphs of Admirals yon Hipper and yon Scheer at Jutland would have changed the map of the world; .changed Australia's as queen of the South- ■ crn Seas. Jutland was not as decisive as Trafalgar; as convincing as Tsushima; still Jellicoe and Beatty saved the Empire—the world—Admirals yon Hipper_ and yon Scheer, with.' the German high seas fleet, were constrained to retreat. . •" ' ;■■ -.:.--.

Prom various angles this- gigantic batljle will be discussed as long as history is recorded. Enemy historians will be forced to admit that on. Ist June, .1916—already renowned in British annals —the German high seas fleet had given up the battle araa to Jellicoe and Beatty. Pour, hundred miles from its bases—in the waters of the high seas Jleet, close to the enemy's harbours— "the British Fleet waited-' till 11 a;m.v on Ist June; the German fleet broken, dispirited, had no intention of rejoining battle; the enemy was in precipitate flight to. his bases. Under cover of darkness the German fleet fled; the British Fleet was burning with desire to rejoin the battle. " . , Admiral Jellicoe has been criticised for not annihilating the high seas fleet; easy it is for those without responsibility to criticise. Remember, his unexampled responsibility on historic 31st May. He and Beatty had so severely punished the high seas fleet that it had to beat a precipitate retreat. ■ .-...■

Jellicoe is liow New Zealand's Gov-ernor-General. No doubt his mind went back on Ist June to the gigantic conflict of'eighty years ago; to the .deaths of 'gallant Admirals Hood and Arbuthnot;! the blowing-up of the Mary —an enemy salvo sunk her in one min_ute; the' loss of the Indefatigable— struck on a turret oVer a well-filled magazine, she went down 'within five minutes; the loss of many of his gallant captains and men. Jellicoe's vigil before the high seas fleet . ventured out was a long one; not so long as Nelson's vigil before tne Battle of Trafalgar ; he watched.. the Toulon fleet for, more' than two years.' Jutland was fought within 22 months of the outbreak ■of the Great War. .;< The loss' of the Battle of Austerlitz in.lSOS^-lhe same year as Trafalgar— broke the Kaiser's heart. With England still Mistress of the Seas he saw that Germany must '■ be beaten. The Day had com—the high seals fleet was unequal to it. Corollary to Jut- ■ land's fight was the swinging of the .naval I pendulum from the North Sea to the Pacific—hence Australia's interest in-the.:.. anniversary '.of .the world's most.-gigantic naval clash. .