GERMAN INHUMANITY

Evening Star, Issue 23745, 28 November 1940, Page 2

GERMAN INHUMANITY

NO TRADITION OF THE SEA “ The traditions of tho sea have been handed down generation by generation to all those who ‘ go down to tlx© sea iu ships and occupy their business iu great waters ’; and these traditions have also found their way into the life of those who, while not going down to the sea in ships, do occupy their business in the air which lies above the great waters,” writes Vice-Admiral J. E. T. Harper, C. 8., in ‘ Quarterly Review.’ “It is a tradition of the sea to succour those in distress at sea, whether friend or foe. Attack yoxxr enemy by every legitimate means, yes; and having fought him to a finish by sinking his ship, then it is a tradition of the sea to save life if this is possible. No man with the tradition of the sea in his blood could leave a man to drown, be ho friend or be Jxe enemy, if human endeavour could prevent it without sacrificing national interests. “Tho German conduct of the war on the sea and over the sea has caused disgust; it follows closely the pattern she set iu the last war. The illegality and sheer brutality of sinking merchant ships at sight without making provision for the safety of those on board, tho bombing and machine-gunning of harmless fishing boats and lightships and the subsequent murder of those struggling in the water could only be conducted by those who knew not, _ or knowing, cared not for the tradition of the sea. “ The Germans are not and never have been a seafaring race. They cannot look back on a thousand years of gallant exploits by their ancestors at sea; they cannot look at a symbol such as the ‘ Victory,’ lying in her last resting place in Portsmouth Dockyard, the • very thought of which brings to mind part of Nelson’s prayer on tho eve of Trafalgar: ‘. . . and may humanity after victory he the predominant feature in tbe British Elect.’- That no

‘ humanity ’ after ‘ victory ’ is to be expected from the Germans is known to our sailors. _ “ Yet these men risk their lives daily as surely as do those serving at sea in H.M. ships, as those men of the Air Force who actually fly, or as those soldiers who are stationed in the front line. They are taking risks infinitely greater than the majority of those who have the privilege of wearing the King’s uniform. They are. always in the fighting line. Yet their names figure not in the roll of honour. “ During the first six months of .the present war over 500 merchant seamen had lost their lives by enemy action, and no one can say to what tragic total this figure will rise. We read or hear of merchant ships, British and neutral, being sunk; of fishing boats and lightships being attacked and their crews murdered; of the terrible hardships which survivors undergo; of ships being overdue and presumed lost. “ Just that. Yet the traditions of the sea are so strong, the sea sense and sea courage with which our sailors are endowed so marked, that these men never fail us. They lose their all, except life, and just carry on —carry on their duty. How different is the attitude of the German sailors, who, when a warship is sighted, instead of making every effort to save their ship and get their cargo to Germany, just scuttle her 'or set fire to her, knowing full well they will be jacked up and cared for by their enemies. “ The German attacks on unarmed merchant ships and fishing vessels are, of course, deliberate. By no possibility can a trawler with her trawl down or a drifter with her nets out or a lightship be mistaken for a patrol vessel or a mine-sweeper. “ This wanton and useless form of massacre can under no circumstances give the enemy any military advantage. If, as is possible, Germany hoped that such attacks would have a demoralising effect either on our_ own sailors or on those in neutral ships, it is merely further proof that she just does not understand the Sea Affair.”