H.M.S. LEANDER

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 November 1939, Page 9

H.M.S. LEANDER

MINISTER DENIES RUMOURS. Widely circulated rumours that H.M.S. Leander had 1 been in action with enemy ships and that the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer had been reported several hundred miles off the New Zealand coast were emphatically denied by the Minister for Defence, Mr. Jones, in an interview with the “New Zealand Herald. All the rumours gained astonishing currency over the week-end. One was that the Leander had engaged an enemy raider and had suffered casualties while disabling the hostile ship. Another was that the New Zealand cruiser had been in' successful action against a submarine, and the third was that the Admiral Scheer had been seen at sea near New Zealand. Details varied almost from person to person. Asked if there was any truth m the rumours, Mr. Jones, after making careful inquiries, said he could deny every one of them outright. There was no truth at all in any of the reports. “There is another aspect of these reports which should be the subject of strong comment,” he said. “The person or persons responsible for circulating them should have consideration for the fact that many New Zealanders have sons and relatives in H.M.S. Leander, and it could be most unnerving and distressing for them to hear that the ship had suffered casualties. People should have more sense than to start putting such rumours about. I can say that all the men on the Leander are safe and in good heart.”