JUTLAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 July 1924, Page 7

JUTLAND.

—v — BATTLE DESCRIBED. DISSENT BY LORD JELLICOE. 3Y CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT Received July 28, 11.45 a.m. LONDON, July 27. The Admiralty has published an official account of the Jutland battle with diagrams illustrating the positons of ships during the battle. The. narrative is based on the Admiral’s despatches and individual ship’s reports. The introduction emphasises the difficulty of attempting to ascertain the movements of individual ships with clear ami definite precision in the battle in which 15! British flags and pennants were flying. The volume includes Lord Jellicoe's comment on the official narrative, regretting be was compelled to express any dissent, but he considers it his duty to draw attention to a. few important passages in which be is unable to agree. Lord. Jellicoe defends Admiral Thomas from the imputation that- he was responsible, for the delay of the fifth battle squadron entering the battle. Lord Jellicoe points out that the signals for the entry of the squadron were made by flags, which were naturally not easily distinguishable. He deals with the difficulty arising from the receipt of the various reports, and points out that earlier reports led him to expect to reach the enemy’s battle fleet ahead. This expectation was based on reports from Admiral Beatty’s flagship, the Dion, and from the Southampton. Lord Jellicoe gives a lengthy account of the information available regarding the position of the German fleet at night after the second engagement. He adds that- on many points the official narrative is only partially correct or a misleading narrative, and fails to give a. true idea, of the confusion caused by the contradictory reports, the effect of which was felt throughout the action. The Admiralty Lords follow Lord Jellicoe’s comments with copious footnotes, and express their satisfaction that the compilers of the narrative adhere to the facts and are more in accord with the evidence available where it differs from Lord Jellicoe’s.

Sir Walter Windham, criticising Lord Jellicoe’s comment, points out that the British did not- pursue the Germans southward where they might have driven the enemy on to* British minefields, and asks why Lord Jellicoe failed to intercept the enemy when not handicapped more than the Germans who steaYned 175 miles and crossed the stern of the British, during the pio-ht —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. '