JUTLAND

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 January 1925, Page 5

JUTLAND

BEATTY INDICTED. s TRENCHANT CRITICISM. JELLICOE VINDICATED. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT LONDON, jan. 5. The publication of the book, “The Scandal of Jutland,” by Admiral. Sir Reginald Bacon, lias added fresh fuel to til© Jutland controversy. The version of the battle. Sir Reginald declares, has been misrepresented by a smoke screen, deliberately raised to prevent the public learning the truth about Jutland, which constitutes a scandal. Regarding the battle, the writer severely blames Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty. He says the general notion is that Admiral Beatty met and daringly engaged the enemy, and drew them into a trap, knowing that Admiral Jellicoe’s (Grand Fleet was coming up. ... i The writer declares that Admiral Beatty, instead of bringing the enemy to Admiral Jellicoe’s feet as a cat brings a mouse, actually, ran away from the mouse within twenty minutes, and never saw it again. He had to admit that he did not even know where the mouse had gone. Sir Reginald Bacon adds: “It is not uncommon after a great war for praise and blame to be unfairly apportioned. The German cruisers escaped from Dogger Bank through a series of errors made by Admiral Beatty, but Sir Gordon Moore was . blamed. “It was owing to Admiral Beatty’s lack of tactical appreciation that the Fifth Battle Squadron was not engaged in the first phase a-t -Jutland, but Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh EvanThomas, " Commander of the Fifth Squadron, was ungenerously and unjustly blamed. Lastly,, through Admiral Beatty’s failure to give Admiral Jellicoe vital information, the latter could not deploy as fast as he would otherwise have done.” Sir Reginald Bacon regrets that, when Admiral Jellicoe was being attacked, Admiral Beatty did not say a few words and instruct public opinion. British traditions demanded it. and Admiral Beatty’s failure in chivalry at ■ that time will never he forgotten or foryiven by the Royal Navy. - “Admiral Jellicoe led the fleet at Jutland with matchless skill and left nothing undone to secure the enemy’s defeat. If v the victory was less decisive than the nation, hoped foi*,' the blame does not attach to Admiral Jellicoe. but to bis subordinate. Admiral Beatty,” adds Sir Reginald Bacorn ' He contends that the battlecruiser fleet’s gunnery under Admiral Beattv was not good, and says: “It was his business to see that his shins were able \to shoot, accurately. He nnnnot be held blameless if they failed.”

Sir Reginald points out that Admiral i Beatty had four battleships.", besides six battle-cruisers, and' it was Admiral Beatty’s duty after sighting the enemv to avoid an action until the four battleships, then a few miles distant, had joined his line. He should then have brought an overwhelming concentration of fire to bear. 1 But Admiral Beatty dashed headlong into the fight. If he had awaited his battleships, "the ensuing action, which resulted in the sinking of two British ships, might well have been a brilliant victory instead of being practically a defeat.

Admiral Beatty’s second blunder was ■{ in losing contact with the enemy when ho turned and raced. northward, with the result that he joined , Admiral. Tollicoe’s Grand Fleet dumb and unable to supply information vital for determining Admiral Jellicoe’s method of deployment. It w r as under this handicap that Admiral. Jellicoe had marshalled his forces, and lie did absolutely the right thing in deploying to port instead of to starboard towards ' the enemy. “ Sir 'Resrinald Bacon sneers at M>\ Winston Churchill’s confession that it was Admiral Beatty’s prowess at polo and hunting which influenced him in some degree in appointing Admiral Beatty to command the battle-cruser squadron over the heads of numerous seniors. Sir Reginald points out .that “horsemanship is a poor qualification for a high command afloat.” and says Admiral Beatty had only handled the squadron of shins' for two months nrior to his appointment to one of the most important commands in the Navy. <, Sir Reginald insists that Admiral Rent,tv’s lack of experience resulted in failure on every occasion that his capacity was tested as Admiral in Command. He declares that Admiral Beatty missed a complete victory in flm Dogger Bank fight in January, 1.915. by turning away from a submarine at a critical moment, when bv all the canons •he sliould have steered at, it.