"A FINE ADVENTURE."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 26 April 1918, Page 7

"A FINE ADVENTURE."

"CARRIED OUT WITH DAREDEVIL

PLUCK."

"WELL DONE VINDICTIVE."

(Received April 26, 10.45 a.m.)

LONDON, April 25. The ships returning from the raid had a tremendous reception. The Vindictive arrived, with her masts gone and hei sides streaked with white where higii explosiye shells had struck. All the participators were granted special leave. Vice-Admiral Keyes had a great reception at Dover.

Further details show that the action at the mole began with a shot from .the Vindictive, which waited until the lighthouse's beam came. The shot destroyed the (lighthouse. The British, before the mole, hoisted the Union Jack, which they left flying. Two officers who miraculously escaped from Zeebrugge, graphically describe the raid, praising the conduct of all ranks. They declared it wa s a "dashed fine avdenture carried out with daredevil pluck." After approaching Zeehi'ugge in the black smoke fog, which ■extended from Zeebrugge to Ostend, the Huns suddenly discovered the attackers, and there was no alternative but to go ahead through the smoke. "Then we got unadulterated hell."

All the Vindictive's men were on deck and the Germans shelled them, incessantly for twenty minutes, but the men carried on notwithstanding the terrific fire. With a ringing cheer and amid ■cries of "over you go, Koyals," the .stormers landed on the first ledge of the mole. They lost heavily on landing from the hail of shells, and found them.selves faced with a drop of twenty feet leading to the second ledge, which it was necessary to negotiate before coming to grips with the enemy. Heavy :ram only made matters worse, but the raiders, unadunted, lowered rope ladders and swarmed down while three German destroyers on the further sidej •of the mole kept up a vicious fire at' short range. It was necessary to sil-l -ence these first, and the British rushed to the attack with a cheer. The Germans swarmed out to meet the attack, but the cheer seemed to strike terror into Fritz, and he bolted. The raiders cleared this space and then dashed on the nearest destroyer, V lobbing fifty hand bombs aboard. A loud explosion followed, and the attackers passed on, leaving her afire and The raiders formed up in line and proceeded along the mole with bayonets fixed. They charged the crew of a :gun ashore, killed a number and seatterer the remainder, capturing the' ;gun.

Meanwhile all around was the incessant din of cannonading and cries of the wounded. It was ghastly, but the British behaved magnificently. The Vindictive was the target for the concentrated fire of guns from every direction, but kept up a. most gallant fight with the shore batteries until the siren signalled "withdraw," after the blockships had been sunk, when she returned. The poor old Vindictive was a terrible sight. She had already lost three successive ■crews of the forward gun before a landing was effected, but the other gunners stuck it like Britons throughout the raid.

The Vindictive's captain was fully exposed on the bridge, but gave orders with absolute coolness and skilfully manoeuvred the ship seaward as she -steered down the channel homeward bound. At daylight he met Vice-Ad-miral Keyes aboard a warship, and Admiral Keyes signalled, "Well done Vindictive.'' Th e vessel's crews cheered themselves hoarse in passing.