THE HUNTLY PRESS PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1915. The Naval Victory.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 29 January 1915, Page 2

THE HUNTLY PRESS PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1915. The Naval Victory.

AFTER the raid by the German Squadron last month, when they boriibarded.several of the coast towns of England, doing considerable damage, and as vessel after vessel of the British Fleet was mined or torpedoed and sunk, without our giving any effective answer in the particulai area where these events were taking place, a note of pessimism was noticeable in the voice of 'the man in the; street, and people were to be found who wondered whether the British sailor had lost his dash, and whether the Germans were not showing better seamanship than our men were. The victory off the Falkland Islands did a great deal to quiten this pessimistic note, and the engagement in the North Sea, news of which was received last Monday, has changed it to an optimistic tone, and the British sailor has 1 once more been placed on the pedestal he occupied so long. This victory by the British will have a very desirable effect in Germany. After their two last raids, which were carried without material damage to themselves, the Germans had begun to think that they were indeed our equals on water and in the air, but they will now hav6 to reconsider their ideas in this direction. Of courso, the Squadron we opposed to the raiders was much stronger than they audit is probable that a groat part, of the'credit for the British success should be given to the engine-room staff, because it is apparent that, as snon as the two squadrons sighted one another, the Germans turned and fled towards their own minefields, which could not have been far away. It would take some sin.::- .'- Akin.' therefore to bring the British within strikingdistance, and we can well imagine that the scene in the stokeholds during the pursuit was a stirring one. The gunnery also must have

been excellent, for it is evident from the cables that the battle was fought at long range. It is a pity the Germans were not farther away from their minefields when the engagement took place, for had the British had more time, it is probable that the victory would have been complete. As it is, the victory is a substantial one and the losses on our side, (eleven wounded) are remarkably slight. We trust this is only the forerunner of many more sea engagements. Our sailors have had a very trying time during the last few months, for a warship stripped for" action is not a very pleasant place of residence and in the cold and boisterous North Sea, the conditions must be extremely trying. However the little brush just recorded Will warm the blood of our men and make them the more anxious for further engagements.