Deliberate Attacks On British Ships

Northern Advocate, 25 May 1938, Page 5

Deliberate Attacks On British Ships

(Received 8.30 a.m.) RUGBY, May 23.

The British Government has not yet received a reply to the protest which the British Government agent at Burgos, Sir Robert Hodgson, was ' instructed to make regarding the deliberate attack on British shipping in Spanish ports, said the Foreign Undersecretary, Mr. R. A. Butler, in reply to a question in the House of Commons. Mr. Butler added that Sir Robert Hodgson had, however, been instructed to take the matter up further with the Burgos authoi'ities,, pointing out that in addition to attacks which the British Government had definite evidence to show were deliberately aimed against British ships, there had been a number of recent raids in which British ships had been seriously damaged and life lost, as well as cases in which bombs had been dropped in the vicinity of British ships lying in harbour.

After considering these incidents collectively, the British Government had been forced to conclude that either deliberate attacks on British ships were being made, or bombs were being dropped haphazardly in such a manner as to cause indiscriminate damage to ships in port. It therefore considered that it had ample ground for insisting that these incidents should cease, and care should be exercised by bombing aircraft in selecting their objective.

The British Government was algo considering with the British shipowners whether any other steps could be taken to avoid damage to British shipping in Spanish ports