BRITAIN'S NAVY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17167, 22 May 1919, Page 7

BRITAIN'S NAVY.

TRIBUTE FROM FRANCE.

FLEET'S GLORIOUS RECORD.

LONDON, April 23.

Router's correspondent at Paris states that a high placed personage in the French Ministry of Marine has communicated the sentiments of the Minister and the Navy which wero inspired on the occasion of the visit of Admiral Bealty and representatives of the British Navy to Paris. Ho says: — "iFranco was happy an J proud to pay national homage to the sailors who have been France's allies from the beginning of the war.

I " The British Navy was the impenetrable shield of victory. It had tho same 1 part to play in the gigantic struggle by i sea as the French armies had to play in j the struggle on land. i "To the glorious namet, of the Marne, ■ Ysor, and Verdun, the British Navy j added Jutland, Zeebrugge, and Ostcnd." The speaker eulogistically referred to I Admiral Beatty as the trainer,of the Brii tish fleet, who understood how to comI municatc to it his own indomitablo cour- | ace and confidence, and whose name would j be inscribed on tho annals of tho war ; alongside those of Joffre, Foch, retain, and Haig. Admiral Totichard, who delivered the address of welcome to the sailors at the Sorbonne, said that he would recount the j British fleet's exploits, and its incessant work night and day, against the German submarines, without which the Allies' vietory would have been practically impossib'e. At the reception at tho Elysee in honour of the visit of the British Fleet President Poincare handed to Admiral Beatty the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and paid a very warm tribute to Beatty, who, ho said, had shown throughout tho war the finest qualities possible in a sailor. At the reception at the Ministry of Marine, M. Leygues, the Minister, conI ferred a number of decorations on British i naval officers, including the Cross of ComI mander Legion of Honour on Vice-Admiral ' Sir Arthur Leveson and Sir Osmond I Brook.