THE FRENCH MISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18298, 15 January 1923, Page 8

THE FRENCH MISSION.

.DUE HERE TO-MORROW. / :; : 'i ; ■';■•■'.;>'./;;//;/;/■-;.'■:/',.;;:/ .//./v/ .K-'./•/> iJi M' "i : /'l-';v ; /;: INTERESTING" ■ PERSONNEL. ; WAR AND PUBLIC- SERVICE I The French ■■'" battle-cruiser Jules ■■ Michelet/ '•; distinguished -naval, and civil representatives of .France on : board, / ;will arrive ; in ;■ Auckland from Sydney at eight - o'clock to-morrow , morning, and, will' make • ' \i: stay of eight days, before leading for: Wellington. . .■ ':. ■ . , ■■ ■'■■' The Jules Michelet is. the flagship of . Rear-Admiral Gilly. : The Victor Hugo, which ■is also under .! his command,' is proceeding from Sydney to Japan. The. two ■'. cruisers left Brest, ; France, last-..October tor: a cruise including : Port Said, Djibouti, Madagascar, Reunion Island, Australia, New Zealand, : New. Caledonia, Japan, China, Indo-China ; and India. Thecruise was decided-'; upon for.: the; naval purpose of i training the crews, but opportunity Is- being taken to thank again the British ■: Dominions; -visited for their-help in the war and also to develop trade relations. ■ , ....iii ::■■•". There is : ; on- board, ' the Jules Michelet a. special -mission,' composed: of; four members appointed for the purpose of studying 'the /possibilities* of increasing the trad© between the countries visited and France,land' also studying the regulations : applying to important private and public .works and generally the conditions' prevailing iii' the Dominions 'of the Pacific. ,The French Minister for Commerce and Industries is represented, by M. Petrequin, the Minister for. Public Works by MV de Vitryd*' Avaucourt, and the /.Minister ' for Foreign Affairs by M. Chauvel, Governor Gnyon, formerly . Governor of Madagascar,: represents tho: ; Minister for the. Colonies, and makes a special study of the .trade between the French colonies ; and the neighbouring countries, - '■X Largest 'French Cruiser Seen Here. !.. 'The Jules Michelet is;the largest French warship: that has -yet % visited this part of world. She was Jaunched iii 1905, and has a displacement of 13,500 tons. She carries four Situ guns, twelve 6^in.;'guns,; and eight anti-aircraft guns, and is fitted ..with ,two torpedo tubes. The engine-power/- is' : 30,000-h.p., and the speed 2& knots./ The length of the vessel ip 4S2ft., the "width 69ft, .",and the depth 28ft. There are 34 officers, and 750 men. i The ; cruiser fought during the war in the Adriatic Sea, and took part in .the blockade .iAustria.; She was:,present at the fight ,on August 16, 1914, when an Austrian cruiser."was:"sunk,;. and participated in the shelling>s of Oattaro, Three times the Jules Michelet was unsuccessfully attacked by torpedo. In 1916 she helped to protect. the rescue' of the Servian/Army and convoyed; the troops landed;. at Salonika. ;/ After ;: the armistice ; she-;; was employed in operations ;, in the Eastern and the Black Sea. /"s" / ";-'• - .-- - .' . The ship, was named after Jules Michelet, a famous;"'. French /historian in the period from 1798 to 1874, who wrote a ■;• history •of • France and i made 'a~ special study, of: the French Revolution. ,'. As ; a philosopher ; hel/wrote; two; books, one njion ,'womanhood : ; and the other upon the ■■■ .. •■■- '»A - -*"*v. ' .sea.; ■~. -..-.. . > - , y. All the -senior officers ;of : the ' warship /and, many of ;'.': the" junior officers have splendid records of Avar service, and wear the ribbon of -higWy-prized decorations. Among tho Crew also there are numbers who have been decorated for meritorious war service, but. for the most;" part -the sailors'ire . too young to have served in the war and have - been recruited since /the'- armistice.; / ;<•"•'; ■/■■' yASmlral Giliy's Career, '.■."■,-■ , • Admiral Gilly, who was born in I§BB, saW'considerable service in China : and the JPacMe before the *iivar.',- He Was chief of > staf£- of the -Cahqhniers Marins, • naval gunnera.at the, front, from. 1914 to . 19JL6, ] and -he commanded the, naval base; at , Saint Nazaire during "the landing of , American, .troops. After the armistice;; he was attached for some time to the! Department- of .Public Works and then i took command of the French; dreadnought I Jean/Bart. In 1921 -he was promoted/to i the rank of rear-admiral, and was, given I commandof ;tide; naval base at" .Marseilles, j He \is : now in command of the s Flying i Division' of •■ and is ah -.: officer of the Legion - d'Honeur',V while .in -addi-1 many service decorations he wears j the ribbon, of the Cfbix de Guerre. i ■:• of • Colonies Guyon - has seen ._ touch'service ;in the .African' Colonies. /He ] j was private secretary to General Gallienl | in the; first' : years of thfj •occupation of Madagascar. 'In addition to being Gov- ,; pernor, that colony, he has the post of ;.-Governor of 'the' French;, Gabon and Ivory - Coast.-,.,' Daring -the' war > ,• hefi directed ; operations against tbfe. GerrciijP colonies; He is an officer of the Legion d* Hcnneur/ and • holds ? ;the Groix 'de Guerre. y'■;■'"■ ' ; _ Other Officers' War Records. -,:' Capitaine de Vaisseau (captain)' Favereaui -Officer j. Commanding the Jules Michelet, was flag-officer to the admiral comhiiandihg - the , Dardanelles squadron until 1916, and T was' officially congratulated | upon his work by Admiral, Sir John de Robeck, "the officer commanding the ' Allied fleets / at . the .Dardanelles; After: the evacuation he joined > the A dreadhbught Jean Bart as officer commanding the marines, and was in charge of the landing party % which occupied Corfu. He subsequently' served as direc-" tor, of the air patrols "in ,Algeria .and Tunisia, /and; after : the armistice wis : apSointed a member of the Allied [aval : Commission /at Cbnntantinople. Captain Favereau is an officer of the Legion d' Hontjeur. ■'■ r Capitaine de fregate' (Commander) Hepnique, chief, of staff, . was gunnery ' officer On a cruiser in the Adriatic; Sea during the first two years of the war. ;He then commanded a, destroyer in the J Mediterranean :: Sea engaged against : the iGerman submarines. Commander Hen-, nique 'was also, associated with the French \ Flying Corpj;,\iH'which he -served" as;ijairfpilot..;He is ah officer 'of,;; the Legion d'-Honneur, arid was awarded the Croix- de Guerre. '.'•-<■■■■ ■ j Capitaine de.- fregate (Commander) Fer--ret first took part .in the defence of -the Suez Canal' during the /war. ; He was : afterwards ; commanding officer of : a! des- ■ troyer at Dunkirk, in the fighfts in the North Sea. 'He is ; ; an officers:;, of ,;/•: the Legion d' Honneur. ' ■■- Other Officers and Attaches. rA;lri\ addition to .those already ; mentioned ; the;; following ~ are also -on:: the Jules : Michelet — '■■:.; , .'.v - '" j '.;': Mecanicien"- ; Irispe'cteur Badelph : (inspecting naval engineer). : • f ; Capitaine de 'Corvette Hiiis (lieutenantcommander). _.:..:'-- ' _ ; Commissaire Principal Ayenol (principal naval administration officer); ,;-, Mode-cm Principal Lesson (surgeon-in-chief). * ';'.,.■ ~:; Lieutenant ;de Vaisseau Lazennec - (lieu- : .tenant).;;; : .. ;■;;:;;,■;.•'".-,.,;; : ';// ; ; ;■/'"' '■..:/,;/.; : ' : ■ Lieutenant ;■ de ';..-,.. Yaissean :;■ Villiers- ; Moriaine (lieutenant, :under-chief of staff). .; Lieutenant deV Vaisseau Coiffie (lieutenant). . .'"'-"."'■. '.'•„.' " \. " ' ';■..-; Lieutenant de Yaisseau Trainer ; (lieu--1 -tenant).;; i :\.: r '\''-'T y '\ "" ' '"'. ■ Lieutenant" de .Vaisseau DAnselme '(lieutenant, aide-de-camp).''. ,// ;' ; Lieutenant de Vaisseau, Oiry ; (lieuten- / ant). ■ ' ':"•"■". ">' ■-■-■- .■ ,■■ ■ Lieutenant de..; Vaisseau. Amet: (lieutenant, aide-de-camp). ; ' ...•-..' Lieutenant' de Vaisseau Halle (lieuten- '. ant). >, -- ' ..-'..,■ . <*-"M. Chauvel, Attache d'..'.Arabassade,, Delegue : dii Ministre des ; Affaires Etraii' i gere's~ : (Attache of Embassy, delegate -, of the;! Minister for-Foreign Affairs). ; - ; M. Petrequin, ; delegue '; du Ministre du Commerce (delegate ■ of -.the: Minister 7 for Commerce and Industries). : . M. de Vitry d' Avaucourt; delegue du Miiiistre. des Travaux Publics (delegate 1 of the Minister' for Public Works). '', Mecanicienv Principal,;Pelon;;(principal naval engineer)..-' ,;Mecanicien .Principal Ecorchon (principal naval engineer). -■■.'■■. ;■' • .. . Mecahicien ' Principal -B'ruel (principal : 'naval engineer). ;' - • « ' - :; - , ■ ..V; '■ ' ;, - J i ;./'.■,-/ . - " .-..;■. ' -