TRAFALGAR DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11664, 31 October 1923, Page 4

TRAFALGAR DAY

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S SPEECH

WHAT THE EMPIRE OF GREAT BRITAIN STOOD FOR.

NAVY LEAGUE AND PATRIOTISM

The assembly ha-1.1 at the Kelburn Training College was crowded yesterday morning with college students and with children from the Normal School, on the occasion of the celebration of Trafalgar Day, when Sir Joseph Ward, at the request of the Navy League, gave an address on the Nelson spirit and tradition and their value to the British Empire and to the world. There were present, besides Sir Joseph Ward, Messrs W. H. Gould (principal of the Training College), R. Darroch (secretary to the Navy League), and B. T. Blake (headmaster of the Normal School).

Mr Blake said that, though they were celebrating Trafalgar Day on October 30tli, the battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21st, 1815, or just IOS years ago. It was then that the British Fleet, under Nelson, defeated the combined French and -Spanish fleets, thus giving Britain security against Napoleon Bonaparte and the supremacy of the seas, which she had held ever since. A number of boys of the Sixth Stan dard then recited “Admirals All,” after which all the hoys and girls of the sixth sang the patriotic song, “Heroes.” SIR J. G. WARD’S SPEECH THE NELSON SPIRIT AND PATRIOTISM. Sir Joseph Ward, who was received v/ith loud applause, congratulated those who had recited and sung. The way in which they had done eo was, he said, evidence of a training that in many ways was bound to display itself as they grew older; and he was quite sure that they appreciated the very fine training they were receiving under their teachers at that important school. He had come there on the invitation of Air Darroch, hon. secre- , tary of the Navy League, to say a few words to them in celebration of an 108 years old event, the victory of Lord Nelson that had done so much to direct the history of all people, not only within the British possessions, but in all parte of the world. Upon that memorable occasion, when, through Lord Nelson’s genius and seamanship, thirteen ships were won from the enemy in about five hours, the whole future- of the British race was affected in a way that not only added lustre to I his name, but largely shaped the destinies of all of us who were to live under the British flag.

IF THE ENEMY’ FLEETS HAD WON.

If the combined French and Spanish fleets had won the battle of Trafalgar, it would have altered the wHoie positiou in history of the British Isles and of the British people. In those days these overseas countries were hardly known; and, to say the least, if the enemy fleets had won at Trafalgar, we should not have had the close association with the Old Country that we had now. It was a wonderful achievement, that victory of Nelson’s; and as the boj*s and girls before him grew older and understood the history of that, time, they would be amazed at what Nelson did on that occasion. Unhappily, from the personal point of view, he did not live. He died from the wound that he received in the hour of victory; but he (Sir Joseph Ward) was not sure that that had not added greatly to the lustre of Nelson’s name in the years that had followed. When in the Old Country he had had the opportunity of being on the Victory on several occasions, and had stood on the spot where Nelson fell. Many of the hoys and girls present would probably have the opportunity of going to England and of going aboard the Victory. He could assure them that he had never been more impressed by his surroundings than when he 6tood on the spot where Nelson fell. THE NELSON TRADITION.

Let them think of what the power of Nelson’s name did in the Great War. Nelson’s spirit had permeated the Great Fleet. Some of tne incidents in the Great War made \one marvel at the courage of the British naval officers and men. The spirit of Nelson was there undeniably. They had all heard of the Queen Mary disappearing upon the day of the great battle that was won for till© British Empire. The Queen Mary, with every living soul on board her, was blown up by a shell bursting down in the powder-magazine. The great battleeliip, following in her wake immediately behind her, going at such a speed that iahe could not change her course, crossed straight over the place where the Queen Alary had been within three-quarters of a minute after that vessel had been blown up, but she neither saw nor touched a single thing that was left of the Queen Mary. Not a vestige of any sort floated on the waves. And all the other ships went on with their work as if nothing had occurred. What a tribute to the officern and men who were engaged in helping to save the British Empire and save civilisation? , And that took place only a few years ago. It was the same spirit that actuated Nelson and his men now 118 years ago, when they saved the freedom that we all enjoyed to-day, and left a tradition, an illustrious one, that would never be rubed off tho pages of history on which it was recorded, *nd which from time to time wo read with so much interest and pleasure. AIMS OF THE NAVY LEAGUE.

He wished to impress upon all pro* cent what the aims -of tho Navy League wore. Let them realise if they could, that the only empire in this world at the present time that possessed «?. galaxy of no less than six independent nations, separated by thousands of miles of sea, had got to depend upon the strength, the skill, and the intrepidity of the officers and men of the British Navy. There could never be, unless tlici'V countries were conquered by some foreign 100, a replica of tho British Empire as it stood to-day. Geography taught them all to recognise tho fact that no country of the size ol New Zealand was in the possession of the United States of America, of France, Germany, Russia, or Japan.. These (•ounlrirvs bad no possessions to equal Australia in extent and value; no countries like Canada, South Africa, India-, or Newfoundland. And no other empire could possess this galaxy of young nations who now went to make up the British Empire. Therefore, it was of supreme importance to thorn all as they grew up to realise the difficulties of keeping us all together. Though some of us wire separated to the extent of fourteen thousand miles, yet vve had one great constitution enveloping the whole of us; and it was our duty—a« it wafl Nelson’s, when he declared.

“England expects this day that every man will do his duty,” and unquestionably lie did it--to see that what he preserved tor us a little more than a hundred years ago was not lost by ue < in these dave, but handed down intact . to our successors. “OUR imperative: DUTY.” Unhappily, there were in all parts of the Empire people who did not see eye to eye with what the vast majority of the people in the Empire lonised upon as our imperative duty—namely the duty of supporting the navy for the purpose of keeping the Empire together, and of preserving our sea routes. Without our sea routes, New Zealand would become financially bankrupt in a. prolonged struggle. The British Isles could ‘he starved in a comparatively short Ispaoe of time; while the Britains Overseas, which wore deprived of the* opportunity of supplying the Old Country with the foodstuffs we produced and she required, would become subject to financial embarrassments of a very acute kind. We must keep before us, therefore, these facts. We must also remember that it was much more difficult to control the affairs of an Empire of 6ix great nations than to control the affairs of one of them. And one of the great elements that were necessary to preserve that control was the navy. He would not be so foolish as to convey to them the idea that the navy was the only method of keeping that control. It was not; but it was, and must be, the most important one until rhe time arrived —and he sincerely honed that it would sometime arrive—when all the nations of the world decided to have no navies at all. But, so long as any other great country had a navy, the British Empire was bound to have a navy. Scientists had done an immense amount in recent times to develop the aeroplane, the Zeppelin, and the submarine; and if a great war took place in the future —and no one could tell when it might do so —the aeroplane, the Zeppelin, and the submarine were bound to play a large part in it; were bound to bo part of a. system of armaments that would be very formidable and no doubt very disastrous in many respects “DEADLY OPPOSED TO WAR.”

He wanted to say to them that, while many in the Empire advocated the maintenance of the navy, they were just as deadly opposed to the prospect of war as the greatest peace advocate, who said that we ought not fco have a navy at all. But, as commonsense people, they should see the necessity for keeping prepared to a great extent. Only three months ago it had happened that a difference arose between Italy and Greece, because of the killing of a general and some other officers; and tiie Italian Navy was commanded to go and attack a portion of Greece. This, though the Great War had given the world such a 6urfeit of war—twenty-three millions of men had been killed during that war alone — and one would have thought that men with great responsibilities on their Shoulders, like the rulers of Italy would have exhausted every means before attempting to create a struggle upon sea and land. It showed that human nature could not be changed in a burry. In every country in the world they liked to name man was bora a fighting animal. It was in his blood. They found it in every walk of life, that men would fight, and rightly fight, for supremacy; it might be in football, in commerce, or in anything they liked. It was more so in the case of great nations with standing armies and navies. It was much more difficult to control them. So, while we all prayed that in years to oome we might live for generation after generation in peace, we could not shut our eyes to the fact that we were not allowed to remain at peace with any safety to the people in New Zealand, or in any other part of the Empire, so long as other nations maintained great armies and navies. The propaganda work all over the world ought to be in the direction of teaching us to exercise our intelligence with a view to preventing the possibility of wars in years to come; but their duty in the meantime was to keep before them all the time the fact that the preservation of their families, and their country, and the Empire could only be reasonably assured by our not being left behind in the race for preparedness to meet any gre«at emergency that might arise. He was very proud to 'have had the opportunity of meeting them and of saying something on that great historic event that they had met to celebrate. He wished them all goodbye; and hoped that they would have a very happy time in years to come.

Mr Gould expressed the great appreciation of all present of Sir Joseph Ward’s action in coming there that morning and of the speech that he had delivered'.

At his call, three hearty cheers for Sir Joseph were given with a will, and a verse of the National Anthem brought the proceedings to a close.