PRINCE LOUIS OF BATTENBERG.

Otago Witness, Issue 3165, 11 November 1914, Page 28

PRINCE LOUIS OF BATTENBERG.

A particularly interesting story at the present juncture concerning Prince Louis of Battcnberg is that told by a well-known Dunedin gentleman. This gentleman was returning from England on the Oroya some years ago, and as he is intensely interested in all military and naval affairs, and, in fact, saw a good deal of active service in the Boer war, the information that the quartermaster on the Oroya was a Royal Navy Reserve man, and a sailor of more than average intelligence at that, attracted the Dunedin gentleman to several times engage him in conversation. The quartermaster, in the course of one of his stories, said that he had served under Prince Louis of Battenberg when the prince was a junior officer, and related a remarkable incident in connection therewith. The ex-navy man said that a number of the sailors used to gibe amongst themselves—this, remember, some years ago —at their German officer, and that finally the knowledge of what was being said about him came to the Prince’s ears. The Prince thereupon took the opportunity to go down amongst the sailors, looking for the man who had started the rumour, and on locating the offender ordered him to take off his coat, the Prince, meanwhile, removing his. “We are now man to man,” then said the officer, and proceeded to walk into his opponent in a very effective style. “ I’ll teach you to call mo a German again,” remarked the Prince, as ho coolly put on his coat again and walked off, having vindicated his right to be called a Britisher by the manner in which he had wielded his fists, the hallmark of the true Britisher. The Oroya’s quartermaster said the young officer was fairly popular before, but that after the above little exploit the men would havodone anything for him and followed him anywhere. The quartermaster concluded by stating that the Prince was no figurehead cither—that, in fact, “he knew his job.” The Prince, however, for some reason or other, has evidently never been able to remove the impression in some quarters that ho is still a German at heart, and that rumour has now practically forced him to retire from his position as First Lord of the Admiralty.