THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3673, 5 August 1924, Page 21

THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE. LONDON, July 27. The Admiralty has published the official account of the Jutland Battle, with diagrams illustrating the positions of the ships during the battle. The narrative is based on the admirals’ despatches and on reports by individual ships. The introduction emphasises the difficulty of attempting to ascertain the movements of the individual ships with clear and definite precision in the battle, in which 154 British flags and pennants were flying. The volume includes Viscount Jellicoe’s comments on the official narrative, regretting that he felt compelled to express any dissent, but stating that he considered it his duty to draw attention to a few important passages with which he was unable to agree. Lord Jellicoe defends Admiral Thomas from the imputation that he was responsible for the delay of the Fifth Battle Squadron in entering the battle. Lord Jellicoe points out that the signals of the entry of the squadron were made by flags, which naturally were not easily distinguishable. He deals with the difficulty arising from the receipt of the various reports, and points out that the. earlier reports led him to expect to reach the enemy’s battle fleet ahead. This expectation was based on reports from Lord Beatty’s flagship, the Lion, from Southampton . Lord Jellicoe gives a lengthy account of the information available regarding the position of the German fleet at night after the second engagement. He adds that on many occasions the official narrative was only partially correct or was misleading. The narratives fail to give a trtue idea of the confusion caused by contrary reports, the effect of which was felt throughout the action. The Lords of the Admiralty follow Lord Jellicoe’s comment with copious footnotes, and express their satisfaction that the compilers of the narrative adhere to facts, and are more in accord with the evidence

available where it differs from Lord Jellicoe’s remarks. Sir Walter Windham, in criticising Lord Jeilicoe’s comments, points out that the British did not pursue the Germans southward, where they might have driven the enemy on to the British minefield, and he asks why Lord Jellicoe failed to intercept the enemy when he was not more handicapped than the Germans, who steamed 175 miles and crossed the stern of the British ships during the night. LORD JELLICOE’S COMMENTS. WELLINGTON, August 1. In connection with -the above cablegram, his Excelency Viscount Jellicoe was asked whether he would have any objection to stating the circumstances winch led to the Admiralty account of the Battle cf Jiulanci toeing relerred to him lor comment. He replied that he had no objection, as the main facts were already known from statements made in the British Parliament. These tacts were as follows: —Shortly alter the termination of the war requests were made in the .British Parliament tor the issue of an account of the Battle of Jutland. It was realised by the Admiralty that some delay would necessarily be incurred in the production of so complete a publication as Sir Julian Corbett’s “Official History of the War” (then being written by bun with the assistance of naval officers), winch in one of its later volumes was to include an account of the Battle of Jutland. In the circumstances mentioned the Board of Admiralty in 19i9 appointed a committee of officers, presided over by Captain Harper, to draw up an account of this particular action. On returning to England in H.M.S. New Zealand early in 1920, Lord Jellicoe was informed of this. Later ne heard that it was proposed by the Admiralty’s naval staff to make some alterations in this report, and on inquiring of the then First Herd as to the accuracy of this statement, Lord Jellicoe was asked by him to read the report together with the proposed alterations. He demurred to this, expressing the opinion that he was satisfied as to tiie competence of an independent committee, such as Captain Harper s, to produce a correct account, and ho considered it best in the interests of historical accuracy that the report should be published without amendment by any officer who was serving in the Jutland Battle, who, unless quoting from reports sent in at the time, could only speak of what came under his immediate observation, and whose memory otherwise of the events at so great a distance of time might not be reliable. Lord Jellicoe was, however, pressed by the First Lord to read the report. He chd so with reluctance, and as a result objected to many of the proposed amendments, and again expressed his original opinion as to the desirability of publishing this independent report unaltered. No decision on this point was arrived at before Lord Jellicoe left England for New Zealand, but the First Lord gave him an assurance that no alterations would be made in the original report without the proposed amendment being first referred to him. ffhe Admiralty at a later date decided not to publish the Harper report at all, and in place of it the present account of the battle was drawn up under the aegis of the Naval Staff. '1 he principal officers of that staff were officers who had served in the battle cruisers during the action. This account had been twice sent to Lord Jellicoe for his comments. On the first occasion he brought to the notice of the Admiralty- numerous inacouracies and misstatements, both in the narrative and diagrams, which latter differed m many respects from the Harper diagrams. Many of the inaccuracies in the narrative -were corrected at the Admiralty, and it was returned foir further comments, with a request that these should be forwarded by cable. The Admiralty at the same time expressed thanks to Lord Jellicoe for having drawn attention to the errors. The whole of these errors were not, however, corrected, and it was found to be impossible to comment fully on them by cable. Lord Jellicoe so informed the Admiralty in December, 19-23, confining his cabled criticisms to a few of the most important passages, and stating that full remarks on the remaining points could be sent by mail if the delay was permissible. This suggestion was not adopted, however, publication having now taken place, together, apparently, with the cabled comments and the Admiralty remarks thereon, which latter have not as yet been communicated to Lord Jellicoe. The time taken in the pioduction of the narrative at the Admiralty lias resulted in its issue some months after volume 111, of Corbett’s official history, in which the Jutland Battle is described, this having been published at the end of last year.