THE WAR

Patea Mail, 17 November 1939, Page 2

THE WAR

EEPOETED SHOT GRANDSON OF KAISER , EX-CROWN PRINCE’S SON The Paris radio broadcast a report that the Gestapo has arrested and is reported to have shot Prince Frederick Wilhelm, of Prussia, youngest son of the ex-Crown Prince and grandson of the ex-Kaiser. An earlier report stated that it was the ex-Crown Prince that had been shot. BRITAIN’S NAVAL STRENGTH REVEALING COMPARISON ; The active personnel of the Royal Navy allowed for in the 19ft 9 naval estimates was T 8(5,000. AVith the reserves now serving and 50,000 men to be enrolled under the National Service Acts it is anticipated that the war total of the British naval personnel is brought up to 229,000. ‘At the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 —lB the war personnel of the Royal Nayy was 201,000, which increased to 407,000 at the time of the Armistice. In that war however, there were many more battleships, battle-cruisers and cruisers absorbing larger complements than Britain now possesses, or are necessary for dualling with tire much smaller German fleet. The tremendous reserves of naval man-power and ships Britain possesses, were illustrated in the recent speech of Air. AViuston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty) when lie mentioned that the number of Britain's anti-sub-marine and patrol craft had trebled since the beginning o.f hostilities. In the last war the number of vessels in the auxiliary patrol increased from 745 on December ftl, 1914, to 8714 at the time of the Armistice, even after heavylosses. MINES'WEE PING FORGE In November, 1918, the nijncsweeping force alone comprised 72(5 vessels —111) regular naval ships, 52 hired paddle steamers of the excursion type, 412 Ashing trawlers, 142 herring drifters and 10 shallow-draught minesweepers of a special type. The work of the minesweepers, auxiliary patrol, craft of all types, including trawlers, yachts, drifters and motor boats, was one of the outstanding features of the last war, as it is to-day. These little ships were manned almost entirely by officers and men of the merchant 1

navy and Ashing fleets and by civilians from every profession and walk in life eager to serve afloat.