STORY OF WAN-HSIEN

Southland Times, Issue 20010, 26 October 1926, Page 7

STORY OF WAN-HSIEN

BRITISH NAVAL GALLANTRY. CONCEALED CHINESE FOES. FIGHT AGAINST HEAVY ODDS. HOW COMMANDER DARLEY FELL. Shanghai, September 17. The story of Wan-hsien is another example of how the “Boys of the Bull-dog Breed” are still keeping the “Flag of Old England” flying in the remote corners of the world. On the afternoon of August 29 the steamer Wanliu, belonging to the China Navigation Company, was disembarking passengers at a small port close to Wanhsien. The Vessel was boarded by some 16 soldiers belonging to General Yang, while a sampan containing still more soldiers started to approach the steamer. The Wanliu, in order to avoid the approaching sampan, proceeded down stream at a slow speed, the result was that the sampan in its haste fouled another steamer and capsized. Troops on the river bank then opened fire on the Wanliu, while the soldiers on board tried to rush the bridge and engine room. The officers on the ship kept the soldiers at bay until the steamer arrived at Wan-hsien. Here, the soldiery were forcibly removed by an armed guard from H.M.S. Cockchafer, which was stationed at Wan-hsien, and the Wanliu proceeded down river. So far as the Wanliu was concerned, the incident was considered closed. General Yang Sen, however, thought differently He issued a statement that two junks had been sunk by the Wanliu, that some 56 of his soldiers had been drowned, and that 85,000 dollars, representing wages for his troops, had been lost in the piver. While the Wanliu had escaped, there were still two ships of the same company, the Wan-hsien and Wantung, lying at anchor off the town of Wan-hsien. General Yang sent some three to four hundred soldiers on board each vessel, and forcibly took possession of both steamers. He lined both sides of the river bank with soldiers and threatened to bombard H.M.S. Cockchafer if she tried to get under way or endeavoured to communicate with the captured vessels. THE BRITISH EXPEDITION.

Negotiations, with a view to a peaceful settlement having failed, a small naval expedition started out from Ichang, with the object of retaking the two steamers and rescuing the ships’ officers.

The naval authorities commandeered the Indo-China steamer Kaiwo, lying at Ichang, protected her sides with boiler plates, put on board two pom-poms and a number of machine and Lewis guns, together with a plentiful supply of ammunition. The Chinese personnel was reduced to a minimum, and on September 4 the Kaiwo, with 63 naval ratings and five officers, drawn from the various gun-boate stationed on the river, left Idihang for Wan-hsien. The Kaiwo arrived at Wan-hsien about 6 o’clock on the evening of the following day, passed HJVf.S. Cockchafer, which was lying down stream a little below the steamer Wan-hsien and brought up on the starboard quarter of the latter vessel. The main idea was first of all to rescue three British officers who were held as hostages on the Wanhsien. The general plan of campaign was for four boarding parties to enter.the four cargo doors on the starboard quarter of the Wan-hsien, to beat off any resistance, and so allow the three officers to make their escape to the Kaiwo. It was rumoured that there were some 400 soldiers of General Yang on the captured vessel, while the foreign personnel of the rescue party numbered less than 70, but it was hoped to effect the rescue by swift action and strategy. Apparently General Yang had been forewarned and had made his preparations accordingly. When the Kaiwo came alongside the Wanhsien, everything was apparently quiet, but this state of affairs did not last very long. A VERITABLE HAIL OF BULLETS. The first man from the Kaiwo to step through the cargo door of the Wan-hsien was shot down by a rifle bullet, and the second man met the same fate. It was immediately realised that the soldiers of the Wan-hsien had made all preparations to meet their visitors and that secrecy was no longer necessary. A bugler on the Kaiwo sounded the “Attack,” and the four boarding parties leapt across into a veritable hail of bullets. Machine guns had been placed in every available position, while riflemen lay concealed behind heaps of cargo. Notwithstanding the casualties suffered by the boarding parties, they gradually drove the soldiers from below, on to the deck of the vessel, and the machine guns and Lewis guns on the Kaiwo started their deadly work. The pom-pom on the after deck of the Kaiwo also came into action, and so close was the range that the shells were exploding some 7ft. from the muzzle. The , forward boarding party from the Kaiwo, under a warrant officer, gradually fought their way to the bridge of the Wanhsien, where the ships’ officers had fortified themselves against the soldiers. The bridge of' the Kaiwo was brought up close to that of the Wan-hsien and the three officers were dragged across. HOW COMMANDER DARLEY FELL. Commander Darley, who was in charge of the expedition and had been directing operations from the bridge of the'Kaiwo, now decided to retake the Wan-hsien and complete the job. He rushed down from the bridge and, calling for volunteers, leaped across. No sooner had he reached the deck of the Wan-hsien, than he fell* riddled with bullets. Before his men could effect a rescue the Chinese soldiers rushed him, stabbed him with their bayonets and cut his throat.

By this time it was reckoned that some 300 of the 400 soldiers ou the Wan-hsien had been either killed or wounded, and the remainder made a desperate rush to board the Kaiwo. They were beaten back with the greatest difficulty, Mid as the rescue parties on the Kaiwo were running short of ammunition* the two vessels were cut adrift and the Kaiwo pulled away to safety. Of the three British officers on the Wantung, the chief engineer was shot by the Chinese, jumped overboard and disappeared; the qhief officer dived overboard and swam safely to the French gunboat Doudart, while the captain was discovered hanging over the stem of the Wantung, hidden from the«

Chinese soldiers and was rescued by the Kaiwo. While the work of rescue was going on, the two British gunboats, the Cockchafer and Widgeon; were being shelled by the shore batteries on both banks of the river; but Chinese gunnery was never of a very high order and a few well-directed shells from the gunboats very quickly silenced these batteries. The Cockchafer then started to shell the town of Wan-hurien, and according to a reliable report landed a shell on the headquarters of General Yang Sen. The officers m charge of the expedition have nothing but praise for the Chinese engine-room staff, who stuck to their job and worked quietly and obediently throughout the whole of the fight.