JUTLAND BATTLE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 826, 3 October 1916, Page 6

JUTLAND BATTLE.

BOY'S VIEW OF IT. A MIDSHIPMAN'S LETTER. | A mi-Khipman of I*. «ho «a. in a ! chip which took part in ;hr trrat naval I battle in th* North S»a. »*nt lh:* lftt»r • j to his mothrr. It ia publisher] h\ "The j Tim«-i..' - | •'• i ''As \mi mi doubt li:*vi- read, the n ' weather was ver\ mislv, which kept nt .. , • - I, us li'iiiii :i ilci-iMvc vi«-tur\. I! was us p . very exciting, ;uiil mi..- we were 1:1 c- it I (juilr enjoxed it. hut the waiting before wasn't vcr\ nice. M\ action : station is in ;i lurrel right in the j forepart of the ship, and I viewed the action through a periscope in the tur- , ret. The noise \v;is deafening, and I I had lost inv ear protectors, hut I was too excited to notice the noise. I Thought a Lot of You. '•'Flic battle cruisers gave them hell, and were firing just in front. A destroyer just in front of us had jits funnel blown otr and started to •■ blaze away. It was a desperate i sight. Then a big ship close to us j blew up amidships anil started to 'sink. 1 got a line view of her. There were lots of nun hangling from liie stern and rafts in the water. A destroyer stood b\ to pick jthem up. "Huge splashes came from (ierman I shells falling into the water fairly .close to us ? and some ricochetlcd lover us (I can't spell it '.) "I am absolutely none the worse „. j for it. Our captain and commander ~ both wore white heather in their 1 caps. As the first gun in the turret '* 1 was in fired our gun's crew gave a great cheer, which made me feel all funny. "1 thought a lot of you and bow wonderfully good you've been to me ..' all through my life. I also thought .'. of daddy. I bad unite a long time to think in before we got into it. p' "Next morning we met a Zepp.. and tired at it. hut it disappeared bejhind a cloud. I have a memento in the shape of a lube which tired the second shot in our turret. "We had a memorial service this j morning, the hymns being •!!(!•. 401. 110. At the same time the dead . were buried ashore. We sent a midshipman to assist in carrving the

i collin of ;i midshipman. "All tin- next night wo had to sloop in our turrets. An overcoat laid on a stool lloor was in> hod. Wo expected a destroyer attack in the ,' night and some ships liml one. Our fierce part of the action lasted ahont If) minutes. ''Alter a few shots from the turret it became very hot, and wo .ill look off our coats. t)f course. 1 was wearing my new Gievc's waistcoat. We went into the action with a big Union Jack Hying and two white ensigns on (lie mast and another ensign astern, so that there was no mistak- | ing our nationality. "The next morning we were con-

linually passing wreckage and Ibodies, sonic villi lift-hills mi. Once an open boat passed with some officers nml men who luckily escaped. We haven't reiceivcd any London papers with the account of it. I bet the "Dailx Mail" has a colossal head-line. We have obviously sunk more biff ships of theirs i than they have of ours. Well, well, ; this is enough '." Jolly Decent to Me. Another Midshipman said to the , "Telegraph": "Every thing went just as it does at drill. During the action 1 1 fell an intense but quiet sort of exhilaration. It was after it w;is all over thai one began In feel upset and to think of the fellows who had been ! killed—onl\ a short time before one | had been changing cigarettes with them. Singulark enough. I did not .know that mj ship had been hi! until I went below. "We buried our dead a! 7 o'clock on Thursday. The bodies writ- put |in sailcloth and weighted. There was a short service. Two Innins

were sung, and the marines tired three vollcjs. I was awl'ulh son > to lose . lie v ;i.s alwa\s jolly decent to me."