NAVAL HERO

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23082, 22 December 1944, Page 2

NAVAL HERO

Service In Two Wars Career Of Admiral Keyes The navigation lights in the Vest I Fiord were winking merrily just before I dawn on March 4, 1941. Nobody on shore, it appeared, was aware that five British destroyers and two infantry landing ships, each with a Norwegian pilot on board, were stealing along towards the Lofoten Islands. Nobody on shore realised what was happening when later, in bright sunshine but cold so intense that the sea-spray fell in drops of ice, the men from the landing parties waded ashore. No opposition was encountered. The Inhabitants warmly welcomed the raiders, British and Norwegian sailors and soldiers, who hours later returned to their ships with 225 prisoners and over 300 Norwegian volunteers. The raid on the Lofoten Islands was the first really large-scale Commando raid, and the man responsible for its planning was Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes, now Baron Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover, and at that, time Director of Combined Operations. While on shore, a party of Royal Engineers destroyed an electirc light plant, oil tanks, and a number of fishmeal and fish-oil factories—the latter being used by the Germans to produce glycerine for explosives. A naval demolition party sank four ships, and a fifth fell to the gunfire of the destroyer Tartar. This was the s.s. Hamburg, a large floating factory and refrigerator ship. Long Service Lord Keyes has had experience of combined operations several times in the course of his naval career, including of course the exploit from which he takes his title. Born in 1872 he entered the navy in 1885, and saw service five years later at the British protectorate of Witu, in East Africa, where a naval force was sent under Admiral Sir E. Fremantle, to put down the disorders permitted by the Sutan Bakari. He then went to the China station and took part in the China War of 1900, being mentioned in dispatches and promoted to the rank of commander.

Admiral Keyes was promoted to captain in 1905, and for two years served as Naval Attache at Rome, Venice, Athens, and Istanbul. From 1910 to 1914 he was captain and commodore in charge of the submarine service, in the days when the submarine was still something of an experiment, and was fighting for its recognition as an offensive craft. In 1915 he was chief of staff in the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron, at the time of the Gallipoli campaign. He was mentioned in dispatches, awarded the C.M.G. and D. 5.0., and made Commander of the Legion of Honour. Admiral Keyes went home in 1916 to be captain and later rear-admiral in the Grand Fleet, and in 1917 was Director of Plans at the Admiralty. Then in 1918 he was promoted to acting viceadmiral and given command of the Dover Patrcl.

The Zeebrugge Raid The naval base of Zeebrugge, occupied by the Germans In 1914, had been a thorn in the flesh to the navy throughout the war. It lay just across the Channel from England, and from its shelter destroyers and submarines menaced the navy and the troops which were constantly being ferried across the straits. Admiral Keyes determined to neutralise Zeebrugge once and for all. On St. George’s Day, 1918 (April 23), he- took a naval force across the Channel. A landing party was detailed to attack the long 'mole. The old cruiser Vindictive and the ferry boats Iris and Daffodil managed to get through to the mole under a storm of shells and landed their men. Meanwhile a submarine had slipped in under a viaduct connecting the mole with the mainland and blown it up, cutting off the Germans on the mole. There was fierce hand-to-hand fighting, and no attention was paid to three old British cruisers, which manoeuvred themselves into a favourable position in the harbour, and proceeded to sink themselves. They were filled with cement and blocked the entrance to the harbour. The Vindictive and the ferry boats then picked up those that remained of the landing party and returned to England. A successful raid on Ostend had been carried out at the same time as the attack on Zeebrugge. Admiral Keyes was created K.C.8., K.C.V.0., and received French, Belgian, and American honours.

Daring Exploit A few months later Admiral Keyes took part in another exploit that must have been after his own heart. In October, 1918. the Germans were retreating. but were still in the outskirts of Ostend. Keyes had promised the King and Queen of the Belgians to take them over on a trip to Ostend, so that they might be the first Belgians to return to their country. He went over in the Termagent—the captain of which was Andrew’ Cunningham, now First Sea Lord —to reconnoitre, but had to beat a hasty retreat, and informed the King and Queen that “the party would have to be off.” But they “pleaded so hard” that he consented to take them. They landed on the night of October 17 at Ostend and walked up to the Hotel de Ville, where they found Belgians sitting in the bar drinking champagne by the light of candles stuck in bottle-necks. Their landing had been unnoticed, but the King was recognised in the streets, and received a terrific welcome. The party got away again in the Termagent just before the German batteries opened fire. He entered Parliament in 1934 as National Conservative member for Portsmouth, and he held this seat until his elevation to the peerage in January, 1943. He played an important part in the historic debate on the Norwegian campaign which led to Mr Chamberlain's resignation and Mr Churchill’s premiership. He appeared in admiral's uniform, in order that he might be a more appropriate sookesman for “some officers and men of the fighting, sea-going navy who are very unhappy.” He ended his speech by saying. “One hundred and fortv years ago Nelson said. ‘I am of the opinion that the boldest measures are the safest.’ and that still holds good to-day." Director of Commandos Almost immediately after the fall of France small raids on the French coast were begun, under the direction of Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Bourne, adjutant-general of the Royal Marines. The men. volunteers, were mostly members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; the craft were an odd collection of private motor boats. The first raid, a reconnaissance raid, was carried out on the night of June 23-24. 1940: the next, on Guernsey, took place on July 14-15. Two days later it was decided *o plan raids on a larger and more important scale, and Admiral Keyes was appointed Director of Combined Operations. Sir Alan Bourne willingly consenting to serve as his second-in-command. Some months were to be spent in training and equipping before the largers raids began, but in February. 1941. the parachute raid on Southern Italy was carried out, and next month the' attack on the Lofoten Islands Then in August Canadians and Norwegians raided Spitsbergen. Meanwhile three commandos had been sent to Egypt, where, with two locallyraised ' commandos, they made up “Lay-force” under Colonel mow Major-General' R. E. Laycock. Some of them raided Bardia and Tobruk, others landed in Crete to fight a rearguard action, others were in action in Svria. With this last force. No. 11 Commando, was Major (later Lieu-tenant-Colonel' G. C. T Keyes, the Admiral’s eldest son. as a second-in-command. This force landed at the mouth of the Litani River and captured a redoubt, enabling the Australian shore troops to advance Later, in November. 1941. Lieutenant-Colonel Keyes took part in the brilliant attempt to capture General Rommel in his Libyan headquarters, which only failed because tile general was absent. I lieutenant-Culoliel Keves lost til:, lite in the raid and vvas awarded a pos.t*'"dmiial K>v<- retired from the post ot Director ot Combined operations iii t" toper. 1941