COLOURS FLYING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1939, Page 7

COLOURS FLYING

LOSS OF THE RAWALPINDI ENCOUNTER WITH DEUTSCHLAND. STORIES OF THE SURVIVORS. Whenever the name Rawalpindi is mentioned the world will think of Captain E C. Kennedy, who, when a warship was sighted, calmly looked through his glasses and said: "It's the Deutschland all right," and who then pitted his lone armed merchant cruiser, with its crew of reservists and pensioners. against the might of Germany’: crack pocket battleship. The ship went down with flying colours off Iceland efter a 40-minute fight with two German warships. The gallant captain went down with her. Eleven survivors were landed at r. Scottish port, having been rescued bj the armed merchant cruiser Chitral. after having been in the sea for 22 hours. Their ship, they said, suddenly sighted the Deutschland and anothei battleship. The Deutschland immediately opened fire. They were six miles apart. The first shell blew away the bridge and the wireless cabin. The Rawalpindi replied, and had a direct hit. She followed ihis up with two more direc. hits although shells were bursting on all sides of her. A British cruiser arrived on the scene of action too late to change the issue of the fight; and it was significant that the enemy ships hurriedly slipper, away under cover of the approaching darkness. LIVE SHELLS IN PATH OF FLAMES One survivor, a first class petty of? fleer, said his job was in the aft magazine well below water mark. After one hit the lights in the magazine wen. out, and they knew that a fire hat. broken out amidships, ft was an inferno. He realised that there was nothing else to do but to flood the magazine Co prevent the ammunition from exploding. "1 called for eight men to come up with me to ‘B’ deck," he said. "Live shells and cordite were in the path ot sparks and flames shooting from the fire amidships. We began throwing shells overboard. I cannot remember how we reached the deck. The ship was ablaze all over and was being abandoned. “About 30 or 40 of us went over the side. We saw a waterlogged boat floating past, ft was a thousand to one chance of being able to reach it. Some of us did.” Frank Simpson, of Greenwood Close, Mordc-rn, described how he escaped. "It was ten minutes to five that 1 dived into the sea, when our ship was ablaze from stem to stern," he said. “My watch stopped at that time and 1 am keeping it as a memento of the adventure.” STEAMED AWAY. "I swam about 100 yards in the icy cold water and then I was pulled into a boat which was waterlogged. There were 17 men in the boat, and we debated whether or not to give ourselves up to the Deutschland or chance our luck. "We decided to give ourselves up to the Germans and rowed to the Deutschland. We were within 20 yards of her when she steamed away. "We were 15 hours in the boat throughout the long Arctic night before we were picked up by another ship." A CONTRAST. Mr Simpson produced a copy of a letter written by the captain of a German ship which was scuttled by its crew when stopped by the Rawalpindi in the Atlantic. The crew were taken cn board the British ship. The German captain wrote; "Sir, — Before we leave your ship please allow me to forward to you in the name of every member of my crew our hearty thanks for the excellent and humane treatment we have received at your hands. “You may forward our thanks also to your officers and crew in the hope that this war may soon come to an end. “I am,, most respectfully yours, A. B. Aswegen." CAPTAIN KENNEDY’S CAREER. Mrs Kennedy, wife of Captain Kennedy, has been staying at Crieff, Perthshire, with her two daughters. It was there that she received the news that her husband’s ship had gone down after its gallant fight, and that he was missing and believed lost. Her only comment when approached was: "He was only doing his duty.” For 10 years before the war Captain Kennedy was Conservative Party Agent in High Wycombe. Previous to that he was Conservative Agent for Mid-Beds. Ho had a distinguished naval career. He became a naval cadet in 1892 and three years later was a midshipman. He became a lieutenant in 1900, lieutenant-commander in 1908 and commander four years later. He attained captain's rank in 1917. During the last war he served with the Grand Fleet in the North Sea. From December, 1916. to March, 1918, he served in H.M.S. New Zealand, and from April to May, 1918. he was in command of H.M.S. Angora, which was employed in this period in laying mines in the Heligoland Bight. He was in command of H.M.S. Cassandra when she was sunk by a mine in the Baltic on December 5, 1918. A destroyer rescued the Cassandra’s crew. TYPICAL NAVAL OFFICER. He married in 1918 Rosalind Grant, daughter af Sir Ludovic Grant, Professor of Public and International Law in Edinburgh University. He leaves a family of three —Iwo daughters and a son. The son is 20 years of age and a midshipman in the R.N.V.R. "He was a typical naval captain." a friend said. "He was full of energy, but although he had had an adventurous career he was reserved about the part he played." Another friend said: "Captain Kennedy was a typical naval officer of the old school. 1 can well imagine him looking through his glasses and calmly remarking. 'lt's the Deutschland all right,’ before ordering the crew to ' their battle stations."