BRITISH RESERVE FLEET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 9

BRITISH RESERVE FLEET

SPECIAL EXERCISES KING TO REVIEW NEARLY 130 SHIPS i 12,000 MEN TO BE CALLED UP [ British Official Wireless ] £ Received July 14. 5..”» p.m. i RUGBY. July 1 :. t Special training Tor naval rc- ; i servists in connection willi lie;, forthcoming exorcises of llie: ( Home Gleet, involving th? calling] £ up of .12,000 additional reservists ( and Ihe commissioning of between j 50 and 60 ships in reserve was announced in the House of Commons I by the. Prime He added that the King would 1 review the reserve fleet of about 130 ships in Weymouth Bay on | August 8. The rose rvisis will rejoin on July 31. and it is anticipated that the exercises will last I until about the third week in September. Mr. Chamberlain explained that, these measures are being taken in order to obtain the fullest possible ad-1 vantage from the combined Fleet and I air exercises which have already been ] arranged for August and September,; and thereby to advance the degree of, efficiency of the Fleet. The calling up of retired naval officers, reservists, and pensoners will be under the recent!/-passed Reserve and Auxiliary Forces Art. Subsequent to the Royal review, for which the King will travel down specially from Balmoral. The ships of the reserve fleet will leave to “work up" before the exercises. They will be reduced to reserve at the end of September. Among the ships in reserve to be specially commissioned are one battleship, one aircraft-carrier, about sixj teen cruisers one mine-layer one destroyer depot ship, about 32 d.e- -| stroyers, and four submarines, j The reserve fleet as a whole was i last commissioned for review and I exercises in 1924, It is anticipated that; a supplementary estimate will have Io be preI sented to meet the cost of those mea- ; sures.