READY TO FIGHT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 256, 30 October 1939, Page 9

READY TO FIGHT

NAVY’S PREPAREDNESS SUDDEN ATTACK EXPECTED MASTER MARINER’S IMPRESSION WELLINGTON. Oct. 25. “From what I was told while I was in England, the British Admiralty evidently anticipated that the present war would begin with a sudden German attack not preceded by any formal declaration ol war. and they had everything ready for such an eventuality,” said Captain D. R. Patterson, master of the Shell Oil Company's tanker, Paua, in an interview to-day on his return from spending six months’ leave on a trip to the United Kingdom. While he was at Home Captain Patterson attended on board a naval vessel a special course for merchant marine master mariners covering the operation of the convoy system, elementary gunnery and otner war emergency conditions. Precautions at Sea. The British Navy was in readiness long before the Germans invaded Poland, Captain Patterson said. The full extent to which the advent of war was anticipated was indicated by tiie fact that before the ship on which he travelled to Sydney left Liverpool there had been placed on her a supply of sand and sandbags for use in protecting portions of the liner's superstructure. She sailed a week before Germany and Britain were at war, but even at that stage maintained a zig-zag course and was completely blacked-out at night. Captain Patterson said the evacuation of London had begun before ne left, and business firms were operating with skeleton staffs, who were also awaiting instructions to move to the country. At that stage he had quarters at the oliices of his company, but he found the atmosphere so depressing that he moved to an hotel. There he found the social life of the city in full swing, principally farewell parties for men wno had been called up for active service. There was already a partial black-out in London at night. Electric night signs and floodlighting of buildings had been discontinued, and during the day there was already a marked diminution in the’ volume of street traffic. Exodus from London. Captain Patterson said that shortly oelore sailing he motored from Devon to London along one of the main highways and they encountered a] heavy stream of private cars in which! famines were leaving the metropolis. Anti-aircraft guns seemed to be everywhere and they had already been j fully manned. "The early part of the journey out | was an anxious time for those on board,” said Captain Patterson. "A constant look-out was maintained with the assistance of volunteers recruited from among the passengers, and I was in charge of one watch for i art of the trip. We were in the Mediterranean when the war began. The ship was steaming hard and maintained 20 knots while we remained anywhere in the danger zone. We were not convoyed, but were several times visited by warships, and once a British bombing aeroplane came over to have a look at us. When we at last reached Fremantle we thought we were in paradise."