ON BOARD THE RENOWN

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160641, 3 May 1920, Page 6

ON BOARD THE RENOWN

DISTINGUISHED OFFICERS. Lieut. Duncan F. Forbes, who is accompanying Admiral Sir L. Halsey in the Renown as assistant secretary, has relatives in New Zealand, and he can date his connection back to the (time of the Maori War, 1860-64, Lieut, Forbes joined the Navy in 1913, and served during the war for three and a quarter years on the staff of ViceAdmiral Sir Arthur Leveson, two years in H.M.S. Orion (Battle of Jutland), and the remainder of the period in H.M.A.S. Australia (being lent to the Royal Australian Navy for,that purpose). From September, 1918, to the following March, in H.M.A.S. Australia, he was on the staff of Sir Lionel Halsey, and was with him at the Admiralty to July, 1919, during which period Rear-Admiral Halsey was present at the Officers’ Pay Committee. Lieut, Forbes is the grandson of tho late Fleet Surgeon Charles Forbes, M.D., E.N., who served in H.M.S. Calliope on tho Australian station from 1849-54. He married tho eldest daughter of the late Major-General G. F. Murray, 65th Regiment, at Wellington, in 1851, and was, after the return of the Calliope to England, for a short time in private practice in Wellington. On the outbreak of the Crimean War, -however, Dr. Forbes returned to England and served through, tho campaign. Be will be remembered as a writer on the geology of New Zealand. Lieut. Forbes' great-grandfather, Major-General G. F. Murray, served in New Zealand with the 65th Regiment from 1847-65, and was in command at Taranaki dnnng the Maori Wax of 1860-64. His grandmother's sister married Mr William Russell, for many years manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Wanganui, and now resident at Christchurch, bo that members of that family are cousins of Lieut. Forbes. His mother was formerly Miss Florence N. W, Welch, of Auckland.

Sub.-Liouitenaiit Lord Lewis Mosret* batten, R.N., is the second son of Ad-* miral the Marquis and Marchioness of Milford Haven. Ho was born at Windsor in 1900, and entered the Royal Navy as a naval cadet in 1913. He was for a year at Osborne, and in July, 1914, was mobilised in H.M.S. New Zealand. Thence be went to Dartmouth and Key ham Colleges, and was promoted midshipman in July, 1916, when ho was appointed to H.M'.S. Lion, transferring in February, 1917, to H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, and served in her until June, 1918, He served in H.M.Q. Submarine K6 (lent from the Queen Elizabeth) for two months. After visiting ib© Western front in the middle of 1918, Sub-Lieu-tenant Lord Louis went to the Royal Naval Torpedo School, to take the tor* pedo control course, and in August, 1918, ho was appointed to H.M.S. P3l, whera he served until September, 1919. At the present period, under Admiralty scheme, Lord Louis is at Christ's College, Cambridge, working hard for an examination, and this should be completed before the departure of the Renown, to which be has been appointed Flag-Lieu-tenant to Admiral Halsey. Lord Louis’s only brother, the Earl of Medina, K.C.V.0., was out in New Zealand in 1913, where he will be remembered as Prince George of Battenburg. The Earl of Medina served in H.M.S. New Zealand during the war until the end of 1916, and be was present at all the three battle-cruiser actions. After that he joined H.M.S. Lion, and is now a fully-qualified ’gunnery expert haring obtained 97 per cent, in passing his specialist examinations. Lord Louis himself was not known until 1917 as H.S.H. (he Prince Louis F. of Battenburg, and, although still a prince, in common with nearly all the other members of the Royal Family, hj« now, at the King’s request, styles himself as “Lord." Both he and his cousin, the Jtiinoe of Wales, are great grandsons of Queen Victoria, the Prince through the eldest sons, and Lord Louis through the eldest daughters). The Prince and he are great friends, and it) is at the express desire of the former that his cousin is accompanying him on this tour as Flag-Lieutenant. It is interesting to note that out of 80 other cadets in the passing-out examination at Keyham for the rank of midshipman, Prince Louis, who, by tbe way, stands 6ft lin in his socks, came out top of the list. While serving in P3l, he was second-in-command. The vessel was a submarine destroyer about 250 ft long, with a complement of about 60, and she claims to have sunk one of the last submarines to be disposed of in the English Channel, while Lord Louis was second-in-command. She was selected to represent the anti-submar-ine service at the Thames River Pageant in August, 1919, and was inspected by the King. Admiral the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven live at Kent House (built by Queen Victoria for her mother, tbe Duchess of Kent, Osborne, in the Isle of Wight.

Lord Louis cabin in the Renown has been decorated in a shade of pale blue, and among the pictures, nearly all of which are original water colours, are two rather fine ones—a “Roman Cossack" by Salomke, and one of H.M.S. Renown herself steaming at full speed, by W. L. Wyllie. There are six midshipmen of the Royal Australian Navy posted to tile Renown. Their names are J. A. V. Nisbet, Hubert F. Carse, Henry G. Carter. Sydney T. M. Gower, Ronald B, A., Bunt, and Walter H. S. Rands. They all six entered the Royal Antralian Naval College at - rvie Bay in the early part of 1915, and completed the course in December, 1916. Leaving Australia the following month they came to England via South Africa, and joined H.M.S. Renown in May, and accompanied the Prince of Wales to Canada on his recent trip.