JUTLAND EPIC

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXVI, Issue 7910, 3 October 1929, Page 4

JUTLAND EPIC

SAVING HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP LION ,‘v 1H1!! LLTNG STUDY 1 . , SYDNEY, August 13 [ Captain Cbabimr*, who as a member I of i In- si.fl'of Admiral Beatty, was on , l lie bruiff of iI. MS. Lion all through Iti e cng.'igcnumr, Imd a fascinating Kl.my of L'm Lav.ln of J inland tu a [ I rge gathering at Lin; (Jailed Service I irst it u tnni. In i be. beginning bn acclaimed fcbe “iliini : y of tlm Germans, and explained tbat this "'as tine to stereoscopic sights. When tin: British afterwards tried to inlroduu) this method it was found tbat limy b id let tbo men with stereo scopie sight. Germany bad searched the land m obtain just this personnel for her guns. It was interesting to note how modestly and yet tellingly Captain Chalmers brought out the fact that the morale of the British gradually asserted itself. Pie did not dwell much on personal acts of heroism, but iold a deathless stoiy of how Major Haivey saved the Lion, and showed the navy why great ships like the Queen Mary and the Invincible “wont up like squib:-:.” Major Harvey was in the gun house of the Lion when it was hit. Every man in the gun bouse was lolled, but Major Harvey, who iiad both legs shot away, fell near a speaking tube.. Into cbe lube be said : “Close the doors, and flood the magazine.” The doors were closed and so the graph! i e spark, which would have travelled into the magazine and inevitably blown up tbo Lion, was diverted, it went through another course out on to the mess deck which it swept, kill ing every man there. Major Harvey, who died immediately afterwards, was awarded the V.C. Captain Chalmers supported the action of Admiral Beatty in giving battle to the German fleet immediately be received the first signal, and of Admiral Jelieoe in refusing to continue the battle during the night. Commenting on the lattei’s action he pointed out that a British destroyer, expected to stand by one of its own battleships all night, discovered in the morning that it h id been doing this duty bes de a German ship.