OF VARIOUS INCIDENTS
The only damage affecting her fighting efficiency which our ship
sustained in the Battle of Jutland was the damage to her boat booms.
This was repaired within the week, and, had the necessity arisen, we
could have again gone into action seven days after our return to the
northern base. But the Huns were far too busy licking their wounds to
trouble us further at this time. Gradually and grudgingly they were
forced to admit the great losses which they had at first so strenuously
denied and ignored. It was a dilatory and undignified performance, by
no means redeemed by the "military reasons" (!) which they adduced in
excuse, and it certainly did not tend to increase their prestige in
the eyes of the watchful neutral nations. There being, therefore, no
immediate need for our services, we remained in harbour enduring with
what grace we could command the nerve-racking clamour set up by the
dockyard mateys as they meticulously made good all our minor damages.
On the afternoon which saw their work complete down to the last bolt
and rivet, we received the usual signals preparatory to going to sea,
and some time in the first dog watch proceeded out of harbour.
The following day dawned calm and fine, the visibility remaining good
throughout the day. At 9 A.M. we went to "Divisions" on the upper deck,
and were just about to march forward to the quarter-deck for prayers
when H.M.S. —— on our port beam opened fire with her secondary armament
on a Zeppelin which had suddenly appeared from behind a small cloud.
The shells did not take effect, but the Zepp turned tail and fled at
top speed.
Immediately after prayers we went to "Control Parties" for an hour in
order to be ready in case any more airships materialized. However,
nothing occurred and at about 10.30 the "Secure" was sounded. I went
on the bridge at 11 o'clock, as it was my submarine lookout watch, and
there heard that the light cruiser ——, operating some miles ahead of
the Fleet, had hit a Zeppelin which had subsequently disappeared over
the horizon, badly down by the nose, and apparently about to descend to
the water. We were told to keep a sharp lookout, but no sign of her was
seen.
After lunch "General Quarters" was sounded off and every one went to
their "action" stations.
Commodore "T." had reported some time before that he was in touch with
the enemy's heavy forces.
The battle cruisers were now just in sight on the horizon on our
starboard bow, and we rejoiced to think that this time they would not
be able, as at Jutland, to keep nearly all the fun to themselves. We
all strained our eyes ahead for the first glimpse of the "Hoch See
Flotte," but the minutes flew by and at 2.30 there was yet no sign
of them. Then a second communication was received from Commodore "T."
saying that the enemy was flying at full speed towards Heligoland, and
at 3 P.M., as we were getting among the Hun mine-fields, we had to
reluctantly abandon the chase and turn for home.
* * * * *
Rumours of that "leave" to which we were all so eagerly looking forward
had been flying about since the beginning of August, but it was not
until September 10 that the Flagship hoisted the signal for us to
raise steam. We weighed at 6.30 P.M. and steamed out to sea, and the
next morning at 8.30 we dropped anchor in ——. Getting under way again
at noon we proceeded into dock, and as soon as the caisson had been
floated into place and sunk, we were free to go on "leave."
I caught the 3.30 dockyard train to Edinburgh, and on arrival there
fell in with the Captain of Marines, the dentist, and one of the
R.N.R.A.P.'s, and had dinner with them at the North British Hotel;
after which I embarked on the 10.30 train for London, where I arrived
at 8 o'clock the next morning.
_This was the first leave, other than "sick leave" that he had had
since leaving Dartmouth on August 2, 1914, and it is not surprising
that he declared it to be the best he had ever spent. Details would,
however, be of little interest to the reader, and so I will only add
that I had the great pleasure of taking him down to my bank, and
there opening an account for him with the first cheque received from
the publishers on account of "royalties" for "From Dartmouth to the
Dardanelles," which had appeared the previous June. I remember I
gave many fussy maternal injunctions as to the necessity of keeping
"tally," and begged him not to emulate the example of that naive
lady who, on receiving a courteous intimation from her banker that
her account was overdrawn, replied indignantly that that was quite
impossible, because she still had several cheques left in her
cheque-book!_
On Thursday, September 21, leave was up, and in company with most of
our officers I travelled that night to Edinburgh, arriving in that town
at 7.30 the next morning.
We changed into the special train for ——, where our ship was in dock,
and arrived there at 10 A.M. We had considerable trouble with our
luggage as no vehicles were available, and we had to lug our traps
along as best we could until we met a cart proceeding in the required
direction, the driver of which—for a financial consideration—consented
to relieve us of our burdens.
On reaching the ship we found our quarters still absolutely
uninhabitable. Dockyard hands were working all over the place, and
all gangways and flats were encumbered with a mad medley of iron
plates, stray fittings, and the usual collection of filth which a ship
always manages to accumulate in the course of a refit. After wandering
forlornly about for an hour with nowhere to go and nothing to do,
we got leave from the Commander to quit the ship until 9 A.M. the
following morning. Campbell and I promptly made tracks for the dockyard
gates, where we had the luck to pick up a taxi, which drove us to the
nearest station, and we returned to Edinburgh. On arrival Campbell
telephoned to some of his relations who lived in Ayrshire, and hearing
that they were at home, departed thither by the 1 P.M. train. About
half an hour later the rest of the gunroom mess turned up with the
information that "leave" was granted until the morning of Monday, the
25th.
This intelligence I wired to Campbell, and then repaired to lunch
at the North British Hotel. After lunch, finding that I had run out
of cash, I bethought me of Messrs. Gieves, naval outfitters, and
ever-ready friend in need to the stranded N.O., and repairing to their
Edinburgh establishment explained my dilemma, and requested them to
cash a cheque for me. This, with their unvarying courtesy, they
promptly did, and with a financial crisis thus happily averted, I
returned to the hotel for tea.
I was awfully bored at the thought that I actually had two days of
precious leave on my hands and nowhere decent to spend it, and I was
wondering if in spite of the expense it might not be worth while to go
south again, when I got a wire from Campbell asking me to join him in
Ayrshire, which invite I joyfully accepted. But as there was no train
that night I had to defer my departure until the next morning.
Campbell's relatives proved most kind and hospitable, and after
spending a very pleasant week-end I returned with him to the ship on
the morning of the 25th.
We had hardly arrived before the Captain, who was always great on
sport and exercise, ordered us all to go out hunting with some local
basset hounds. This order was received with a regrettable lack of
enthusiasm. Still, an order is an order, and so at 12.30 I started out
with two of the others. Unfortunately we had omitted to ascertain the
whereabouts of the meet, and when, after walking several miles and
making many fruitless inquiries, we eventually discovered the kennels,
it was only to find that hounds had gone and no one could tell us their
destination. Disconsolately we wandered about for hours, but never a
sign of the hunt did we see.
At 4 P.M. we spotted three of our Snotties in a motor-bus returning
from their equally unsuccessful search, and so we joined them and went
back to the ship. The only three of our mess who succeeded in finding
hounds turned up very cross, footsore, and weary at about 8 P.M., and
accused us—most unwarrantably—of shirking!
By 9 A.M. next morning we were out of dock, and coaling started at
11.30 and finished at 2 P.M.—not a very good average. After coaling we
found the bathroom in a disgusting state—no lights, no water, no steam.
Eventually we managed to procure a mere dribble of cold water with
which we had to remove the coal-dust from our persons as best we could.
After "General Quarters" next morning a hideous rumour arose that we
should be required to go basseting again that afternoon, but mercifully
other affairs intervened, and furthermore it began to rain, so to our
great relief basseting was declared off.
Most of the gunroom mess went to Edinburgh again, but I stayed on board
and spent a quiet hour or so writing letters.