FISHERMEN IN WAR TIME 



the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Eric Geddes, 

 speaking with even greater knowledge of what had 

 been done, added words of praise. This was done 

 in the course of a memorable maiden speech on 

 November i — a speech in which the First Lord, in 

 the House of Commons, made a comprehensive 

 statement on the naval position. 



" Before closing this statement of naval activi- 

 ties," he said, " I would wish to mention the work 

 of the mine-sweepers and mine-layers and of their 

 gallant crews, largely recruited from our hardy 

 fishermen. Both these duties may be offensive as 

 well as defensive. Is it not an offensive measure to 

 lay mines at night in the tortuous channels of the 

 enemy mine-fields, with the possibility of attack 

 from his patrol craft or discovery and bombardment 

 from his land guns? Similarly, is it not an offen- 

 sive measure for the mine-sweeper to go into the 

 enemy mine-fields, which are protected, to sweep a 

 passage, as they have done, to enable their comrades 

 of the submarine or light surface craft to follow in 

 the next night?" 



Before paying that tribute the First Lord had 

 drawn a striking mental picture of the work done in 

 some quarters by the British Navy. During a re- 

 cent month the mileage steamed by battleships, 

 cruisers and destroyers in home waters amounted to 

 1,000,000 nautical miles; in addition there was the 

 ceaseless patrol of the Naval Auxiliary Forces, 

 amounting to well over 6,000,000 nautical miles in 

 home waters in the same month. 



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