June 8, 1916 
LAND & WATER 
Jutland, he headed off the possibiUty of a (jerinan retreat 
into the Sound or any attempt, by cither single fast ships 
or commerce raiders, to break past the British fleet and 
gain the Atlantic. There seems some authority for 
supposing that, almost as darkness fell, that is at 8.30 
or shortly afterwards, he exchanged shots with the group 
of ships that had been leading the German line before. 
Plan VII. June 1st. Daylight till noon. 
At this stage there were seemingly only two German 
battle cruisers left, but the Kociiins and Kaisers that 
composed the rest of the squadron could not be-usefully 
engaged in the light that gave the British 13.5 guns ho 
range advantage. 
The General Chase 
The final stage of the battle was the pursuit of the 
retreating German ships by the British destroyers and 
light craft. This continued for no less than si.x hours, 
and it was hot until three in the morning that the Com- 
mander-in-Chief was satisfied that all such German 
ships as could still steam had found their way behind the 
mine defences of Heligoland and the main German bases. 
All l:)attleships, cruisers and destroyers were now recalled 
■ — the battle cruiser squadron being at this point as far 
south as latitude 35. By daybreak on the anniversary 
of the glorious lirst of June, "the victorious British fleet 
reformed and made a systematic search of the scene of 
the pre\'ious day's engagements, it was a vast area 
that had to be swept. The lighting and jjursuit had 
extended by daylight alone over an ecjuilateral nearly 
100 miles by 100. But by noon no trace of friends or 
enemy had been found and the fleet returned to its 
bases. 
INTERPRETATIONS AND GOMMENTS 
(1) The leading of the B.G.F. 
Such, in the briefest possible outline, were the chief 
movements of the Fleet on this memorable day. Com- 
ment is Dcrhaps as premature as criticism must be ill- 
CONTENTS 
PAG! 
The Spirit of France. By Louig Kacmaekers 
Kitchener of Khartoum. (Leading Article) 
The Battle of Jutland. By Arthur Pollen 
The Trentino Front. By llilaire Belloc 
Sortes Shakes[)earian;e 
The Prime .Minister. A Character Sketch 
Raemaekers and the Red Cross 
Kitchener's Grave (Poem). By James Douglas 
( iermany s Mistakes (Strategical) . By Colonel I'-eyler 
Letters to a Lonely Civilian 
The Hohenzollern Ghost. By F""rancis Gribblc 
Tile West End 
Our Oldest Colony 
Town and Country 
Choosing Kit 
,1 
4 
10 
16 
if) 
17 
IcS 
20 
22 
24 
24 
xiii 
judged and out of place. If then I proceed to attempt to 
elucidate certain aspects of the tactics and strategy 
(•mi)loyed, or the character of someof the most striking 
incidents, it is because on many of these p(Mnts judgment 
, has ahx-ady been ])ronounccd, and in almost every case, 
a judgment, on the face of things, patently unjust. 
Take, for instance, the suggestion that has been made 
many times that the loss of Queen Mary, Indefatigable 
and Invincible is to be explained by their having been 
employed " in rash and impetuous " tactics, or sent to 
engage a superior force by the " over-confidence " of 
the admiral resi)onsible for their movements. One 
< ritic has gone so far as to say that the, opportunity 
afforded the German Conunander-in-Chief to overwhelm 
an inferior British force with greatly superior numbers 
was exactly what the enemy was looking for. No im- 
j)artial examination of the events, as I have recorded 
them, affords the slightest justification for any such 
aspersions. When Sir David Beatty, with his six battle- 
cruisers sighted von Hipper with five, he certainly went 
for them at his top speed and fought them as hard as he 
could. Von Hijipcr ]:)robably thought that he was 
carrying out his own j^lan and not Sir David's, in falling 
back upon the German Higii Seas Fleet, and, doubtless, 
when he effected a junction with that force, at a quarter 
to five, thought he would get the opportunity which 
the Times critic says he was awaiting. If so, he must 
have been signally disappointed by the skill and 
adroitness with which the British Admiral defeated his 
intentions. I'or the manceuvre had enabled von Hipper 
to join the main (kanian sc]uadron, also emibled Rear- 
Admiral I''\an Thomas to join Admiral Beatt>'''s sc}uadron, 
and the Ikitish ships haA'ing now a minimvnu sj^eed of 
25 knots, were able to keep the entire (ierman Fleet in 
play, without exposing themselves unduly, for a period 
of no less than an hour and a quarter, during which Sir 
David acted the part that in the first hour's engagement 
fell to von llijjper. But the difference betwetm the two 
exponents of the same man<cuvre was this. Yon Hipper 
led Sir David Beatty into what was no trap at all, and 
Sir Da\'id led von Hipper and Von Schecr into a veritable 
trap, from which they only escaped by incontinent 
retreat and the favour of the weather. 
If there were anything in this criticism, surely it would 
he sujiported by some facts. But Indefatigable and 
Queen Mary were, lost, not when Sir Davitl was engaging 
eight shi})s against nineteen, but when he was engaging 
six shij>s against fi\-e. Again Sir David Beatty's cruisers 
were continuously in action from 3.40 till nearly seven 
o'clock. We do not hear that Lion, Pr.inccss Royal, 
Tiger, New Zealand. Indomitable or In/lcxible were' at all 
seriously hurt. Yet had they been continuously, or 
even, rashly and imprudently exposed : if. at any stage', 
they had been trapjied and overwheliued, surely more 
than one of the lirst four would haw been knocked to 
pieces between a quarter to five and si.x, and f)ne at lea.st 
of the others' before a cpiarter to se\-en. 
(2) The loss of the B Cruisers 
It is time the myth that the Battle Cruiser Fleet 
is led by a dare-devil maniac should be laid to rest. 
'i>int it needs the rarest kind of couraa:e to <-xercise 
