The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-12-18
FAMOUS RAIDS ON ENGLAND
Danger Of Sea Attacks Has Shaped
Her Whole Policy

Although the last raid on Great
Britain took place in 1898
when small French force
landed in Pembrokeshire and
was captured the possibility
OF raids have played an important
part in its history. To it is due the
supremacy of the British fleet which
would never have been developed as
it has been II il had not been that the
most pacific of British statesmen has
recognized that without the command
OF the seas the very life of the nation
was in danger.
In the earliest days England was
the natural prey of the Germanic
tribes the Norsemen and Danes. Raid
followed raid and the English of to-
day are the amalgam of the peoples
who settled in the British Isles. Then
came the Norman invasion and dur
ing the next couple of centuries there
was enough passing TO and fro OF
barons between the Continent and
England in the course of feudal tur-
moil to justify on one or two occas
ions the cry of invasion:
When the parliamentary strife broke
out there was no European power in
terested in fighting England but after
the execution of Charles |. his son,
Prince Charles. was able to land in
England with 10000 men to attempt
to overcome the Protector Then be-
gan the momentous struggle for sea
supremacy between England and the
Netherlands and in 1852 Van Tromp
by his victory over Blake in the
Downs, felt hismself entitled TO hoist
the broom at his masthead in token
that he had swept the channel clean
of the British ships.
From this struggle really begins
the history Of tho Royal Navy. and =.
ended in the establishment Of British
supremacy. In 1863 the last success
full invasion Of England took place
William, Prince of orange, landed at
Tor Bay and proceeded at once TO
London His coming was In accord
ance with an arrangement with
large party in England and il was less
significant of the weakness of Eng
land on the seas than was the sue
cess with which James H.. the depos
ed King. invaded Ireland in the fol
lowing year.
John Paul Jones in l777 in the Ran
ger attacked the port of Whitehaven.
on the northeast coast OF England.
spiked the guns and burned some Of
the shipping, Two years later after
he had alarmed the coast of Scotland
by the cruise of his squadron. he
fought in his famous Hommc Rich
ard with the Scraps of Flsmborough
Head.
During the French revolutionary
wars the invasion OF some parts OF
the British Isles was one of the fav-
orite projects Of the French. The
British feet had. however. by this
time established it's supremacy. and
only two of the attempts came to any
thing
Far more serious were the prepar
ations made by Napolean TO enter
England In l04 he formed the great
camp of the Army of England at Bou.
ogne and prepared flotilla of fat
bottOmed boats TO carry his veterans
across the Straits. Trafalgar crush.
ed his hopes. but his attempt left
marked effect ON England. Nearly
every ablebodied man joined some
| kind OF a militia organization aud the
Yeomanry, or militia cavalry regim-
ents, which exist today, date from
this period Of stress.
For II has been always realized by
British strategists that the navy, how
ever strong 1t might be, could not
guarantee the British coasts from
raid. Naval manoeuvres carried out
year after year have shown that a
dashing commander could always
elude his adversary and raid isolated
open ports but that particular type u
exercise fell into disiavOr. because il
was presumed that shooting mp unde-
] Tended ports would never be INDUCED
in