Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-24
JELLTCOES BOOK
ON GRAND FLEET
arthur Pollen Also Contrib
utes to Story of British
Nays achievements

The thoughtless query nut not only
in neutral lands but frequently in Eng
land itself during the course Of the
world war, "What is the British navy
doing to justify the contention and
tradition that Britannia rules the
wave?' is answered authoritatively,
though from some what different angles
by Admiral Viscount Jellicoe, of Scapa,
G. C. B., o. NJ; G. c. ", in ''The
Grand Fleet, 1914 1915" and by Arthur
II. Pollen, in "The British Navy in
Battle"
Admiral Jellicoe's portly and impor-
tant book will certainly rank as one OF
the monumental source volumes OF par
ticularzed material brought to type by
the war. Mr.. Pollen's book is more
general in treatment and topic, is less
bulky in substance and considerably
less "documented :" it has, too, the
stylistic advantage of the organizing
faculty of trained writer, knowing his
subject, keen in observation and school
ed in making his impressions count,
though this is not to imply that the
is some divergence of opinion notice
able in the viewpoints of the two writ
ers concerning the policy proper to the
conduct Of the battle of Jutland.
If Admiral Jellicoe, at 80 in the
evening of May 81, 1916, had deployed
the six divisions of his battle fleet to
starboard instead of to port, would an
other Trafalgar have befallen the Ger
man high seas fleet off the coast Of
Jutland? Or had Admiral Jellicoe press
ed the battle during the night or at
first dawn started in search of the Ger
man ships, would the war have been
shortened by year and would the world
have been spared the agony of the un-
restricted submarine warfare? These
are among the potentialities which Mr.
Pollen has raised in his volume. Admiral
Jellicoe defends his policy in his book.
What Mr.. Pollen calls Excessive eau
tom he defends as necessary pru-
idence." Persons interested in sea war
fare or in the world war from its naval
side will want to read both books and
then frame individual answer to these
potent questions. The books furnish
ample material for debate.
But, after all, potent as they would
have proved in 1916 they can readily be
dismissed in view of the event-which
brought the vaunted Germany navy
sinking servilely into Scapa Flow.
Admiral Jellicoe gives the Inside
done" "the closeup" to the problems
both numerous and perplexing, which
confronted the Admiralty during the
e hat liN,tl
course, could never have been printed
had not the German navy been virtually
Enthusiastically eliminated, really,
as combatant force-from the seas.
Admiral Jellicoe candidly answers the
question as to what the British Navy
was doing. He Eliminates radiantly the
dark corners of official reticence, neces
sary "for the duration" The creation,
development, work and consummate
achievements of the grand fleet are in
spiringly as we'll as informingly set
forth in his interesting volume. Best
of all it does not take mind technically
trained in sea warfare to understand and
appreciate his descriptions, estimates
and judgments.
Mr.. Pollen devotes only part of the
tation of the fleets contributions to
allied victory. There is cause for just
pride in its achievements, and in the
course of setting these down naturally
some of the worlds debt to the vigilant,
efficient and prepared British navy come
to the fore. But Mr.. Pollen, an ac-
knowledged expert on sea warfare and
particularly on the British navy, has
emphasized other matters-the building,
equipment, drill, personnel, methods,
etc.-in his graphic story. From nayl-
CATION to ballistics he covers every in
teresting point. Access to official reports
at the Admiralty is the basis of ac-
curate data for his material, while his
style is vigorous and vivid.
THE GRAND FLEET. BY Admiral Viscount
iellicoe Of scapa. New York: George H.
THE iS' T 1BRiTisH NAVY IN BATTLE CT no,,,Ts BY
Arthur II. Pollen Garden CITY, Doupie-
day Page & Co. $3.50.