Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express, etc. — 1915-11-27 (Penistone, South Yorkshire, England)

OUR SEA POWER.  Topical Lecture at Chapeltown.  ' An inlereMing and instructive lecture On thusilbjed ot the military value of poem. eas given on Montito- evening, in the Chapeltowu Working Men's Club and Institute, by Sub-Commandant M. Wynter Myth, of the Hoyland Common Training Corps. The chair rims taken by Mr. W. Kay, J.P.  Sub-Commandant tyth commenced his  levtuire with the question "What is War" and in auseering .aid, "Not primarily to kill one another, hut rather to impress your will upon the enemy by destroying his armed fortes, or his goods. in such a manner as to make it impossible for him to tarry on warfare. This is done by concentrating the greatest number of men and munitions on a certain spot, and at a certain time Attacks on unfortified towns, and on innocent noncombatants is not war; it is murder. The first object of sea power is to obtain corn._  mead of the sea. The Germans stated, for the edification of neutral countries, that they •srere fighting tor the freedom of the seas; but their idea ot freedom was very different from ours. The 'fact that we could tilt-Import troops for the protection of small nations . and the support of our allies was not comipatible with the German notion of freedom. To retain our supremacy the first essential was a very large fleet to enable us to successfully encounter the enemy and put into force an effect4ve blockade, just leaving him a free passage out if he desired to take the initiative. The value of the command of the sea, continued the speaker, depended upon the geographical position of the countries at war. It was quite possible in warfare between two Continental Powers that supremacy at sea might not be a vital matter, as in the case of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The collapse ot' France on land was complete, and the superiority she possessed at sea was of no avail to the Republic, there beirog no water to cross, as transport vessels were not needed. In the prescrit war the reverse was the case. Our island state was the heart and centre of.a great empire. Our Trontiers in Egypt, south Africa, Canada, were open to attack, and the military value of seapower for the transport of troops was apparent. It is useless and puerile for the Germane to say, "Where is the British Fleet?" Germany despised the British Army, but had. a certain respect for our . .  !Navy': Their bitterest blow in the war was !when they found in our Navy a superior ‘fighting spirit, and when we demonstrated Ito the world that Germany had no fleet "in being." In the opinion of the speaker the German Nary would never come out to battle, but would keep their fleet as a nucleus to expand into a tremendino naval force to try conclusions with us after the present war. After further developing his subject with historical illustrations from our famous sea battles in the days of Nelson and  Napoleon, Mr. Myth, in row. •lusion, said no  nation could obtain world-power without command of the sea. Whatever privations  the future had in store for us, it was absolutely essential that we should retain the supremacy so vital to our existence as an Empire. (Loud applause). 'rho Chairman moved a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer.  Mi. 1). H SEIL, in secondin,g, remelted that although there were some attributes which could be admired in the Germans, Audi as their perset enlace and pertinacity, the fact, remained that they were absolutely  without soul. and without honour. He quite agreed with Mr. Timothy Healy's remark. that the tiermans were " a nation of Judases."  An interesting discussion followed. and Mr. Myth replied to the va.rious points raised.  CHAPELTOWN MAN WoUNDED.  Pte. Edgar Parkin, of Chapeltown, Severely. wounded while serving with  the R.F.A. in France.  * .