The British Navy in BattlePollen, Arthur Joseph Hungerford
History
The British Navy in Battle
Pollen, Arthur Joseph Hungerford
Great Britain. Royal Navy; World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations
4. “I then left _Emden_ and returned and picked up the _Buresk’s_
two boats, rescuing 2 sailors (5:0 P.M.), who had been in the
water all day. I returned and sent in one boat to _Emden_, manned
by her own prize crew from _Buresk_, and 1 Officer, and stating
I would return to their assistance next morning. This I had to
do, as I was desirous to find out the condition of cables and
Wireless Station at Direction Island. On the passage over I was
again delayed by rescuing another sailor (6:30 P.M.), and by the
time I was again ready and approaching Direction Island it was
too late for the night.
5. “I lay on and off all night, and communicated with Direction
Island at 8:0 A.M., 10th November, to find that the _Emden’s_
party consisting of 3 Officers and 40 men, 1 launch and 2
cutters had seized and provisioned a 70-ton schooner (the
_Ayesha_), having 4 Maxims, with 2 belts to each. They left the
previous night at six o’clock. The Wireless Station was entirely
destroyed, 1 cable cut, 1 damaged, and 1 intact. I borrowed a
Doctor and 2 Assistants, and proceeded as fast as possible to
_Emden’s_ assistance.
6. “I sent an Officer on board to see the Captain, and in
view of the large number of prisoners and wounded and lack of
accommodation, etc., in this ship, and the absolute impossibility
of leaving them where they were, he agreed that if I received his
Officers and men and all wounded ‘then as for such time as they
remained in _Sydney_ they would cause no interference with ship
or fittings, and would be amenable to the ship’s discipline.’ I
therefore set to work at once to transship them--a most difficult
operation, and the ship being on the weather side of the Island
and the send alongside[C] very heavy. The conditions in the
_Emden_ were indescribable. I received the last from her at 5:0
P.M., then had to go round to the lee side to pick up 20 more men
who had managed to get ashore from the ship.
[C] _I. e._ the rise and fall of the sea.
7. “Darkness came on before this could be accomplished, and the ship
again stood off and on all night, resuming operations at 5:0 A.M. on
11th November, a cutter’s crew having to land with stretchers to bring
wounded round to embarking point. A German Officer, a Doctor, died
ashore the previous day. The ship in the meantime ran over to Direction
Island to return their Doctor and Assistants, send cables, and was back
again at 10:0 A.M., embarked the remainder of wounded and proceeded for
Colombo by 10:35 A.M., Wednesday, 11th November.
8. “Total casualties in _Sydney_: killed 3, severely wounded (since
dead) 1, severely wounded 4, wounded 4, slightly wounded 4. In the
_Emden_ I can only approximately state the killed at 7 Officers and 108
men from Captain’s statement. I had on board 11 Officers, 9 Warrant
Officers, and 191 men, of whom 3 Officers and 53 men were wounded, and
of this number 1 Officer and 3 men have since died of wounds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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