Royal Navy and ships

Methuen's Naval Officers.  It will be noticed that the photographer has painted numbers upon the breasts of certain of these gallant officers. They are numbers of sad and honourable significance. No 1 is Commander A P Ethelston, No. 2 Major J H Plumbe, RM, No 4 Captain Guy Senior, RM, and No 5 Midshipman Huddart, who were all killed at Graspan on November 25 1899 while No. 3 is Lieutenant Jones, RM, who was wounded at the same place.

Naval Squadron at Simon's Town.  Simon's Town is the headquarters of the fleet in South African waters, and the place from which the operations of the Naval forces in the war were primarily directed, and from which the Naval Brigade set out to join Lord Methuen. Normally the squadron is not a very powerful one, Admiral Harris's flag-ship, the "Doris," being only a second-class cruiser, but the ubiquity of the British Navy soon enabled it to be reinforced. It is useful to remember that the squadron represents that engine of world-wide Sea Power without whose protecting influence our operations in South Africa would have been impossible.

A very suggestive scene is this of Bluejackets hauling along to the railway a 4'7-in. gun on the new wheel-mounting ready to discharge its lyddite at the front. The dockyard at Simon's Town has turned out many wheel gun-mountings upon Captain Scott's principle, which have withstood the heaviest work of the hard campaigning, and Lord Roberts remarked of one mounting he saw that it was "worthy of Woolwich." Captain Scott worked out his idea with the assistance of Lieutenant Ogilvy (now promoted to commander for his services in Natal) and Assistant-Engineer Roskruge. The stresses were carefully calculated, and the strain was distributed so that every bolt and bit had its proportionate share. Waggon wheels and a heavy balk of timber for a trail led to more finished construction, and the 47-in. gun, weighing more than two tons, became almost as mobile as the 12-cwt. 12 pounder. Finally, when Captain Scott was commandant at Durban he superintended the construction of a mounting for a 6-in. gun which was sent up for the use of Sir Redvers Buller. The whole work of preparing the Naval guns: for field work was a triumph, and won the unstinted praise of the Commander-in-Chief.

Lord Roberts inspecting a Naval detachment.  When Lord Roberts arrived at the Cape he displayed the greatest interest in the work at Simon's Town, and has expressed generous admiration for the work done by the Naval Brigades. It was with the satisfaction of a good soldier that he examined the new gun-mountings, of which he was to learn the practical value in the field, and inspected the men of the contingents. During the period he spent in Cape Town, making preparations, and ordering fresh dispositions for the campaign, he saw much of the Naval forces. In this picture the gallant field-marshal is seen inspecting a contingent from the fleet in company with Admiral Harris and Captain Prothero of the "Doris," then convalescent from the wound he had received at Graspan. The Naval Brigades have suffered heavily in the course of the war. The death of Commander Egerton, after having had both legs amputated in consequence of a wound received when bringing the Naval guns into action at the critical time at Ladysmith, was peculiarly sad. The tale of loss at Graspan was also mournful—Commander Ethelston of the "Powerful," Major Plumbe and Captain Senior of the Royal Marines, and promising young Midshipman Huddart, with many other gallant men. All had gone to the front with the full flush of patriotism; they displayed courage, resource, dash, and bravery before the enemy; they accomplished their task, and many of them found honoured graves on the veldt.

These pictures have relation to the Naval forces which went up to join Lord Methuen. November was a busy month on board the ships in Simon's Bay and in the dockyard at Simon's Town. A week after the Boer ultimatum orders were issued for the formation of a Naval Brigade. The men were equipped in khaki and organised, and everything necessary for their service was prepared, and field-pieces and machine guns were sent ashore, while heavy guns were hoisted out of the ships and mounted on the wheel carriages which had been devised and made. There was practice-firing and testing of the mountings and much else to be done. Sir Robert Harris addressed the men before they left, and said he knew they would do honour to the Navy. One detachment went to Stormberg and then to De Aar early in November, and on the 19th Captain Prothero left Simon's Bay and proceeded with the brigade to Lord Methuen's headquarters. When Captain Prothero was wounded at Graspan, Commander De Horsey of the " Monarch" was for a time in command, and the Brigade took part in Lord Roberts's operations under Captain Bearcroft of the "Philomel."

Rear-admiral Sir Robert Harris, KCMG, and his Staff.  The Commander-in-Chief on the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa station, who has held that appointment since April, 1898, has had the duty of organising the Naval Brigades which have taken part in the war. He is well known as a highly accomplished officer, who has shown many-sided capability, and who has had long experience. He is the author of several professional works, and has enjoyed special opportunities as inspector of boys' training ships and in command of the Training Squadron, and from May, 1896, to January, 189S, he was a rear-admiral in the Mediterranean. His service of over forty years and his intimate knowledge of all that concerns the personnel of the fleet pre-eminently fitted him to direct the formation and organisation of the Naval Brigades. The rear-admiral it represented in the picture with Flag-Captain Prothero, Flag-Lieutenant Kennard, and his secretary, Mr WooIIey.