Show MOST POPULAR OF ALL BRITISH CHIEFS frederick palmer writes of fi fighting commander of britaina Brit ains great fleet A MASTER OF HIS profession no matter what difficulties arise he Is always smiling the one man who cannot risk being absent from the fleet loved by officers by FREDERICK PALMER london 0 of all the great leaders of 0 the war sir john jellicoe commanding the british grand fleet la Is least known to the world and his Is tho the portrait which receives the most cheers when it Is thrown onto a screen at a london theater but the british public knows nothing of him except that he Is the fighting commander of the invisible power ot of the british navy when war was threatening it is related that a meeting of admiralty lords lords and others who would have the say was held to decide who in case of 0 hostilities should command the british fleet the opinions ran something like this it Is said jellicoe ile he has the brains jellicoe ile he is young 11 he e b has as the health to endure the strain efrain ile he has the nerve jellicoe ills his fellow officers believe in him jellicoe ile he has been tried la in avery branch of the sary ice that sort ot of recommendation helps when a man has to undertake such an immense responsibility he was given supreme command and the rest left to him A marked man from the time lie he was a midshipman jellicoe has been a marked man in the service said one of his admirals ile he is one of those men who seem to be born with tireless energy A r 7 air sir john jellicoe no matter what difficulties arise he Is always smiling both he be and beatty were on the first attempt to relieve the peking legations at the time of the boxer rebellion captain dellic 06 was then alce admiral sir edward seymours chief of beaff when ho he was wounded and the little band of seamen were surrounded by boxers and it looked as it if every minute might be their last he was smiling as c cheerily h eer as it if he be had been on the quarter deck nothing ever seems to ruffle his equanimity his person perso acl cl charm would win him his way anywhere but when you have served with him then you realize what a master of his bis profession he la Is only the commander in chiefs flag which she flies distinguishes the flagship which Is in tho the center of the fleet from the rest of the gray fight ers era in their precise lines at anchor in harbor sir john takes his exercise and his holidays pacing the cpr deek deck he never leaves the fleet even for a low aw hours the commander in chief to Is the one nian man who must take no risk of being absent it if the german pool should come out not tail mil spare his face tanned by the breezes he walks up and down the deck sometimes with one of his bis aides or with his chief of stair staff again with one ot of his officials everyone in the fleet Is familiar with the quick libb step of that slight figure with a teka cope always under his arm it a ship should come to anchor with a bow out of line he knows it it all his lighting fighting ships are under ills his ee and every human being on tho the fl fleet acet feels his personal presence makes it look easy descend a ladder under the shadow af two great inch guns and tha visitor is in a large cabin eiten dlo Is from side to 10 side of the ship which in n house would be called the dining dinan room here when ho he was in port in time of peace the he commander in 1 chief would give his off official lelal dinners in time of 0 war the cabin Is partly screened off as there is s more room than sir john and his staff need for or meals aft of 0 this Is what would be called in a house the sitting room the furnishings are of the simplest everything inflammable could lie be removed promptly in case of action the few names in the visitors book on a table were suggestive of we the fleets isolation from intercourse with the rest of the world one name was the kings and another the prince of 0 wales all and a few ew others were those ot of high officials the visitor looked about in vain for or signs of 0 the immense amount of 0 official detail which would seem necessary tor for the focal point of a vast campaign some stair staff officers and a few records were erd all the flagship Is kept cleared for or action in this as in all other respects the actual directing of the three thousand ships and auxiliaries of the british navy is carried on in a space occupied in a new york office by a lawyer and two or three clerks clerics an orderly went and came with messages from the wireless room which aside from rom the installation stal lation had space enough for the wireless operators to stand and no more officers said that it was difficult to contemplate how such a naval campaign as the british in this war could have ever been conducted without the wireless sir john could talk with the admiralty in london or with any ship whether off helgeland Hel goland or iceland ile he knew what each one was doing let a german cruiser her nose in the north sea and he had bad the news in a minute or two after she was sighted his fighting admirals beatty who sank the bluecher Is the youngest of sir johns young admirals forty tour four years of age boyish and quick sturdee victor of the tha falkland islands battle smooth shaven as smiling as sir john Is quiet spoken and rather studious in appearance he is an expert in naval strategy in the british navy promotion is by selection up to the grade of captain A man with a single flaw in his record as lieutenant must wait on others before he can become lieutenant commander those with perfect records in each grade are can cassed by boards and those who have shown industry and initiative are chosen to go over the heads beads of less active men the aim is to apply the system of civil life where ability rises and mediocrity must be content with the lower rungs of the ladder lelli jellicoe coe sturdee and beatty nty en the nav as boys boya of 0 fourteen none had any particular influence they made their way by industry sir john has served in every brach bra Urn ho fie la Is regarded as possibly the titi lext ordnance expert lo in the navy which means that he knows the guns which he will ire fire in section despite his amiability all agree that he has only one criterion success if an officer falls ho he Is saper ceded most of these young admirals sleep on the bridge even in harbor for the last ten years the average naval officer has worked harder than a man of any profession in civil life they have kept up the grinding drill which continues since the war began we can take no risks one of 0 them said our responsibility to tho the nation requires that we neglect nothing that devotion to duty will accomplish most of these crews you see bee have been at their posts whether gun pointing or passing ammunition for five or six years we want each man to be letter perfect in his part prompt in his decisions in all actions thus far the firing has begun at extreme range eighteen thousand yards at that distance a dread dreadnought naught painted the color ot of tha file sea Is a vague speck but one fortunate hit may be vital aal either side wants to get that fortunate hit first the accuracy of fire both at the falkland islands and in the hattle hattie of the dogger bank officers said had been as good as at battle practice seen among his admirals sir john jellicoe seems the head of a family in frequent consultation they know one another in the fellowship of their confined existence it if be had anything to say eay to one of them or they to him the of their remarks and the promptness of 0 his big replies were impressive decision seemed automatic with him lie ile showed the visitors over ove r the flagship himself calling attention tr things which be thought would interest them as he be led the way along the cramped passages behind the armor or pointed the way to enter one of the turrets where the gun crews were going on with their drill which they went through like so many machines most of them were in the late twenties or early thirties mature experienced and confident all they ask Is that the germans will come out said an officer they could not work any harder than they did before the war but the war has given them renewed eagerness |