https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/russian-warships-trapped-2cf6ljdjh
Considering the relative strength of the opposed forces, the result must have been a foregone conclusion. The heavy guns in the German Dreadnoughts would outrange and overpower the armaments of the older Russian vessels. The Slava, which has already figured in several engagements in the Gulf, was sunk after a gallant stand against the superior enemy. That two other large Russian vessels should have escaped was due to their retirement into the Moon Sound, but even there they may not find safety.
It is probable that the Russian minefields will, for a little time, offer an impediment to the German ships. When, however, these obstructions are swept away, it is unlikely to be long before all the islands are taken.
It is clear that the failure of the Baltic Fleet to put in an appearance when the strength of the German force became known in Petrograd was the primary cause of the loss of the islands. A couple of old battleships, with the assistance of a flotilla of destroyers and gunboats, could not be expected, even with a display of the most stubborn courage, to withstand the formidable squadrons to which they were opposed. That this little division of the Russian Fleet sacrificed itself in an attempt to delay the enemy is a high tribute to its gallantry and patriotism. That it was not reinforced from the fleet in the Gulf of Finland was due, it must be supposed, to the loss of discipline brought about by the Revolution.
The stirring appeal of M Kerensky to the fleet appears to have been of little avail. The mastery of the Gulf of Riga lays open to German enterprise the whole of Esthonia’s eastern shores. If anything like a normal condition of efficiency can be restored to the Baltic Fleet, it may yet be capable of offering opposition to the advance of the Germans in the Gulf of Finland.https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-10-18/register/russian-internal-chaos-rbdpglxq0
One of the most disquieting symptoms of a disquieting situation is the steady growth of anarchy. The news from the provinces becomes worse daily. Under the heading “Anarchy,” in big black letters, the papers give accounts of events in the country. Rioting at Kharkoff was started by “dark influences” and led to the sacking of the Monopoly Spirit Refinery. In Astrakhan and other places spirit stores have also been sacked and set on fire. Peasants from Kaluga arrived at Kursk to purchase corn, against regulations. When the authorities tried to get possession of the railway station the peasants appealed to a passing trainload of soldiers, who supported them against the representatives of the law. A fight ensued, and the local commissary had his head broken by a stone. The peasants are taking possession not only of the land, but also of manor-houses and cattle.
These are a small sample taken at random from this morning’s papers. In Petrograd, while the life of the capital flows on almost normally in outward appearance, below the surface a very different state of things prevails. The Militia are searching for 18,000 criminals who are known to be loose. The number of questionable resorts and nightclubs is multiplying. Gambling is enormously on the increase. Nearly every night “scandals” take place, often ending in shooting.
The inflated currency and its consequent depreciation of the rouble, the ease with which money is made by large sections, and the inefficiency of the militia are all tending to undermine morality. No one seems to care about anything. The man on the street is tired of politics and wants law and order. A sort of apathy is settling on the people. The daily list of robberies includes an increasing number of the most barefaced and impudent kind.
The Provisional Government has decided to take energetic measures to combat the malady. Commissaries in the disaffected districts or the local military authorities will take charge in case of disorders, but they will act only in strict unison with the local committees. This measure is excellent in itself, but the mere fact that the Government has resort to the assistance of committees — a cumbersome method of getting things done — shows how far it believes in its own strength.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-10-17/register/womens-work-for-the-army-gjxd2bd7d
The first sorting is done outside, where the sacks as they come in are emptied. This is not a savoury job. The boots are usually thick with mud; some have the soles dropping off, and others are filled with rotten straw or an old sock that the man had stuffed in to ease his feet. All, to the uninitiated eye, look unfit for further use. But the sorters know better. Their trained hands and eyes quickly decide what can be made fit for active service again and what must be scrapped. Even if one of a pair is unfit for further use, the other is salved, for there may be another odd one to go with it.
Another group of women take the boots, clean the mud from them, clear out all the foreign matter from inside, and plunge them in great tanks of warm water mixed with carbolic acid and scrub them thoroughly. They are put to drain on racks, and then another group of women coat them with warm castor oil. Next they pass into the hands of a group of amazons in overalls, who put the boots on a species of iron last, and with hammer and hack-knife and wide, sweeping movements of their strong arms tear off the old sole and heel. The boots are now sorted into their sizes in pairs, and another group tacks on temporarily the correct size of sole before it goes to be nailed on by machinery. The soles are riveted, the toe plates fixed, and hobnails hammered in by hand. The sizes are stamped on the sole, the welts trimmed and sand-papered. The heels are inked and the boot is again oiled, and then it goes into store and awaits requisition. These boots are often preferred by the men to new ones, as they are softer in wear, having been broken in by other men.
The noise is intense, but the women do not seem to mind. There are 200 employed in this factory. Most were originally engaged in jam and pickle factories, but preferred a work that linked them more closely to the fighting units.
october 19, 1917
Russian warships trapped
The latest news of the German enterprise in the Eastern Baltic indicates its complete success. The occupation of Oesel Island has been effected, apparently without great loss. The Russian naval forces were too few and too weak to withstand the German squadrons. With the fall of the coastal batteries on the Sverbe Peninsula the passage of the Irben Channel was forced. The heavier German ships were then able to enter the Gulf of Riga.Considering the relative strength of the opposed forces, the result must have been a foregone conclusion. The heavy guns in the German Dreadnoughts would outrange and overpower the armaments of the older Russian vessels. The Slava, which has already figured in several engagements in the Gulf, was sunk after a gallant stand against the superior enemy. That two other large Russian vessels should have escaped was due to their retirement into the Moon Sound, but even there they may not find safety.
It is probable that the Russian minefields will, for a little time, offer an impediment to the German ships. When, however, these obstructions are swept away, it is unlikely to be long before all the islands are taken.
It is clear that the failure of the Baltic Fleet to put in an appearance when the strength of the German force became known in Petrograd was the primary cause of the loss of the islands. A couple of old battleships, with the assistance of a flotilla of destroyers and gunboats, could not be expected, even with a display of the most stubborn courage, to withstand the formidable squadrons to which they were opposed. That this little division of the Russian Fleet sacrificed itself in an attempt to delay the enemy is a high tribute to its gallantry and patriotism. That it was not reinforced from the fleet in the Gulf of Finland was due, it must be supposed, to the loss of discipline brought about by the Revolution.
october 18, 1917
Russian internal chaos
One of the most disquieting symptoms of a disquieting situation is the steady growth of anarchy. The news from the provinces becomes worse daily. Under the heading “Anarchy,” in big black letters, the papers give accounts of events in the country. Rioting at Kharkoff was started by “dark influences” and led to the sacking of the Monopoly Spirit Refinery. In Astrakhan and other places spirit stores have also been sacked and set on fire. Peasants from Kaluga arrived at Kursk to purchase corn, against regulations. When the authorities tried to get possession of the railway station the peasants appealed to a passing trainload of soldiers, who supported them against the representatives of the law. A fight ensued, and the local commissary had his head broken by a stone. The peasants are taking possession not only of the land, but also of manor-houses and cattle.
These are a small sample taken at random from this morning’s papers. In Petrograd, while the life of the capital flows on almost normally in outward appearance, below the surface a very different state of things prevails. The Militia are searching for 18,000 criminals who are known to be loose. The number of questionable resorts and nightclubs is multiplying. Gambling is enormously on the increase. Nearly every night “scandals” take place, often ending in shooting.
The inflated currency and its consequent depreciation of the rouble, the ease with which money is made by large sections, and the inefficiency of the militia are all tending to undermine morality. No one seems to care about anything. The man on the street is tired of politics and wants law and order. A sort of apathy is settling on the people. The daily list of robberies includes an increasing number of the most barefaced and impudent kind.
The Provisional Government has decided to take energetic measures to combat the malady. Commissaries in the disaffected districts or the local military authorities will take charge in case of disorders, but they will act only in strict unison with the local committees. This measure is excellent in itself, but the mere fact that the Government has resort to the assistance of committees — a cumbersome method of getting things done — shows how far it believes in its own strength.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2017-10-17/register/womens-work-for-the-army-gjxd2bd7d
october 17, 1917
Women’s work for the army
One of the most remarkable factories in England is conducted by the Royal Army Clothing Department, and is run entirely by women, with the exception of about five skilled men over military age. It is a salvage factory for old Army boots. Here are sent discarded boots from France and from the home commands to be sorted and the best made suitable for wear again.The first sorting is done outside, where the sacks as they come in are emptied. This is not a savoury job. The boots are usually thick with mud; some have the soles dropping off, and others are filled with rotten straw or an old sock that the man had stuffed in to ease his feet. All, to the uninitiated eye, look unfit for further use. But the sorters know better. Their trained hands and eyes quickly decide what can be made fit for active service again and what must be scrapped. Even if one of a pair is unfit for further use, the other is salved, for there may be another odd one to go with it.
Another group of women take the boots, clean the mud from them, clear out all the foreign matter from inside, and plunge them in great tanks of warm water mixed with carbolic acid and scrub them thoroughly. They are put to drain on racks, and then another group of women coat them with warm castor oil. Next they pass into the hands of a group of amazons in overalls, who put the boots on a species of iron last, and with hammer and hack-knife and wide, sweeping movements of their strong arms tear off the old sole and heel. The boots are now sorted into their sizes in pairs, and another group tacks on temporarily the correct size of sole before it goes to be nailed on by machinery. The soles are riveted, the toe plates fixed, and hobnails hammered in by hand. The sizes are stamped on the sole, the welts trimmed and sand-papered. The heels are inked and the boot is again oiled, and then it goes into store and awaits requisition. These boots are often preferred by the men to new ones, as they are softer in wear, having been broken in by other men.
The noise is intense, but the women do not seem to mind. There are 200 employed in this factory. Most were originally engaged in jam and pickle factories, but preferred a work that linked them more closely to the fighting units.
No comments:
Post a Comment