In January 1915 Admiral Beatty took part in a battle with the German navy and one of the German ships, the Bleucher was sunk. This was thought to be one of the ships which took part in the German raid on Scarborough so the victory was all the sweeter. (The Bleucher was involved in the attack on Hartlepool which took place on the same day)
THE SCARBOROUGH PICTORIAL 3rd February 1915
At least three Scarborough seamen participated in Admiral Beatty's famous victory in the North Sea ten days ago, and brief references are made to the battle in letters from two of them.
It is obvious from these communications that the British sailors went into the fight determined to avenge the murderous attack which had been made upon the defenceless people of Scarborough six weeks previously, and all the world now knows what a hot time of it the German baby-killers suffered as they fled for all they were worth from the Lion and her attendant fleet of ships.
It was only fitting that Scarborough boys in blue should be there to get their own back on behalf of their native town.
"COWARDS WOULDN'T STOP"
Among them was Able-Seaman H.C. Smith, of H.M.S. Princess Royal, who is to make his home in Scarborough when his term of service expires. Writing to his fiancee, Miss L Hopkins, he says.-
"You don't want to be afraid of the Germans coming to Scarborough again. We are quite handy, and will give them a warm reception."
"As for the others we sank one and two of them were on fire, and if they reach harbour they won't be ready to come out for some time.
"The cowards wouldn't stop and give us a stand up fight. We chased them for three hours, firing at them all the time, but they were 30,000 yards away and we could not do effective shooting.
"When we did get in range we soon made ourselves felt. There were none of our ships lost, only the Lion damaged a bit."
They never hit us at all. I don't know how we escaped, for shells were flying all around.
"I wish we had sunk the lot of them, but better luck next time, which I hope won't be long."
"I THOUGHT OF DEAR OLD SACRBOROUGH"
E.L. Scott, also on the Princess Royal, where he is serving as a plumber's mate, in the course of a letter to his sister at the Woodland's Dairy, Ramshill-road, says:-
"You will have heard of our battle with the Germans.... We had just caught them on their way to make another raid, and didn't they get it hot! (Not half!) I would give anything to hear the Scarborough people's opinions of our 'splash.' I guess they were delighted. Of course we were not!
When the old guns rattled, I thought of dear old Scarborough, and hoped they would avenge that raid. And we did it in proper style, too! I feel proud of the old P.R. We don't mind keeping the flag flying as long as we can drop across the same size prize-packet as we did last Sunday."
"LET 'EM ALL COME!"
Arthur Hick, also took part in the engagement as a member of the crew of the light cruiser H.M.S. Birmingham. "Our battle cruiser's," he says, in a letter to his mother, "Didn't half give them socks! They really pounded them to a jelly, more so the Bleucher. It was the finest sight I have ever seen.
It was lovely British weather - nice and fine. We don't want dirty and misty weather like the Germans do. Let 'em all come. We can "brown" them off just the same. You can rest assured that Scarborough will not be bombarded again for some time to come."
