Rear-Admiral Gordon Campbell, V.C., D.S.O.

              REAR-ADMIRAL GORDON CAMPBELL, V.C., D.S.O.



Distinguished British Naval Officer

Whose exploits in fighting German Submarines during the World War attracted world-wide attention


Figure


Portrait by Hay Wrightson, London





LECTURE SUBJECT:



(
Illustrated throughout with stereopticon pictures
)



How the British Q Boats fought the German Submarines




Exclusive Management of LEE KEEDICK, 475 Fifth Avenue, New York




Printed in U. S. A.






Heroes of the High Seas



M
ANY remarkable incidents of the World War have been described by men who took a foremost part in that titanic contest.  In point of thrilling interest, however, none has surpassed the story that will be told by Rear-Admiral Gordon Campbell, one of the most distinguished officers in the British navy, who will make his appearance on the American platform this season.  In a lecture of an extraordinary character, entitled:  
How the British Q Boats Fought the German Submarines,
 he will give a vivid account of the campaign which the British admiralty conducted against the submarine menace by means of decoy ships, or Q boats, as they were termed.  This did much toward preventing the wholesale destruction of merchant and passenger vessels belonging to the allied powers.  As commander of one of the Q boats, Rear-Admiral Campbell repeatedly faced death with his heroic companions on the high seas while fighting German submarines under the most amazing conditions.  His experiences in an entirely novel mode of warfare will form the leading features of his notable lecture, which will be strikingly illustrated with stereopticon pictures.





OFFICERS OF A Q BOAT

Disguised as tramp seamen.  In the centre of the group is Rear-Admiral Campbell, smoking a pipe
.





A BRILLIANT CAREER



W
HEN the World War began Rear-Admiral Campbell, who then held the rank of Lieutenant, was only twenty-eight years old, but he had already attracted attention by his superb qualities as a naval officer.  The war not only demanded a new type of naval fighter, but also a thoroughly original method of attacking the German submarines, or U boats—Britain's greatest menace.  Lieutenant (now Rear-Admiral) Campbell was therefore one of the first men to be placed in command of a decoy ship.  It was a post requiring untiring energy, high intelligence, unwavering patience and readiness to act swiftly at a decisive moment.  It also necessitated a genius for preparation and close attention to details.  For this task Lieutenant Campbell, although one of the younger naval officers, seemed to have been particularly created.  His eventual achievements proved that the confidence of the British admiralty had not been misplaced.  Out of twelve German U boats sunk by the decoy squadron his ships sank three.  His personal bravery resulted in his government awarding him the Victoria Cross and Distinguished Service Order and two bars.  From the French he received the Croix de Guerre and was also appointed an Officer of the Legion of Honor.  At the close of the war he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral.





INGENIOUS NAVAL TACTICS

AFTER A BATTLE
 
After a desperate battle with a German U boat, one of Rear-Admiral Campbell's decoy ships is shown sinking.  The submarine, badly injured, had fled
.





A
T the opening of the World War the German submarines inflicted enormous loss on English shipping, and this was accomplished with ease.  Every day brought disheartening tales, merchant vessels being sunk and their crews drowned.  Even the swiftest passenger ships were not exempt from attack, as was shown by the tragic destruction of the Lusitania.  It was then that the British naval authorities devised the plan of sending out a squadron of armed ships disguised as tramp steamers.  It was arranged that when any one of these ships was attacked, the crew, pretending to be panic-stricken, would take to the boats, leaving a sufficient number on board to fight with hidden guns when the moment came to throw off all disguise and hoist the British naval ensign.  As the Germans invariably opened fire on any vessel or discharged a torpedo, it was realized that in an attack some of the crew would inevitably be killed or wounded, but that was merely one of the hazards of war.





LURING THE ENEMY



An old collier of two thousand tons, which Rear-Admiral Campbell first commanded, had been partly rebuilt and equipped with guns concealed beneath hatchway covers.  Others were placed inside imitation deck houses, which collapsed like cards by the jerk of a lever.  To an ordinary observer the ship appeared to be an ill kept, dirty, uninviting tramp steamer of the worst type.  The crew wore no uniforms but were dressed as tramp seamen, both officers and men having obtained garments from second-hand clothing stores.  All were volunteers, and among them were commanders, lieutenants and midshipmen.  The genius of Rear-Admiral Campbell was shown in teaching his crew to act their parts to perfection so that even an expert would be deceived.  These precautions were necessary, for a ship could be viewed from a long distance by a submarine officer.  Consequently, the men were trained to slouch about the deck, smoking pipes or to lean over the rails chatting, as tramp seamen usually do when off duty.  All naval ceremony was dropped, officers were not saluted, and the gunners kept out of sight.





DISABLED BUT VICTORIOUS
 
Before sinking a German submarine, a Q boat commanded by Rear-Admiral Campbell was disabled by shells fired by the enemy, but was eventually towed ashore
.





SINKING A SUBMARINE



Rear-Admiral Campbell was at sea nearly seven months before a submarine was sighted.  When the


 German boat opened fire, his crew, as pre-arranged, pretended to become panic-stricken, while the commander, on the bridge, waived sic wavedhis arms frantically as if in alarm.  The boats were lowered and a 
panic party
 left the steamer at once.  When the submarine rose to the surface and approached the ship, fire was withheld until all the guns could be brought to bear at point blank range.  Then, at the sound of a shrill whistle, the British ensign suddenly floated on the masthead, the deck houses collapsed and the ship's guns opened fire, the first volley striking the conning tower of the U boat, on which the German commander was complacently smoking a cigar.  A few seconds later, under a rain of shells and bullets, it sank, with the hatches open and the crew shrieking.  Although the decoy ship was leaking badly it was kept afloat until towed into port.





A FAMOUS VICTORY



On another occasion, when Rear-Admiral Campbell's ship was chased by a submarine, he ordered full speed ahead, as if attempting to escape.  Gradually drawing closer, the U boat kept up an incessant firing.  After an hour or two Rear-Admiral Campbell had some steam turned on from a pipe to give the impression that the boiler had been struck.  Then the ship stopped.  A 
panic party
 immediately left the vessel in pretended confusion.  At closer range the submarine fired again and a shell exploded some ammunition, several men being hurled in the air while others were wounded.  The deck took fire and as the flames spread the rest of the ammunition was quickly removed.  Another hastily organized 
panic party
 then lowered boats and rowed away, as if the ship had been completely abandoned.  Although the engine room was flooded and the engineers had been wounded they remained at their posts.  As the ship was slowly sinking fire was opened on the submarine and a torpedo also discharged, whereupon it submerged and fled.  Soon afterwards two British destroyers and an American naval boat arrived on the scene, and those on board the Q boat were saved just as the vessel was disappearing beneath the waves.





AN EFFECTIVE SPEAKER



In his lecture Rear-Admiral Campbell will give a graphic account of his various thrilling experiences in fighting the German submarines, which he shared with one of the finest companies of gallant naval men ever gathered together.  As a story of desperate adventures on the high seas in modern times his story has never been surpassed, and it is certain to hold the interest of every audience that hears it.  That Rear-Admiral Campbell, moreover, is endowed with a remarkable personality has been attested by Admiral Sims of the United States Navy, who met him on several occasions during the World War.  
To me,
 says Admiral Sims, 
he appeared to be an ideal British naval officer,—non-committal, of cool temperament and absolutely without nerves.
  Such is Rear-Admiral Gordon Campbell, one of Britain's naval heroes, who has a great story to tell and who will tell it in his own effective way during his American lecture tour.





RESCUED
 
U. S. Destroyer coming to the rescue of Rear-Admiral Gordon Campbell's disabled ship
.