Chapter XI: Submarines

I begin this chapter with a letter written to me on April 18th, 1918, by Colonel Sir Maurice Hankey, Secretary to the War Cabinet:--

MY DEAR LORD FISHER,

Last night I dined with Lord Esher. He showed me letters of
yours dated 1904 describing in detail the German Submarine
Campaign of 1917. It is the most amazing thing I have ever
read; not one letter only, but several.

Also some astonishing remarks of yours about the Generals
who ought to man the War Office in case of war. All men who
have come to the top were your nominees. Finally, General
Plumer (whom few people knew about) you picked out for
Quartermaster-General, with this remark: “Every vote against
Plumer is a vote for paper boots and insufficient shells!”[8]

Priceless, the whole thing! Neck-busy though I am, I have
come to the Office early to pay this tribute of my undying
admiration, and to beg you to get hold of these astounding
documents for your Memoirs. But anyhow, they will appear in
Lord Esher’s Memoirs, I suppose.

Yours ever,
(Signed) M. P. A. HANKEY.

Now follows a letter which I wrote to a High Official in 1904, and which I had forgotten, until I came across it recently. It’s somewhat violent, but so true that I insert it. I went as First Sea Lord of the Admiralty shortly after--very unexpectedly--and so was able to give effect (though surreptitiously) to my convictions. Not only Admirals afloat, but even Politicians ashore, dubbed submarines as “playthings,” so the money had to be got by subterfuge (as I have explained in