Forcing the Straits

Critical point reached

No honours for pirates

Three more forts of the Dardanelles, two of them situated in the Narrows have been silenced and the task of reducing the other defences is proceeding satisfactorily.

On Saturday the Queen Elizabeth supported by the Agamemnon and the Ocean bombarded Fort Hamidieh 1 Tabia and Hamidieh III across the Gallipoli peninsula, the Queen Elizabeth was hit but not damaged.

On Sunday four French battleships entered the Straits and silenced the battery of Mount Dardanus. The Agamemnon and Lord Nelson then advanced and engaged the forts at the Narrows by direct fire. Both ships were struck but the damage is not serious.

The seaplanes have accomplished thrilling reconnaissances. One machine was hit no fewer than 28 times and other eight times in locating concealed positions, one of the pilots was wounded but managed to return.

The Blockade

The failure of the German blockade of the British coast is evidenced by the fact that in the second week of the enemy submarine activities not a single vessel of ours was lost. In an Admiralty statement issued last night particulars are given of 14 instances in which unsuccessful efforts were made by the German U boats.

On Sunday however these vessels scored a solitary success, sinking off Ilfracombe, the Bengrove, a Liverpool vessel which was proceeding from Barry with coal. The crew took to the boats and were saved.

Air raid on Ostend

Six naval aeroplanes

Fifteen bombs dropped

The press bureau on Monday issued the following statement: Wing Command Longmore reports that an air attack on Ostend was carried out yesterday by six aeroplanes of the Naval wing. Of these two had no return owing to petrol freezing.

The remainder reached Ostend and dropped eleven bombs on the submarine repair base and four on the headquarters of the military. All the machines and pilots returned. It is probable that considerable damage was done.

Activity of aviators

The official statistics have been issued regarding the aerial services carried out up until January 31.

The whole of the old and new squadrons carried out about 10,000 reconnaissances during eight months of war corresponding to more than 18,000 hours of flight.

In order to form an idea of what was accomplished it is efficient to observe that these flights represent a distance of 1,800,000 kilometres transversed or 43 times around the world.

These remarkable results were not obtained without grievous losses which are comparable to and often more severe than those of other arms as far as the number of killed, wounded and missing are concerned.