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[Page 24]
(SECRET)
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE,
MELBOURNE
15th August 1914.
Instructions to Colonel W. Holmes, D.S.O., B.D., Commanding Australian Naval & Military Expedition:
(1) On 7th August 1914 the following cablegram was received from England:-
The Hon. the Minister for Defence:
"His Majesty's Government gratefully accepts offer of your Ministers to send force of 20,000 men to this country, and would be glad if it could be despatched as soon as possible. Secret. If your Ministers at the same time desire and feel themselves able to seize German Wireless Stations at Yap in Marshall Islands, Nauru or Pleasant Island and New Guinea we should feel this was a great and urgent Imperial service. You will, however, realise that any territory now occupied must be at the disposal of the Imperial Government for purposes of ultimate settlement at the conclusion of the war. Other Dominions are acting in similar way on the same understanding, in particular suggestion is being made to New Zealand in regard to "Samoa."
(2) The Australia Fleet consists of the following ships:-
(a) H.M.A.S. "Australia"
"Melbourne"
"Sydney"
"Encounter"
"Yarra"
"Warrego"
"Parramatta"
The German fleet details in the vicinity consist of the following ships:
(b)
| Flagship "Scharnhorst" | 23 knots | 8-8.2" | 6 - 5.9" | 18 - 22 Pr |
| "Gneisenau" | do | do | do | |
| "Geier" | 16 knots | 8-4.1" | 5 -1pr | |
| "Condor" | do | do | do | |
| "Cormoran | do | do | do | |
| "Planet" | 9.5 knots | 3 -1 PR |
(c) The China Fleet unit consists of the following:-
H.M.S. "Minotaur" (Flag)
"Triumph"
"Newcastle"
"Yarmouth"
"Hampshire"
and 8 T.B. Destroyers.