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[Page 117]

S.S. "EASTERN",                                                                                               
At Sea,                                                                                                                    
14th January 1915.

The Secretary
for Defense,
MELBOURNE:

I have to acknowledge the receipt of your wireless telegraphic message W.9075, as under:---

"Please wire under what authority promotions Lambton, Brace girdle, Bowen, Webber and Buller, referred to in Gazette No. 3, authorized, as in four cases they are not eligible under regulations either by service or qualification. Naval Board ............ promotions be cancelled. Board should in future be consulted before any promotions Naval Officers authorized."

This message was handed to me on board this Ship, just as she was leaving Rabaul on Saturday, 9th instant, and owing to difficulty of transmitting wireless message just now from Rabaul, I deemed it better, as I had handed over the office of administrator to Colonel Pethebridge, and was returning myself by the "Eastern", to reply to the message by letter.

My appointment was that of Officer Commanding an independent Expeditionary Force, Consisting of both Naval and Military units, dispatched to foreign parts on a special mission. I therefore, considered it came within my jurisdiction as such Officers Commanding, to promote Officers of either units as vacancies occurred, or appoint additional Officers to take the place of those who were selected for purely administrative duties. This course was absolutely necessary in the interests of the fighting efficiency of the Force, of which, under the peculiar circumstances, I respectfully submit I alone on the spot could judge.

With regard to the Naval Officers mentioned, vacancies occurred in the three senior positions, Commander Beresford being invalid, Lieut. Commander Brown withdrawn, and   Lieut.Commander Elwell killed in action; it, therefore, became clear that if the Naval unit was to preserve its usefulness on service, these positions must be filled, and, as officer Commanding the Expeditionary Force, charged with a responsible mission which I was expected to bring to a successful issue, I took upon myself the responsibility of promoting   the next senior officers, who had proved their qualifications on active service. I freely admit that the question as to whether they were eligible under Regulations did not present itself to me, as I was under the impression that such Regulations applied only to times of peace, and not to the ever varying circumstances of war.

[William Holmes]         
Colonel.
Commanding Naval & Mil. Exped. Force                                                                                                                                                       

                

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