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Pentalpha Lodge of East Kent No.8535 played host to a re-run
of the 1916 Battle of Jutland, written, directed, and performed by WBro John
Reuther PGStB and WBro Malcolm Brooks PAGDC. For the talk, WBro Brooks took
the part of the Royal Navy, whilst that of the German Navy was adopted by
WBro Reuther. After laying out the background to the rapt audience, the two
were soon endeavouring to out manoeuvre one another, clearly with no
intention of taking prisoners.
In the actual battle, the combatants were the Kaiserliche Marine’s
(Germany's) High Seas Fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer, and
the Royal Navy’s British Grand Fleet commanded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe.
The intention of the German fleet was to lure out, trap and destroy a portion
of the Grand Fleet, part of their larger strategy of breaking the British
naval blockade of the North Sea and allowing German mercantile shipping to
operate again. The Royal Navy, on the other hand, was pursuing a strategy
seeking to engage and cripple the High Seas Fleet and keep the German force
bottled up and away from their own shipping lanes.
Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk with great loss of life.
After sunset, and throughout the night, Jellicoe manoeuvered to cut the
Germans off from their base in hopes of continuing the battle in the morning,
but under cover of darkness Scheer crossed the wake of the British fleet and
returned to port.
Both sides claimed victory. The British had lost more ships and many more
sailors, and the British press criticized the Grand Fleet's actions, but
Scheer’s plan of destroying Beatty’s squadrons had also failed.
Similarly, both WBros Reuther and Brooks also claimed victory, but it was
clear that the true winners were the Worshipful Master, his Brethren, and
their guests, for having received the thoroughly enjoyable and informative
talk.
The photograph shows WBro Geoffrey Dearing PAGReg,
Worshipful Master of Pentalpha Lodge No.8535, flanked by WBro Reuther in his Pickelhaube helmet, and WBro Brooks complete with Bi-Corn Cocked Hat and
monocle.
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