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The
Sitting Duck
Iniquity
In December of
1945 following the ending of the Second World War the United Kingdom, the
United States and the Soviet Union, came together and signed up to the
policy within the ‘Moscow Declaration of December 1945’ the policy, of
(non-intervention in China’s internal affairs).
Before the transfer took place the ship underwent a refit at Portsmouth, and when handed over to the Chinese Nationalists in (1948) it was renamed GHUNGKING. Thereafter the ship defected to the Communist Government and its name was changed to TCHOUNKING. During a Chinese Nationalist, air attack on Yaku, harbour in March 1949 the TCHOUNKING, was sunk.
Also, in May of
1948 the British government transferred on loan to the Chinese Nationalist
government of China, the Hunt (Type 1) Class destroyer H.M.S. Mendip, where
it was renamed the Lyn Fu.
H.M.S. Mendip
See the link
being provided below By Christmas 1948 the Chinese Communist, Peoples Liberation Army, in the ensuing civil war had reached the Yangtze River, the natural barrier that devides North from South in China, as such it can be said that the Nationalist, authorities no longer held the prerogative for granting ships passageway on the River Yangtze. With that being the situation, on the 6th April 1949 the Communist, authorities from their territory on the north bank of the River Yangtze, broadcast their intention to interdict the river to all shipping.
Then on the 9th
April,1949 it was reported that the Communist, Peoples
Liberation Army, were setting up gun-batteries at Icheng, which was about fifteen nautical miles down river from Nanking, in order to enforce the interdict. At that time, in April, 1949 Britain's, senior political representative in Chinese Communist Territory was the British Consul in Peking, who as it happened had been sent there by Mr. Bevin, and was accepted by Chou en Lai, as an accredited agent. The following is a paragraph from within Prime Minister, Clement Attlee's, public statement to the House of Commons 26th April 1949; “I wont to make the point therefore that when the incident took place to which I am about to refer, HMS AMETHYST was proceeding on her lawful occations and that there was no other properly constituted authority to whom His Majesty’s Government were under an obligation to notify her movements even had they been in a position to do so.” Well by the fact that Britain’s most senior political representative the British Consul in Peking, was there as an accepted and accredited agent by Chou en Lai, then there was a constituted authority to whom his Majesty’s Government were obligated to notify regarding the movement of ships. Attlee, however follows up by stating; “Thus early on Tuesday, 19th April, the frigate HMS AMETHYST (Lieutenant - Commander Skinner) sailed from Shanghai for Nanking, wearing the White Ensign and the Union Jack painted on her hull. When AMETHYST had reached a point on the Yangtze River some 60 miles from Nanking, at about nine o’clock in the 20th Chinese time, she came under heavy fire from batteries on the north bank, suffered considerable damage and casualties and eventually grounded on Rose Island. After this the Captain decided to land about sixty of her crew, including the wounded, who got ashore by swimming or in sampans, being shelled and machine-gunned as they did so; we know that a large proportion have with Chinese help, arrived at Shanghai.” No where within Prime Minister, Attlee’s, statement is there any mention of these fact’s; (1) At half past eight in the morning of 20th April, as H.M.S. Amethyst, approached a sector on the north bank of the river Yangtze, that
from intelligence was known to be heavily gunned, Communist held territory, shots were fired over and around the Amethyst without causing damage to the ship or injury to the ships compliment. (2) When that happened three consecutive orders were given by Captain Skinner, (a) Both engines full ahead together, (b) Unfurl Union Jacks, over the ships side, © Directors find targets. The first two orders were carried out, the third wasn’t Amethyst’s main armament remained in the fore and aft position as the ships Director Control for the main armament was in malfunction. Now at the time of H.M.S. Amethyst, being ordered into the Yangtze Kiang, 19th April 1949, an admiralty standing order that was in place, was to the effect that Royal Navy warships, making passage on the Yangtze Kiang, those ships would remain at the stood to position, in order to respond if fired upon from gun battery emplacement on the north bank of the river. There is no mention of that fact in Prime Minister Attlee’s statement made within the House of Commons 26th April 1949, just as there was no mention of the fact that when the Amethyst was ordered into the River Yangtze, the ships secondary armament was lying in some dockyard shed. What reasoning could there be that those facts were not made known to the House of Commons, or indeed this nation at that time, obviously there has to be a some logical reason to what seems to be political intrigue. Political intrigue; In 1947 the Labour Government of that time was responsible for bringing into being one of the most important legal statutes ever devised and I am of course referring to the 1947 Crown Proceedings Act., an act that removed the maxim Rex None Pecare Potest, i.e., The King Can Do No Wrong. With the incoming of that act the leiges were provided with the statutory instruments that provided them with title to sue the Crown its offices, Ministers ,Officers and servants for their wrongful acts or omissions whiles purporting to perform their duties. In other words neither the Crown, its offices, Ministers, Officers and Servants, could no longer hide behind the Crowns traditional immunity from liability.
However also in law there is that known as the unforeseen and extraordinary that can and does from time to time effect the legal process’s of the legal system, like for instance the application of the official secretes act when used and applied to those serving in the military services. When on the 21st April 1949 the three ships H.M.S. Consort, London and Black Swan, arrived at Shanghai, even before the dead and wounded were allowed to be taken from the ships, the three ships compliments were sworn under the official secrets act not to talk about the incident. Also when on 31st July 1949, H.M.S. Concord, escorted the Amethyst, out of the River Yangtze, H.M.S. Concord, was stopped at sea, had her log taken out of Commission, the ships compliment was silenced under the o9fficialo secrets act and thereafter sent to patrol the Northern Coast of China. To this day in the year 2009 sixty years on in time H.M.S. Concord’s ships compliment has not been recognised for its role the Yangtze Incident, on 30th and 31st July 1949.in the 1949. When on the 30th July 1949 H.M.S. Concord, was ordered into the Yangtze River, its purpose was to proceed up river to a sector or location known as the Woosung Forts, to train its armament on the Forts in readiness to respond, in the event of Amethys being fired upon while passing through that sector on the river. Amethyst, certainly had nothing to respond with. During the two days of 30th and 31st July 1949 the Yangtze River Estuary was blockaded with the Royal Navy ships on the Far East Station and a Cruiser that was dispatched from the West Indies, yet it is being held today in this present day and age by the Minister Of Defence For the Armed Forces, that the reason why H.M.S. Concord’s ships compliment did not qualify for the award of the 1949 Yangtze Clasp to the Naval General Service Medal is; that they did not come under risk or rigour.
However the truth
to that matter is that H.M.S. Concord’s, role in the Amethyst Incident, was
never placed before The H.D. Committee responsible for the awards system in
November 1949 as such His Majesty King George, whiles awarding the Naval
General Service Medal with the
Yangtze Campaign Clasp, attached, to the ships compliments of the four ships H.M.S. Amethyst, Consort, London and Black Swan, was completely unaware of the role played by H.M.S. Concord. Here I feel that it is necessary to mention, within the Churchill College Archives, Cambridge, there exists the letters and Naval Signals that were deposited there by Rear Admiral Sir David Scott, prior to he demise, his letters and Naval Signals cover the events of 30th and 31st July 1949 and they establish the role played by H.M.S. Concord, in the Yangtze Incident. That role is not the role that Mr. Stewart Hett, M.B.E who likes to be referred to as Commander Hett, R.N., he would have everyone believe that Amethyst was met by H.M.S. Concord, at sea, outside of the Yangtze Estuary, however Rear Admiral Sir David Scott, letters and naval signals, which are now readily available, are capable of establishing two thing, the first being the role played by H.M.S. Concord in the Yangtze Incident and secondly that Commander, S. Hett., RN., M.B.E. is a foreigner to the truth.
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