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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-05-23, Page 22,t 0 e Mr;, IInik ly *ti enc llstowel. 011ata[rio 10 war broike out be- tween'England and HO1 and, a conflict. is known as.. they .Senond-1aglo-Dutch war; Al - MOO . a decade and a half earlier, fr Orn 1652 until 1654, the :two nations had fought each other in the First Anglo - Dutch Eonflict. By the bature Of j things "these . wars Were naval cgntests. They were mainly fought at sea because in those days large scale landing operations of major military forces would have met with several logistical problems and great risks. The Anglo -Dutch naval wars of the 17th century were not ideological wars or inspired by religious ani- mosities or enmities. They can only be characterized as bare -faced armed -commer- cial conflicts. The results were, however, the same as in any other war. Misery, death and destruction on a large scale were the lot of the combatants, while the indus- trial -military complex of the day counted its gains or mourned its losses. In England there was much resentment against the Dutch, who in the first half of the 17th century had cornered almost all of the West European seaborne transit trade. England in Elizabethan times. was awakening and flexing its muscles. During the early part of the 17th cen- tury the world was an excit- ing place. Half the geo- graphical discoveries had yet to be made. Men of ad- venture and seekers of for- tune sailed into the sunset or to the Orient to satisfy their thirst for adventure and gold. Everywhere the English sailors went they found the Dutch a step or two ahead of therm. ' "Fisnplis"' (ants), the British disparagingly called the Dutch. The war with Split had driven the Dutch to the sea, there to fight the Spaniard, inflict damage on him and break his stranglehold on the trade in fhe products of East and West which it was neces- sary for the Dutch to obtain in order to survive in their overwhelmingly trade - oriented economy. Oliver Cromwell-, Lord Protector of England, de- creed in 1652 by his Act of Navigation that foreign goods could be imported into Britain in English vessels only. This measure was a severe blow to Dutch ship- ping and the country's' economy in generale When Cromwell insisted that in the English Channel and later in the seas sur- rounding .the British Isles, the British flag must be saluted and the Dutch flag lowered when meeting English vessels, difficulties arose. The two Protestant nations went to war over these issues in the First Anglo -Dutch naval conflict. After clobber- ing each other in a series of engagements in which the English seemed to have the edge, peace was formally re- stored. The underlying com- mercial rivalry remained, however, and the question of who was to salute whose flag was not satisfactorily re- solved. In 1667 the pain of the wounds, both physical and commercial, was sufficient- ly forgotten and for the second time the two peoples so similar in outlook, demo- cratic tradition, religion and race, reached for the sword for exactly the same reasons as before. It was not long be- fore the North Sea again cast Bennett Sells dor-Less Ben nett. Pontiac • Burch Q GMC 810 10th St. HANOVER Open Mon. -Wed. 9 - 6 p.m. Thurs.-Fri. 9 - 9 Sal. 9 - 5 P.m. 364.2140 up the vietilrns of strife • in their thousands upon the shores of England and Hol- land. Fouls Days In the annals of haval war- ' fare theSecond Anglo -Dutch war is known for the Four Days' Naval Battle (Dutch: Vierdaagse Zeeslag), a run- ning battle fought in the North Sea by diverse English and Dutch squadrons, maneuvering with alternat- ing success to gain the ad- vantage over the adversary. For four days ,the roar of naval guns was heard in the English Channel and along the coast of Holland. After these days both sides were exhausted and battle -weary. and limped back to their home ports. Each side had suffered great losses in ships and men, the English even more so than the Dutch. Nothing had been resolved however, and the world was waiting for the next move by the belligerents. The Dutch suffered some sharp reverses in the follow- ing months. An English raid on the island of Terschelling — one of the West Frisian is- lands — caused much dam- age. The village of West Terschelling was burned down and the inhabitants left homeless. A rich Dutch mer- chant fleet anchored in Het Vlie, the main anchorage for merchantmen bound for the East Indies, was destroyed in the sudden English de- scent. Nearly 200 ships, with a their precious cargo, were burned and in Amsterdam, only 25 miles distant, a near panic ensued. It was, however, not so much the commercial loss as the atrocities against civilr ians on Terschelling, which caused an outcry among the people. As England subsided into a sense of false security and retired a large part of the fleet at berths in its naval bases, Holland embarked on a crash program of naval construction. Opulent Life England after the end of Cromwell's reign was ruled again by a Stuart. Charles II occupied the English throne, but whatever had changed since the days .of Cromwell, war with Holland, England's competitor and archrival, remained a constant feature of British foreign policy. Charles was no friend of the Dutch, although he had spent considerable time in exile in Holland. The future King of England actually de- spised the Dutch and their thrifty and industrious ways. In England Charles II was not known for a sober life- style. He had seen enough of that during his years as an exile overseas. Charles' interest in women was well-known and his rather opulent • mode of life and expensive pastimes at- tracted like-minded cour- tiers and sycophants who made the king believe what he wanted to hear. It is incredible that the English fleet was allowed to fall into disrepair and ob- livion in the midst of an as yet undecided war and yet that's exactly what happen- ed. The Four Days' Naval Battle was interpreted to His Majesty by his advisers as a decided victory 'for the English side. The Dutch, so it was said, were severely mauled and would never r:•x tllYr�+�i':��!!�'�ili►�llilrey`t:+">iC�;?!�s �J esSSSSSSSsie FIRST, ANNUAL BARBECUE SALE GAS BARBECUE DRAW Fill out a ballot with any pur- chase made at the Steak Out before closing Wed. May 30, 1984. —BARBECUE FAVORITES— MacGregor's 10 lb. Tartan Burgers Case of 50/3. L oz. Reg. 16.30 MacGregor's Boneless Strip Loin Steaks Case of 20 x 6 oz. Reg. 33.75 or MacGregor's Boneless Strip Loin Steaks Case of 12 x 8.8 oz. Reg. 29.75 New for summer MacGregor's delicious, 7 Ib. case 30x1 13 29.54 each $14.7 5 SAVE 1.55 gr. Steakettes Canada Packers tray of 6xoz. tender & delicious bacon wrapped Filet Mignon Reg. 8.79 1.58 each $31.50 SAVE 2.25, 2.31, each $27.75 SAVE 2.00 .406 each $11.85 HIOHLINER FISH 45 x 2,25 oz. 6.3 Ib. case Captain Burgers Fast fty, 2 oz. portions Highllner Turbot riignliner 5 !b. cello pack Boston Bluefish Fillets Ib. '39 Open This Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 995 Wallace Ave. N. Listowel. 29t-4777 Mort. Sat. 9:30 am - 6 pm. Thtxrs. & Fri. Till 9 prri. Dutch were fever#ahiv hiring: ing their navy ac Usk„ o strength after tte.,5,overe losses- suffered, Ac the hands of the Engli in the Four Days' Nava.' Battle. The amazing thing ie, that the English Mpg and his govern ment disregarded all intelli- gence coming out of Holland. And that was plenty, for there were many channels by which news reached Eng- land of an unprecedented activity in the Dutch ship- yards. Through indolence and corruption in the ruling circles the government pre- tended not to notice the threatening clouds gathering over the nation. In contrast to England, Holland was at that time ruled by man of genius and great stature. His name was Johan De Wit, an individual of single-minded purpose and immovable tenacity. Corruption and sloth found no place or protection under his regime. De Wit was enraged at the burning of the dwellings of peaceful non- combatants on Terschelling and vowed to pay in kind. His nearly unrestricted power as "Raad Pensionaris" (English: Grand Pension- ary) of Holland allowed him to push through an enormous shipbuilding program in record time. De Wit was a man who favored bold actions. He pro- posed to descendTon the coast of England somewhere in the East. So, in the early days of the month of June of the year 1667 a large Dutch fleet headed for the mouth of the Thames. On June 7 reports reached the English government that Dutch ships had been sighted off North Foreland. Still the government took no decisive action, believing that the movements of the Dutch fleet were a feint and peace was as good as concluded. Indeed peace negotiations were in progress in Breda, but in the words of de Wit, "A strong fleet is the best pleni- potentiary for peace." He deliberately procrastinated until some show of force had been made on British soil. Some thousands of landing troops were on board the Dutch vessels and the fa- mous- admiral Michiel Adriaenszoon De Ruyter was in charge. John de Wit's brother Cornelis, an equally intrepid man, was also with the fleet. He was an ardent sailor and town administra- tor in Dordrecht. Anxious to savor firsthand the danger- ous adventure on which the Dutch were about to embark, Cornelis was also to repre- sent civilian authority and to see to it that his brother's command to harass the. English and their retired men-of-war was carried out. Aboard the Dutch fleet were numerous English sailors and pilots. They had chosen to enter Dutch serv- ice in order to survive, for the Dutch paid regularly. In the Dutch navy conditions were generally better and food and medical care -good — at least for those times. Finally the British govern- ment realized the danger, but it was too late to stop the Dutch advance up the Thames. It was thought for a moment the goal of the enemy fleet was London, the capital. Near Gravesend however, the Dutch retraced to try to deal England a devastating blow. The fort at Sheerness at the Medway entrance was captured effortlessly and the luteli poured into the Med- way, burning or capturing a large number of English war vessels. The Medway is not a wide river. Some distance up- stream at Gillingham Reach an enqrmous chain spanned the river; shore batteries at either end and obstacles in front of the chain in the riverbed, protected the bar- rier, To no avail. TheDutch sailed right through the chain, to continue their ad- vance and destructive work upriver. At Upnor English resist- ance began to stiffen. The river was narrowing here and maneuvering became more difficult for the Dutch. They were operating right under the guns of Upnor Castle and all kind of impro- vised shore batteries. The Dutch, however, sailed on and their demolition teams operated with great effec- tiveness until they began to run out of fireships. During the last phase of the operation Admiral Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter boarded one of the boats carrying Dutch soldiers and criss-crossing the river in search of prey. Cornelis de Wit, the states -- man, joined the admiral, braving cannonballs and musket fire. Where there was action, there the ad- miral and his civilian deputy were to be found. The crews of the English warships moored in the river were astonished not only at the audacity of the enemy but also at their discovery that many Englishmen fought for the adversary. The latter were seen to lean over the railings of the 'enemy ships, admonishing the starved English sailors to surrender — and their ex- hortations were not always in vain. It was not the intention of the Dutch to land troops en masse or to permanently oc- cupy territory. It would have been necessary to land 100,000 or more troops; but along the shores,of'Southeast England wild.rumors told of an impending Dutch occupa- tion. Even in London a near panic ensued and plans were made — but not executed — for evacuating the Tower. The clique at the Royal Court which was responsible for the debacle in the Med- way and the misery of the Chatham workers fell over itself to escape the despised Dutch whom they imagined to be right at their heels. As it was, the Dutch soon with- drew from the Medway, for English morale recovered and casualties started to rise. The Hollanders - took the British flagship "The Royal Charles" with them, al- though this proved a difficult undertaking. Only by turning the vessel on its side to effect less draught did they manage to maneuver it past and over the numerous med flats and sandbars in the Medway. In ' `Het Ryksmuseum" in Amsterdam the visitor can still find the stem piece of "The Royal Charles" on dis- play. Epilogue In 1967, three centuries af- ter these tumultuous events which saw foreign enemies set foot on English soil for the first time since William the Conqueror subjugated England in 1066, the tercen- tenary of the Medway raid wars, commemorated in the towns along the Medway amid great interest from the Dutch as well as the English. The Dutch navy sent over three vessels. They sailed up the Medway from Sheerness escorted by yachts and other small craft, en route passing through a curtain of colored water put up by fire -fighting tugs symbolizing the chain which had stretched across the river. A band of the Royal Netherlands Marines led a naval march through the streets of Chatham and Gill- ingham, later giving a con- cert before an admiring crowd at Upnor Castle. Several thousand people at- tended. Historical exhibi- tions, balls and other social events connected with the commemoration drew addi- tional crowds and everybody had a real good time. The days of enmity between Bri- tain and Holland are long a thing of the past. England soon overshadow - Please turn to -Page '7 dare to come out to fight their course and headed for again. the Medway where Britain's The King believed or want- war fleet, its pride and glory, ed to believe it. Life at court was tied up in the vicinity of was one merry round of balls Chatham. In the past it had and pleasures, while at Chat -taught the Dutch some pain ham in Kent, Britain's main ful lesons, but now it seemed naval base up the Medway, a as if England, in the face of tributary of the Thames, the Dutch onslaught, was hundreds and thousands of totally paralysed. naval yard workers and sol -What Happened? diers went without' pay for The English proverbial over a year. courage and willingness to Many of Britain s men -of -fight were hardly in evi war, ships with illustrious Bence. What was the cause of names like the Royal Oak, this untypical behavior? the Royal James or the Was it the outcome of the Loyal London were tied up shameful official neglect of near Chatham in the Med-the country's naval de way River. They were not fences? Was it due to the ter - needed., now, for the Dutch ror and despair engendered were thoroughly cowed, so it by the great fire of London in was believed, and would 1666? A year before in 1665 soon come suing for peace. the plague broke out in Lon Caught Napping don, carrying off thousands Unbelievable as it may of victims. Was the English seem, work at the naval nation as it were, stunned by dockyards in Chatham al the unbroken string of na most came to a standstill; tional calamities? A decisive workers remained unpaid, government might have the most basic materials shown the way to firmness were in short supply or not and unity. As it was, the available at all and the ruinous state of the defences workers' wives demonstrat along the Medway River, the ed for at least some hack pay access road to Chatham's in order to stave off starve -naval dock yards and the tion. 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