we put
out of action a nine-hole course for ladies. Much confusion was
observed here amongst the enemy; the presence of troops being proved
by the movement of several bodies in bright scarlet. It is conjectured
from this that the supply of khaki is already exhausted.

Magnificent execution was done upon the extensive sand castles with
which the foreshore was covered, and for which indeed it is renowned
throughout the island. Our heavy armament was in every case enabled to
demolish these, at the same time slaughtering the children and nurses
responsible for them. It is to be admitted however that at a more
favourable season of the year the execution here, good as it was,
would have been considerably better.

Altogether some five hundred shells were fired, as recently at
Scarborough, and there can be no doubt that the enemy's casualties, in
women especially, must be very considerable. In addition, he is known
to have lost heavily in bathing-machines, and several super-rowing
boats were seen to sink at their moorings.

Throughout the action the entire absence of any return fire had a most
heartening effect upon the personnel of the Imperial fleet, who were
thus enabled to work under what may be called conditions ideal to the
German fighting spirit. I cannot refrain from expressing my sense of
how greatly the magnificent result of the action was due to the
patriotic foresight of my chief officer, Fire-direktor Von Ketch, who,
having met with a motor accident when touring in England so lately as
last spring at the gates of Shrimpington Hall, had the good fortune to
be the guest for several weeks of the Frau Squire and her daughters.
Not only was the information thus obtained of the greatest assistance
in the general conduct of the operations, but we were enabled to place
our first six-inch shell exactly on the dining-room of the Hall at an
hour when the occupants were almost certainly assembled for lunch.

The entire action occupied twenty-five minutes, and concluded with the
approach of the British patrol, when, acting in accordance with the
dictates of Imperial policy, we ran like hares. So satisfactory has
been this glorious and civilian-sanguinary encounter that our brave
fellows are now eager to try conclusions with the bath-chairs of
Bournemouth or the lobster-pots of Llandudno. It is indeed with true
sentiments of fraternal pride that the Imperial Navy is now able to
place the torn fragments of the Hague Conventi