HC Deb 14 August 1916 vol 85 cc1442-3W
Commander BELLAIRS

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state in how many cases mails on board neutral vessels have been destroyed by German naval operations; and, in view of the neutarl protests which have been made against our operations in delaying the delivery of mails, whether he can acquaint the House of any protests against the enemy's destruction of mails?

Lord R. CECIL

A list of thirteen mail-boats destroyed by the German was given in the Allied Note to neutral Governments presented and published early this year. I will have this list inserted in the OFFICIAL REPORT. Since then several more steamers, such as the "Tubantia," the "Berkel-stroom" (both Dutch), the "Hudiksvall" (Swedish), and others with mails on board, have been torpedoed by German submarines. I cannot say what protests have been made by neutral Governments to the German Government on this subject, but the Norwegian Government certainly protested to them on one occasion in regard to seizures of mail. The German Govern- ment replied to this protest by a statement that the 11th Hague Convention of 1907 was not binding on the belligerents in the present War.

The list referred to is as follows:

Malles postales détruites par les Ennemis du 31 Décembre, 1914, au 31 Décembre, 1915.
Nom du navire. Tonnage. Dates. Navire ennemi. Observations.
1. Highland Brae 7,634 31 déc, 1914 Kaiser Wilhelm Malle et colis postaux de Buenos Ayres, Santiago, et Montevideo.
2. Tokomaru 6,084 30 jan., 1915 Torpillé par un sous-marin allemand Colis et imprimés de Nouvelle-Zélande.
3. Aguila 2,114 27 mars, 1915 Idem Malle pour madére et Canaries.
4. Falaba 4,806 28 mars, 1915 Idem Malle et colis postaux pour Ouest Africain.
5. Lusitania 30,396 6 mai, 1915 Idem Malle postale des Etats-Unis.
6. Candidate 5,858 7 mai, 1915 Idem Colis postaux pour la Jamaique.
7. Arabic 15,801 19 aôut., 1915 Idem Malle postale pour les Etats-Unis, Canada, etc.
8. Hesperian 10,920 4 sept., 1915 Idem Malie postale et colis postaux pour les Etats-Unis et Canada.
9. Silver Ash 3,753 6 oct., 1915 ? Malle des bâtiments de Sa Majesté britannique.
10. Linkmoor 4,306 20 sept., 1915 ? Idem.
11. Persia 7,974 29 déc, 1915 Torpillé Coulé par un sous-marinallemand Malle et colis postaux pour l'Orient. Malle d'Extrême-Orient.
12. Ville de la Ciotet (Fr.) 6,390 24 déc, 1915 — —
13. Author 3,496 ? ? Malle d'Afrique.