yesterdays war

by gerald hall

  It was wonderful still to be with such an optimist once again. Dorothy was a lot like Judith. She was so hopeful and had so much energy. Harold found himself quickly falling for Dorothy Wilson. He still worried about how such a relationship could impact that mission that he had embarked upon. But his heart still had its own calling and needs that had to be met.

  “Yes, Dorothy. The future has so many possibilities waiting for us. I hope that we can be a key part of them. But we must also be very careful about some of the things that we wish for. There will always be people out there who would take those same tools of technological progress and use them for evil purposes.” He said with a smile, but still feeling the sadness of the ruined future that Harold had left behind.

  “What do you want to do to make the future better, Mister Cavill?” Dorothy asked while peering directly into his eyes.

  “I want to make our two nations stronger both economically and militarily so that we are better able to resist our future adversaries without having to resort to extreme measures in order to survive. Perhaps, through strength and wisdom, we can deter future wars.”

  “I have heard some people say that simply having more weapons encourages more wars.”

  “Yes, that is true. Some people do believe that. However, I feel that is only the case if those weapons are in the hands of immoral people who are already inclined to use force. Those evildoers would still use whatever tools were at hand in order to enforce their will upon others and to murder others for the sake of an unholy philosophy.” Harold commented before continuing with a question.

  “Are you familiar with the writings of Edmund Burke, Dorothy?”

  “Of course. I read some of his writings while at University. I came across them in the University library while I was doing research on classical art. I had been training to be an artist before I had to change my focus to accounting. There weren’t too many jobs available for artists, I’m afraid.

  Anyway, I had accidentally wandered into the philosophy section of the library and found myself transfixed by what I have learned there.”

  “Incisive thinking can certainly have that effect on a person. There was one particular quote of Burke’s that I found especially compelling. In it, Burke said ‘All that evil needs to succeed is for good men to do nothing.’ I, for one, am going to do as much as I can to prevent evil from succeeding.

  But Dorothy, working to strengthen our defenses is not all that I am doing by any means. I am doing a considerable amount to help the indigenous people of Australia known as the Aborigines. I have befriended several of their tribes and am employing a considerable number of their people. I have also arranged for first class education, housing and hospital care for all of the people who work for me and their families, regardless of the color of their skin.”

  “That is quite remarkable, Mister Cavill. I would love to be a part of such an endeavor.” An awestruck Dorothy immediately answered.

  Harold hesitated for a moment before speaking. Here he was, a man from another time trapped in the past and trying to change the future. Now, he has met a woman who was biologically at least a quarter-century younger than himself. Harold was finding himself strongly drawn towards this attractive and obviously very intelligent young woman. He had to do something.

  “Maybe there is a way. Why don’t you come to Australia and work for me? Obviously, you are very intelligent and know how to work with numbers. That much is obvious from what I have seen at your current position. I believe that you are also very trustworthy from what I have seen as well, Dorothy. Is there any reason that would prevent you from accepting my offer?”

  Both people sat at the table silently, interrupted only by the arrival of their meal from the kitchen. It was as though neither person knew exactly what to say next. Finally, Dorothy spoke.

  “You are asking me to make a very big decision here. Even though both of my parents are dead now, I would be a very long distance from my friends and remaining family here.”

  “This is quite true, Dorothy. But I promise you that you will be part of something very important to both of our nations. I believe in my heart that you want to make a positive difference in the direction of this world, don’t you?”

  “How much longer are you going to be here in England, Mister Cavill?”

  “I will be here for a month before I return back to Australia, Dorothy. I have several other meetings in England that I must attend before I leave.”

  “I need some time to decide. Before you leave, I will let you know. I promise.” Dorothy answered, her eyes wide open and looking directly into Harold’s. He could tell that she was deeply interested in accepting his offer. Yet at the same time, she was obviously torn because of her ties to her home and family in England.

  “I understand perfectly, Miss Wilson. Please take your time considering my offer. When you come to a decision, please contact me. You already know where you can reach me as well as when I will be returning to Australia.”

  “I will. I promise.” Dorothy said with a smile that once again, melted Harold’s heart. Harold continued to think about her constantly even as he moved on to his next important meeting.

  Chartwell House

  Westerham, Kent, England January 3, 1930

  “Good morning, Mister Churchill.” Harold said after being greeted by Winston Churchill at the latter’s home.

  “Good morning, Mister Cavill. I am very pleased to see you again. Please do come in.” Winston told his guest.

  “Thank you, Mister Churchill. I have been in England on an extended business trip to attend to some of my British business interests. I thought that I might come visit you again for a little chat if it is not a bother.”

  “Of course, your arrival is no bother at all. Please do sit down.” Churchill said as he led Harold to Winston’s study and pointed him to a comfortable chair. Churchill then poured a pair of drinks, handed one to Harold and then sat down after lighting a cigar.

  “You have heard about the latest proposals for a new naval disarmament treaty that is to be held in London, Minister?” Harold asked.

  “Yes, I have. They want to make further restrictions on the navies of the major powers. Publicly, the purpose is to prevent more wars. Privately, the real reason why we are proposing this naval conference is so that the Labour Party can further reduce the Royal Navy expenditures by convincing everyone else to disarm at the same time. Obviously, the Labour politicians have other priorities that they would prefer using the public purse for rather than for defense.”

  “Perhaps I might make a few suggestions that would both help the Royal Navy and the Exchequer at the same time.”

  “You have certainly made quite an impression on people around here, Harold. I am certainly thankful for your suggestions that you made previously. I am convinced that it has put the Royal Navy on a much improved footing in case we find ourselves at war again. But what is your interest in HMSTiger? While it is a fine ship, it is armed with the lightest guns of any of our capital ships.” Churchill asked.

  “The relatively low logistical costs forTigermake it a very good candidate for retention. I’m sure that there are still plenty of spares and ammunition forTiger’smain weapons with all of the older ships being retired that were similarly armed. So, there will be no need to purchase those items later in the ship’s lifetime. It is also a relatively young ship, so maintenance should be also comparatively inexpensive.

  But what is most important about HMSTigeris that it is a fast, well-armed ship capable of hunting down and killing any lesser opponent. With a fully modernized propulsion unit, fire-control system and a modern dual-purpose secondary armament, HMSTigerwould be an ideal consort for our aircraft carriers. We could also use the opportunity to rectify any shortcomings in her armor protection with the tonnage saved through the modernization of her propulsion system.”

  “What have proposed makes a great deal of sense, Harold. But how are we going to be able to afford to retainTiger? There are the tre
aty obligations in terms of capital ship tonnage that we must comply with, in addition to the sheer cost of maintaining an extra capital ship. Something has to be sacrificed.”

  “I agree. What I would recommend is that one or two of theRoyal Sovereignclass battleships be placed in reserve, perhaps even disposed of. They are far too slow to truly be useful in the kind of naval war that the future promises, Winston. Perhaps instead of scrapping those battleships, they could be sold to another navy? Certainly a navy in South America like that of Chile would be very interested in purchasing aRoyal Sovereignclass battleship. The Chileans have been very interested for years in replacing that battleship the Royal Navy purchased from them to convert into the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle. I’m absolutely certain that aRoyal Sovereignwould more than satisfy the requirements of the Chilean Navy. Such a sale would also recoup sufficient funds to not only keepTigeroperational, but also to perhaps build more destroyers that are not covered under the treaty.

  Of course to accomplish this, we are talking about a new naval treaty to replace the current international agreements, of course. Language could certainly be incorporated to allow the sale of a limited number of excess warships to non-allied navies, I would imagine. These arrangements would not be banned like such sales were under the earlier Washington Treaty.”

  “There still will be many senior officers in the Admiralty who would decry the loss of even one fifteen-inch armed battleship, especially for the sake of keeping a battlecruiser that is not as well armed or protected. The battle line has been the strength of the Royal Navy for more than a hundred years.” Churchill noted.

  “The wars of the future will not be won by slow battleships firing at each other in long lines of battle, I’m afraid. That era has now past. Naval battles will be won by swift forces applying overwhelming force at critical points as I am sure that you are already aware, Mister Churchill. As I stated before, these forces will need to combine fast ships with powerful guns along with other warships providing the vast reach of carrier-based aircraft. But in any event, speed and radius of action will be absolutely vital to cover the vast areas of ocean that the Commonwealth is responsible for.

  The Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers will need fast, well-armed escorts of all sizes to protect them from enemy ships and aerial bombers in any event. Of course, large warships can carry far more antiaircraft guns than a smaller ship as well as being able to support sufficient fire control equipment to maximize the effectiveness of the guns.

  There is also the threat of enemy surface ships to a lightly armed aircraft carrier. The consequences of one of those valuable ships being escorted by a mere handful of destroyers and encountering an enemy battleship at close range or a large bomber formation would be catastrophic.” Harold pleaded, remembering from his research on the Second World War how the aircraft carrier HMS Glorioushad been sunk by a pair of German battlecruisers under exactly the former circumstances.

  “Could we build an aircraft carrier with a sufficiently heavy armament so that it would be able to defend itself against enemy surface warships?” Churchill asked.

  “No, I’m afraid that such a hermaphrodite simply would not work. I’ve already had experts look into that possibility. What you would end up with is a compromise vessel with the worst aspects of both the aircraft carrier and the cruiser or battleship. There would be a relatively small aircraft capacity for the tonnage, far fewer guns than a normal warship and all of the vulnerabilities of a fragile flight deck and hangar to enemy gunfire. The aircraft carrier’s medium caliber dual-purpose antiaircraft guns can fend off a destroyer, but nothing more. What are really needed are more dedicated aircraft carriers with fast, well-armed warships to support and complement them. The carrier’s escorts must be the vessels that deal with any surface threat to her.”

  “I see your point, Harold. I was wondering about something though. Do your businesses perhaps plan on being involved somehow in this new naval construction program that you are proposing?” Winston asked after thinking for a few moments. He knew from long experience that people seldom make such suggestions for purely selfless reasons.

  “They could be. However, the security of the Commonwealth is my primary concern. As a result, I do have people working on some new destroyer designs already. They would be just as useful for the Royal Navy as it would be for the Australian Navy. I believe that it would be mutually beneficial for my business and both our nations if my yards were to produce new destroyers for our allied navies certainly. Just because the Germans have been banned from having submarines doesn’t mean that the submarine threat has disappeared as you are doubtlessly aware.

  The Royal Navy and the other navies of the Commonwealth are all critically short of smaller escort vessels. The Admiralty has placed its focus for years upon the maintenance of the battle line and the construction of replacement cruisers to protect our trade routes instead of destroyers and other anti-submarine escorts since the end of the last war.”

  “You are quite correct, Harold. But what do you think should be done about this?’

  “Perhaps the British Admiralty should reconsider their current lack of focus on smaller combatants. Submarines are still a tremendous threat to both the battle line as well as the merchant fleet. Modern destroyers could defend against the submarine threat, support the battle line in a surface engagement and provide supplementary antiaircraft support. The latter is especially possible when the ships are armed with high-angle main battery guns and multiple automatic cannons directed by modern fire control systems.”

  “And you believe that you can incorporate all of these elements in the same ship design, Harold?” Winston asked as he looked intently at his friend and puffed on a Havana.

  “Yes, I do. We have already started building a destroyer for one of the Latin American navies. We are using the secondary guns that we took off of HMASAustraliabefore we scrapped her to arm this ship. The guns will be put on modified high angle mounts to give them the ability to engage aircraft as well as surface targets. The construction of this destroyer will be fine practice for my workers and my naval architects for the future projects that I would like to pursue.”

  “I would imagine that it would also earn some badly needed funds for your business interests as well.”

  “Yes, it possibly could. But money is not all that is important to me at this point in my life. My various business concerns are more than profitable enough presently. However, my people need meaningful employment. I am going to give it to them. Later on, I intend to have them construct even more advanced designs in a variety of industries.”

  “I would certainly like to see some of these more advanced items when you do decide to build them. I have already learned not to underestimate you or your ideas, Mister Cavill.” Winston said with a smile of delight. Harold had certainly gotten his attention with this proposal.

  “One other thing, Mister Cavill. I understand that you will be taking home a new employee with you to Australia.”

  “Yes, Sir. Miss Wilson had been working for my former stockbroker. She informed me two days ago, that she would accept my offer of employment. Of course, she had no idea that I was about to end my relationship with her former employer as well.”

  “Please tell your Miss Wilson that I offer my best wishes upon her new employment. I’m sure that she will find her time with you to be quite stimulating. Our discussions certainly have been that way for me, but probably not for exactly the same reasons.” Churchill said with a sly smile.

  Eastern Wharfs, Port of London London, UK

  March 21, 1930

  Harold Cavill stood by the wharf at the Port of London at the large ocean liner that towered over him. The scene was still impressive in spite of the grey skies above and light drizzle of rain that continued to come down over London. Harold had sailed onBremenonce before on the last portion of his latest trip from Australia to England. The more that he saw ofBremen, the more impressed that Harold became of that massive vessel of a bygone era, a
t least a bygone era for someone like Harold, who was originally from the twenty-first century.

  The German liner SS Bremenwas one of the most modern liners in the world as well as one of the fastest. She would be making a long journey this time all the way to the South Pacific and back. Harold had already booked passage for two onboardBremen. He also would be shipping back a variety of industrial equipment in her cargo hold for his ultimate destination of Sydney. A crane was also loading a Heinkel HE12 floatplane onto a catapult aboard the liner.

  As he stood there, Harold saw a Hackney pull up to the wharf. A familiar strawberry-blonde woman eagerly popped out from one of the vehicle’s rear doors while the Hackney’s driver began to pull out several bags from the vehicle’s boot. She was dressed for the typical cold, damp English weather with a long dark grey overcoat covering her dress. Harold quickly walked over towards the Hackney and its passenger, his umbrella already in hand.

  “Hello, Miss Watson. I am very pleased to see you here. I have already made arrangements for your stateroom on the liner that we am traveling on.” Harold said with a pleasant smile on his face as he held the umbrella over Dorothy. He was truly enamored with Dorothy Watson.

  “Thank you, Mister Cavill. How much will I owe you for the cost of passage?” Harold pleasantly chuckled for a moment before answering.

  “Nothing at all, Miss Watson. Consider it part of your compensation for taking the position that I

  have offered you.”

  “Thank you, Sir. I appreciate this very much.” Dorothy politely replied.

  “I’ll arrange to have a porter take your baggage to your stateroom. Perhaps you will join me for

  dinner later this evening after we leave port, Miss Watson?”

  “I would be very pleased to have dinner with you, Mister Cavill.” Dorothy was already at a table when Harold arrived at Bremen’s large first-class dining room that evening. She was obviously dressed in her best dress. It was conservative in cut and inexpensive compared to the attire of many of the women also eating in the dining room. Still, the dress was very attractive on her. It was also clear that Dorothy Watson knew how to make the most with the limited assets that she had available.