34 – Watching the Surrender

This painting by Bernard Gribble shows Admirals Rodman and Sims observing the surrender from the deck of USS New York.

The proceedings were covered by reporters from the Manchester Guardian and The Times

Less formally, Admiral Beatty’s wife sailed her yacht Sheelah to observe the proceedings, while an Admiralty tug from Rosyth took a party of naval wives and children. This episode was reported in the St Leonard’s Gazette by Elizabeth Clifton who was a pupil at St Leonards between 1913 – 1916. She later became Baroness Clifton. Her mother married Admiral Sir Arthur Leveson.

We also have four personal accounts of the surrender.
Three from Navy personnel –
Lord Cameron,
Midshipman Adams,
Commander Tweedie,
and one from Tweedie’s daughter
Mona.

You can also listen to the following audio narrations of these accounts
Lord Cameron’s Address,
Adam – A Naval Interlude,
Tweedie – A Naval Life
and Mona’s Story,

The following images were taken by official photographers carried on HMS Seymour to record the surrender, while airships and aircraft of the RNAS and RAF flew overhead.

HMS Cardiff leading SMS Seydlitz and SMS Möltke.

SMS Bayern observed from HMS Seymour