The opening of the Singapore Base, completed at cost of £20,000,000 to protect British interests the Far East, has revealed another chapter in the odyssey of the 18-inch naval guns built and used by Britain during the Great War, and apparently are still so effective and serviceable 8 to be included in the armament at Singapore. Three of these guns were built during the war and although not possessing the same range the "Big Berthas™ with which the Germans shelled Paris they are equally as famous. Weighing 145 tons each and firing a shell of 3400 Ib. with a muzzle velocity of 2,200 feet second, these guns were and still are among, the largest ever built.
Of the three, two of them were mounted on #268. Fungus, a cruiser which was subsequently converted into an aircraft carrier, for service in the Baltic, but fas they-proved too unwieldy for a vessel of that character they were mounted on monitors and used effectively along the Belgian coast during the German retreat in 1918 at a range of 35,000 yards. During this period the guns were really being tested and no definite results were ascertalhed but since then they have been proved and {o find them forming a component part, with others, of the armaments at Singapore Base is a flattering tribute to the designers and builders who brought them into existence more, than 20 years ago. A picture of one of these guns ig among the unusual collection of war Souvenir photographs in the possession of the Zero Club. Naturally, details of the Singapore defences remains a secret but a monitor type of vessel, developed from the war types, is also stationed at Singapore. She is H.M.S. Terror, base of ship of 7,200 tons, which among her armament mounts {wo 15-inch gups. fs the invitation to join the swimming, Party because of the delectable. temperature of the water. The enthusiasm which the conveners of Such @ meeting show for their mission is Just a trifle embarrassing." There 1s rather too much doing what is considered the right thing and arnning, the consequences, all of which' may be completely praiseworthy, but in the eiroume stances hardly the wisest policy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.