Catalogue description [Note: ADM 137/584, 584A-584C are produced as a single document: order as ADM 137/584 ]....

[Note: ADM 137/584, 584A-584C are produced as a single document: order as ADM 137/584].

[Listing continued from ADM 137/584B].

Folios 185-187: M 016720/17.

Folio 186: Commander in Chief Grand Fleet. (Paper 3035/0022), 6 Dec 1917. Requesting deferment of awards.

Folio 187: Commander in Chief Grand Fleet with Enclosures: (Paper 3036/0022), 6 Dec 1917. See below.

Folio 187: Enclosure. Vice Admiral Commanding Battle Cruiser Force. (Paper 0826 S), 30 Nov 1917. See below.

Folio 187: Enclosure. Commodore First Light Cruiser Squadron. (Paper 001), 28 Nov 1917. Requesting that “statement of Lieutenant Charles S Rhodes having been a prisoner in a German Cruiser may not be published”.

Folios 188-195: M 017255/17.

Folios 189-195: Commander in Chief Grand Fleet (Paper 3163/0022), 18 Dec 1917. Report below from Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force as requested by Admiralty. Enclosures:

Folios 190-191: Enclosure. Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force (Paper 0845), 16 Dec 1917. Information available regarding mine fields and limits on operations. Explanation as to various course changes.

Folios 192-195: Enclosure. Admiralty Minutes and Telegrams. 19–20 Dec 1917. Admiralty comments on the above report. Admiralty requesting comments from C-in-C Grand Fleet (folio 194).

Folios 196-213: M 017639/17.

Folios 196-198: Commander in Chief Grand Fleet (Paper 3217/0022), 24 Dec 1917. Comments on report by Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force regarding information available to him on mine fields. “I therefore submit that the matter would be sufficiently met by an expression of Their Lordships’’ displeasure”. Enclosures:

Folios 199: Enclosure. Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force (Paper 0845), 22 Dec 1917. Further explanation as to relative position of forces, the effect of smoke and only occasional sighting of enemy in ordering speed and courses.

Folios 200-213: Enclosure. Admiralty Minutes and Letters, 28 Dec. 1917 to 8 Feb. 1918. Comments from Admiralty on the above reports (folios 201-202). Admiralty memorandum summarizing the operation, the information available on mine fields, the decisions taken during the action and concurrence of the subsequent action of C-in-C Grand Fleet (folios 203-207). Admiralty Board Minutes (folios 208-210). Letter from Admiralty to Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force that “although the circumstances at the time made undoubtedly made it difficult to arrive at a proper appreciation of the situation, I consider that the Vice Admiral Commanding Light Cruiser Force committed an error of judgement in the handling of the forces at his disposal” (folios 211-212).