Letter to Reginald dated 4th December 1914 and published in "The Morning Post" of 21st January 1915

My Dear Dad,

I wish you a very happy Christmas! We are still in the Falkland Islands and are organising a proper defence in case the enemy meditate an attack. The only thing worth having is the Wireless Station, which is valuable to us as it is the only British Wireless Station in these parts.

You have doubtless seen in the papers all about the German armed merchantman Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse being sunk by our cruiser Highflyer. Well we had been specially sent out to the North Sea to sink her, but before we got there, we found our work had been done for us by the Highflyer. We were frightfully sick.

Do you remember seeing about a midshipman on the Cressy who saved 87 lives (or thereabouts) including that of his commander, when the Cressy, Houge and Aboukir went down. His name was Cazalet. Well he was a chap in our term who had mobilised with us at Dartmouth. Of course we were very glad to see it although we were sorry to see the list of the drowned midshipmen whom were in our term also. Talking of drowned people, eight people were drowned here while crossing a creek in a punt three days ago. The punt capsized, and none of them could swim so they were all drowned. They were not men from the ship, but from the shore. They grappled, dredged and dived for their dead bodies and succeeded in recovering seven. I had to convey them to the Town in my boat. It was pretty ghastly work!

Although the Canopus seems to have taken but a small part in the war yet she has really done more than any other ship hereabouts, and a good deal more than most ships in the Navy, for although we have not fought an action, yet we have kept all the trade routes clear and unmolested and frightened away any marauding German armed merchantmen or cruisers, that might have been skulking around.

We have run the ship hard and fast on to the mud (on purpose) so it looks as if we were going to stay here till the end of the war - whenever that will be.

Our poor dilapidated engines have at least got a rest after tramping up and down the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for weeks on end with scarcely an interval.

I hope everyone at home is quite fit and well
With love to all from your affectionate son

Philip

Lord Fisher acted swiftly. He ordered the immediate release of three battle-cruisers to serve in the Atlantic, two to go to the Falklands, Invincible and Inflexible, and one, the Princess Royal to the West Indies to guard the Panama Canal.

On 7th December the battle-cruisers arrived in Port Stanley with Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Doveton Sturdee flying his flag in Invincible as Admiral of the Squadron. His mission was the annihilation of Von Spee's squadron.

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