An article from the Scarborough Pictorial 23rd December, 1914, entitled "OTHERS WHO SAW THE SHELLS." When Scarborough was bombarded by the Germans in 1914 some saw the ships at first hand.
At the time the firing commenced some men were bathing near the Spa, and they had a good view of the ships. Mr B.W. Gibson says there were three ships.
A tramway Company employee, although shells were striking houses in the Crescent, Falconer's Road, and York Place - in one case a shell entering a bedroom and blowing the walls clean out, and also shattering the windows of the Vicarage - took the opportunity of having view at the war vessels,finding convenient shelter behind a wall. He saw three cruisers in the South Bay, firing broadsides to the town.
Another eye witness related that he saw two warships, one a very large vessel in the North Bay. They were firing as they proceeded in the direction of the South Bay. The larger vessel was flying a string of flags from both masts.
The boating and bathing inspector, Captain Mosey, was on the South Foreshore road, over the Aquarium top, when the bombardment opened. He retired to the Receiving House whilst it lasted, and speaks of the continuous whistle of the shells as they sped through the air. He estimates the number of shells fired at very nearly a hundred.
First of all he saw two very large war vessels, one of which was almost big enough to be of the dreadnought type, creep round the Marine Drive from the North. He did not notice what flag they were flying, and he had no thoughts of any hostile intentions until the flashes of fire began to burst out from the decks.
The two ships he judges were two miles out to sea. Both of them bombarded Scarborough, and the sound on the sea front was terrific. Captain Mosey says that he laid prostrate in the Receiving House, expecting at any moment that the place would be blown to pieces. There was another vessel, he says, which he could not see, but which was firing from a point hidden to his view by the Castle Hill.
When the bombardment ceased the vessels headed out to sea and apparently turned round again in a northerly direction.
