TO BE EXCHANGED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 8, 20 October 1943, Page 3

TO BE EXCHANGED

MANY PRISONERS OF WAR. NEW ZEALANDERS INCLUDED. j AGREEMENT WITH GERMANY. I (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, Oct. 18. New Zealanders are among disabled prisoners of war who are to be repatriated from Germany in exchange for German prisoners. A statement issued from the Foreign Office to-night announces that the repatriation of British and American disabled prisoners is in progress following :an agreement among the Governments of Britain, the United States, and Germany. The first proposals about repatriation came from the Germans after tlie end of the Tunisian campaign. The scheme covers protected * personnel and all prisoners of war on both sides who are recommended for repatriation by military medical officers. The repatriation is being carried out in three stages. Two British hospital ships have gone to Gothenburg, in Sweden, with German prisoners from Britain, Canada, and the United States, and there they will be met by a Swedish hospital ship. The three will return with more than 4000 British, only 17 Americans being included. These men will be sent back to the United States as soon as possible after landing in Britain. German ships have arrived at a north-west African port to take on large numbers of German prisoners, but these ships did not bring any Allied personnel. One thousand men, including South Africans, Australians, New Zealanders and other British subjects will shortly arrive at Barcelona, in Spain, from a German-controlled French port, and the German ships which are carrying them will take on German prisoners from the Middle East.

All the hospital ships are travelling under safe conduct, and International Red Cross personnel are aboard as neutral observers.

The Foreign Office says that the successful conclusion of the negotiations is largely due to the unfailing cooperation of the Swiss Government, in its capacity as protecting power. Gratitude to the Swedish and Spanish Governments for ready help at the ports of transfer is also expressed. The hospital ship Atlantis sailed from a Scottish port last Thursday for Gothenburg with 842 German prisoners of war, protected, and civilian personnel. No incidents marked the embarkation. The Empress of Russia took some German repatriated prisoners to Gothenburg. Reuter’s correspondent at Gothenburg says that 4340 British and American repatriated prisoners, mostly sick and wounded men, travelled from Germany to Gothenburg in two German hospital ships and in six trains. They are due to leave for the United Kingdom tonight, he says, aboard the Atlantis, Empress of Russia, and the Swedish ship Drottingholm. Most of the prisoners praised the cleanliness of the camps in Germany. Some complained of ill-treatment, but all agreed that conditions had improved enormously in the last two years. Each prisoner received ;a gift packet of fruit, sweets, and cigarettes from the Swedish Red Cross. This is the first British-German repatriation of prisoners since the outbreak of war. A similar repatriation was attempted in 1941, but broke down at the eleventh hour when the prisoners were actually aboard ship ready to sail.

MEN TO BE REPATRIATED. ALL IN SERIOUS CONDITION. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A message received by the Prime Minister from the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr R. A. Eden) gives full details of the arrangements for the exchange of prisoners of war.

Mr Eden explains that, the agreement for exchange provides for mutual "repatriation from both sides, regardless of their rank or numbers, of all seriously sick and seriously 'wounded prisoners of war who have been recommended by the medical authorities. Doctors, chaplains, medical orderlies and stretcher-bearers in excess of those needed for the care of their fellow-prisoners are also being repatriated under the agreement.