A NIGHTMARE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 205, 29 August 1940, Page 5

A NIGHTMARE.

ESCAPE FROM NAZIS.

WOMAN'S GRAPHIC STORY.

After being in business in Bruesels for ten years, an English couple, Mr. and Mre. Benjamin L. Gobin, had to flee from the invading Nazi hordes, leaving behind their home, their shop and money •—everything they had worked for. They were fortunate to escap3 with their lives. Now they are back in England, waiting for their only son to foe evacuated to Canada, where he will, at least, be safe from air raids.

In a letter to her sister, Mrs. E. Hodge, of Auckland, Mrs. Gobin, writing from Exeter, describes the last few days in Belgium and a nightmare experience on a ship carrying 3000 refugees to England. "Nervous Indigestion." Mrs. Gobin, in the letter, said she left Brussels with her son Jan, a schoolboy, on May 10, the day the Germans invaded Belgium. At five o'clock that morning they were awakened by German bombing 'planes, which damaged three nearby houses. "We dressed quickly and sat in a room in the middle of the house, downstairs," ehe added. "Each time a bomb fell the house shook. We got some breakfast and later lunch and dinner, but we could not eat much. None of us was frightened. The 'planes were over all day and the sirens were going. It gives most folk a sort of 'nervous indigestion.' I had been partly packed up for months, but I worked all day packing up, as Ben wanted me to get away to Ostend with Jan. "We left about 6 p.m. There was no transport. Everything was chaos. As we went to the station we met the English and French troops coming in frcfin France. When we # arrived at Ostend we found there were no 'boats. ■ . I took a, room for the night near the British Consulate." i While waiting for several days in ' *. Ostend Mrs. Gobin spent most of her Jtime searching for her husband as each

train arrived at the station. Trains were being machine-gunned and were considerably delayed. Not finding any trace of her husband, she decided to get the first boat for England, thinking that perhaps he would travel via France, as many others' did. Describing conditions in Ostend, Mrs. Gobin said the Germans were flying over the town and the sirens were screaming day and night. Ostend was full of refugees and people were paying as much as £60 or £70 for a car or taxi to take them about 40 miles from Antwerp to Ostend. Everybody -wanted to get to England, but the British Consulate could only give -passes for the boat to British subjects.

We All Had Lifebelts. "It was a Wednesday when we were told to get down to the quay and wait for a 'boat," Mrs. Gobin continues. "We went on board about 3 p.m. and at 9 p.m. we were told the boat would not sail that night and advised to make ourselves as comfortable as we could, as we had'to stay on board. I stayed up on deck near the gangway, thinking that if anything happened during the crossing we could get off quickly into the small' boats or into the water. We all had lifebelts. Jan had gone to say good-night to an English boy he knew, and about 9.15 there was a terrific explosion. The boat lifted and rocked and the whole sky went red like a huge fire.

"There were 1000 of as on the boat. The children and many of the women screamed, and people rushed in from the deck to the covered part where I was jammed in. I shouted 'Jan! Jan!' and then I felt his hand pushed through the people. He called .out 'Mummy, I'm all right.' He wasn't afraid at all, and the whole of the night he sat up with me on the seat while women and men lay on the deck with their heads under seats and deck chairs. Where we set we had people lying on our feet and leaning up against our legs. We were stiff from cramp, liut we never grumbled. Heaps of the people had no food or drink.*

"The Germans dropped two bombe near our boat and flew over all night machine-gunning us. We were in total darkness, and with the women and children screaming all night, it was a nightmare. Aβ I sat up nursing Jan during the night I could see the 'planes coming to fire at.us again. The sentries on the quay and the anti-aircraft guns

were firing on them. During the night | a German parachutist came down and wounded a sentry, who ran past the gangway shouting that he had been wounded." 3000 On One Boat. "At 9 a.m. the following day we were told to get off the 'boat ae quickly as possible and leave all our luggage. We all poured off and went to the Consulate for fresh instructions, and as we did we could eee the damage done 'by the bombs. The windows of housee and hotels were blown out and there was glass everywhere. Crowds were in the cafes, which were without windows. (While we were having coffee at a cafe the eirene went again and people ran for shelter. At the Consulate we were told Ito get 'back to the quay as there 'might be another boat that afteruoon.'"

Mrs. GoWn and her son eventually made the voyage to England on a boat which carried 3000 passengers. Before leaving Ostend she found that her huehand had been seen toy friends in the city, and intended sailing on the same boat. Imagine her surprise and joy when she found him'walking around the crowded ship looking for her. "Everybody on the boat looked half dead," said Mrs. Gobin. "We had a strong escort across and got to an English port about 9 p.m., when we had to pass the Customs and immigration authorities. Then we had to spend all night on the station waiting for luggage to be brought off. Everybody had to sort out their own luggage. We left at 9 a.m. the next day for London, 'but had to leave behind one of our bags which got lost. It was a relief to get to London where.we had food, a bath and a good sleep, and to be away from air raids.

Exeter, so Mrs. Gobin says, ie a quiet little place. She had 'been there seven weeks at the time of writing, but the Germane had been over every night. Not knowing what might happen, she informs her sister that ehe had applied to have her son evacuated to Canada. Her husband had applied for a position in Exeter. If it did not eventuate, he intended to go,to London to seek a job, where several firms he represented in Brussels promised him the first vacancy. "I'm not keen on London because of the air raids, but thousands have to stay there and work and carry on," she wrote. "I don't mind. We've all got to work to live—goodness knows how long we are going to Jive."