GERMAN MARE'S NEST

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3188, 12 September 1917, Page 7

GERMAN MARE'S NEST

HUN SKELETON FOE BRITISH . ANATOMY CLASS. In view of the revelations as to the operations- of the German corpse factories,- recent correspondence between the British Foreign Office and Berlin, through the Swiss Minister in London, is interesting. The Foreign "Office in Berlin on May 9 wrote:— "The "Daily Mirror,' in their issue of January 8 last, published under the heading 'Hun Skeleton for Anatomy Class,' a picture showing blind English soldiers receiving' instructions in skeleton'anatomy. Beneath, the picture was written, 'Twelve months ago tho skeleton was a living German.' • "The Foreign Office would be grateful if the Swiss Legation would piotest strongly'to, the British Government, pointing out at the same time that in Germany only the skeletons of .-onvicts are made use of for such purposes. The. German Government have a, right to' expect that German prisoners in England should bo buried in a manner in accordance with the conceptions of civilised peoples regarding the respect due to the dead. This is still more in the rase of soldiers, who, ofter bravely defending the land of their birth, have'died in a foreign- country. .For the earthly 'remains of such men even their opponents ought to entertain feelings of tiympathy and respect."

The reply of tho British Foreign Office, on June G,;wns as follows:—*

"The Secretary of 1 State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Swiss Minister, and with reference to Monsieur Carlin's Note No. 48S S.G., of May 22, transmitting a Note Verbale from .the German Government relative to ft photograph published with tho description 'Hun Skeleton for Anatomy Class,' in the "Daily Mirror' of January 8. 1917,' together with the statement, 'Twelvo montlie ago the skeleton was a living German,' has the honour to request that the German Government may oo informed as follows:—

"The German' Government's protest is based oil an inaccurate statement, as the photograph in question did not, as stated by the 'Daily Mirror,' represent the skeleton of a German soldier, .and a contradiction of the statement was published, in tlie edition of the newspaper in question of January 10, 1917, under tho heading 'Training Blind Soldiers.' The skeleton depicted in the photograph was purchased by the National Institute for the Blind before August, 1914.

"The bodies of German prisoners who die when in British hands are invariably buried in a manner which is in full accord • with the conceptions of civilised peoples regarding the respect <mo to the dead."