THE SPIES OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 150, 14 March 1918, Page 7

THE SPIES OF WAR

INCIDENTS ON MANY FRONTS

SHORT SHRIFT FOR THOSE WHO ARE CAUGHT

Incidents which have- come under tho observation of Captain David Fallon, M.0., late of tho Australian Forces, which ho recounts in the u New York Herald," throw some interesting sidelights on tho German epy system. Boforo tho war hogan (ho says), when I was in Germany, I was asked by a. German if, in case wnr broke out between England and Germany, Australia would fight for England, -and when I told him sho would he was sorely puzzled.

During a trip through Ireland to 6eo members of my family before coming to the States, I met a young lady moving in the best Dublin society, who told me that just before the outbreak of the war the fourth son of tho .German Emperor, while touring Ireland, asked her during a dance: "What would happen to Ireland if Germany waged war against England?" The young lady, being a thorough Celt, replied: "A revolution throughout the whole of Ireland would follow." Thi3 pleased him so much that he immediately packed up, went back to Germany, and reported the whole incident to the Kaieer. Such a report would receive more attention than that of the spy who asked nw in Australia .what we would do if Germany went to war with England. Shot on Sight. The public in general believe that all spies are shot at sunrise, but you can take it from me that they are ehot on sight. It might happen that they aro caught in some action at four o'clock in the afternoon, and at ten minutes after four they are dead. But does that deter them ? Not in the. least. They just keep on coming. They come nt morning, at noon and in- the evening, and oven at night they are to bo found. They come dressed as our own people, as peasant girls, as natives of a country whom one is fighting and even the church is desecrated by these spies,. who hold nothing in reverence. The first regular spy with whom I .came in contact was on board fihip as we were going from Australia to Egypt. 'A B<iche had signed on as a stoker and had bepn caught in the net of attempting to destroy the engines with bombs. Be was taken and summarily disposed of. The other ships of our convoys -wero not so fortunate, for sis of them had to return to Australia. Their engines had been tampered with.

In Egypt, The natives of Egypt used to do most of the menial work in our camps, clean the linen, look after the tents and tidy up where necessary. One of these natives, who had received a billet to clean up headquarters, was iound one. day looking over correspondence which was . marked secret, He was just handed to an escort and shot.

During our stay in Egypt spies were at work in all disguises. Bazaars wero plentiful and many a good Ansae met his death in them, until w* found arms in one of them and burnt it about tne heads of the occupants.

On one occasion one of the men was asked if he would sell his rifle for £100. He reported that to his • oiEcer, and they trapped this native as he came ■along with the money for the rifle. He was found to be' a German in disguise, and was taken away and shot.

In the Dardanelles we had these spies about us constantly. Even after we had surmounted tho impossible heights of Gallipoli wo were not free of them. The day following the night of the first attack, as the sun rose over the hills to the east, the order was passed down the lines to fix bayonets. Soon as the' order reached me I shouted along the line, "Who gave that order? Unfix bayonets I" But the harm was done. AVe were simply buried under Turkish' shrapnel. And even to this day I do not know who gave that command.

Later on, during our advance on lion*> Title, after a bloody hand-to-hand combat where we were consolidating it, the order came from the left to retiro on the first line. I know when this order reached jue ihat it was given either by a spy or a fool. So I sent my platoon sergeant over to 'find whence the order came.

He shouted along the line, "Who gave the order to retire?"

The reply came, "From Lieutenant TTrfhclm."

But tho sergeant, knowing that there was no officer in the battalion with that name, suspected one chap in khaki to bo a German spy. The sergeant went right tip to him, found he had a square head and Hue eyes and light hair, and drove his bayonet right through him. On examining the spy we discovered in his pockets a code of sigiuJs wfiich bad been arranged between the spy antf. We friends in the Turkish lines. The Cirl Spy. When resting in Belgium, just behind the lines, a young peasant girl who daily supplied us with the European edition of tho "Herald" and other newspapers, and occasionally with food, was noticed by ono of the boys to jot down something on a piece of paper. He at onco reported the matter to inc. and I watched her until she had sola all her nowspapora and supplies, and followed her into a disused house which had beon partly destroyed by shells. I lurked around for about a quarter of an hour, expecting something to happen, and I noticed a pigeon making its way out of tho tumbled-down cottage and flying toward the enemy lines. Drawing my revolver I entered the house and mado my way to where I heard bits of conversation. I surprised n man and this young peasant girl talking rapidly and excitedly. While moving toward them I tripped over a piece of stone and made a noise, which turned their attention to me. Tho man was in tho act of pulling a revolver out of his pocket when I fired and caught him full. I then frightened the girl by telling her that I would do likewise with her if she didn't hand over all the documents and maps and tiny information she had of our lines. From her I received rough sketches of our trenches, ammunition stores, food dumps, and the whereabouts of our rest billot's. >

Getting tho information, I marched her back to battalion headquarters and handed her over, with the documents I had obtained. Tho Court sentenced her to imprisonment for life. She proved to be tho daughter of tho man who was with her.

When wo were occupying Horberhinio before- the Sommo drive wo noticed that though all tho buildings of tho town bad been destroyed' the church tower had escaped any material damage. The Germans Were heavily etrafing Herberturne at that time, and somehow or .other they would commence their firo just as our convoys and reinforcements were coming up with supplies and food, ammunition and mail. Wβ were nonplussed at this regular strafing of our convoys, and though we had changed the times of sending up men and supplies the shell still found them. One night one of the sentries during his tour of duty noticed a lamp flashing from tho tower of the church and reported the matter immediately. An officer and a few men were detailed to enter the church and make inquiries ns to the cause of the unusual incident. They met the curate leaving the church and asked him if he had noticed any lights flashing from tho tower. Without looking into the officer's eyes he said "No," but tho officfr was

suspicious, and placed him under arrest find searched tho tower. There ho found a heliograph and a flash-lamp. The curate, or spy hiding under tho cloak of religion, was shot at dawn. ■ Tho morning before I was put liors-dc-combafc information reached me from headquarters that a man dressed in the garb of an artillery officer, who was believed to ho a spy, was going through our trenches asking questions regarding our dispositions. Ho was to bo captured alive at all costs and brought on to headquarters. I instructed all my men to keep a sharp look-out for an artillery officer of medium hoight wearing a monocle. It so happened that our adjutant was wearing a monocle, and as ho was making his way through tho lines ho was stopped by one of the Bentriee who had Teeently joined us from Blighty. Tho adjutant was brought homo to mo at the point of a bayonet. The sentry, a conscientious soldier, wouldn't listen to the adjutant as ho tried to explain his position and who ho was. After I had dismissed thosentry and apologised, tho adjutant said: "It's a jolly good thing you have such wideawake chaps; but I came here to tell you that tho AVarwipks captured the spy. As ho was being driven across the mud to Brigade Headquarters he asked why ho ivas being taken through a sea of mud to bo shot. "Why don't you kill me right bore?" he asked. Oneof the men replied: "What the devil are you grumbling at? You forget we have to go back when wo hand you over to headquarters."