ELUDING THE GERMANS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 5 September 1919, Page 8

ELUDING THE GERMANS

A NEW ZEALAND OFFICER'S ESCAPE Lieutenant Edgar H. Garland, late of the Royal Air Force, and a native of Wellington, whoso experiences would fill volumes, was taken prisoner at Osteml in 1917. On that occasion his squadron was attempting to intercept a covey of raiding Gothas. and through engine trouble ho haa to 'descend from tho clouds to captivity. Lieutenant 'Garlaud informed a Dominion reporter that he was incarcerated in no fewer than twenty prison, camps in Germany, and escaped from seven of them—a most extraordinary record. Such exploits go to show the wonderful spirit and sense ol initiative which • many of oirr ' officers had under all kinds of depressing and heart-breaking circumstances on both sides of "No Man's Land." The prisons Lieutenant Garland escaped from were Holzminden, Hesepe, Ditlnien, Cologne, Julioh, and Strohn. The attempt at Holzminden (related yesterday) isi _ ail epic of human endurance and daring. Lieutenant escape from the prison at Cologne was not nearly so laborious an affair, yet'it was a br%n feat. It was thero that by exercising mother wit ho was ablo to delude tho German guards and get clear /of tho prison. At somo considerable trouble no,, with the assistance of art English "Tommy" who was a tailor by trade, managed to make a suit of civilian clothes and a Bond Streot hat neatly cut and shaped out of a "Digger's" felt hat —pressed and trimmed with a b'<ick it would have' passed muster anywhere oxcopt on tlio closest scrutiny. Choosing a day on which soveral civilians Were visiting the prison, Lieutenant Garland donned his "civvy" suit and camouflaged hat, took a walking stick, and, holding a German paper in his hand, lie sauntered cut past tho guard. Tho guard asked him if he was an officer, and no replied promptly and severely that he was. The' guard saluted. Further down the entrance path wero two more guards, who, seeing the first guard saluto forboro fx> question and saluted as the escapeo sauntered past, restraining a desire to gallop. So careful were his preparations made that ho had been able to seeuro and dispose about his person enough food to last him for fourteen days. As a matter of fact ho made tho Holland border in four days, hiding by day in tho woods and making progress only by night. , For, the lnat two nights Lieutenant Garland, determined to escape after his many failures, took no risks, and contented himself with crawling forward, listening evsry few yards. At length ho made tho border and got safely away into Holland, ■ and from there 1 to England.

Two Men in a Ventilator. The attempted escape from Hescpe wo 3 a much nioro difficult business. Hero through an unfortunate contretemps Lieutenant Garland and a man named Albrecht (a good Britisher, though of German extraction) failed to get .clear away, and, being missed, had to hide in the prison. They hid in a louvre arrangement in the roof, admission to , which was gained by a. trap-door that formed when closed part of the floor of tho place. Thp German commandant concluded'that they had got away, and did not think they would hide inside, the prison. There they stayed for ten days, only going down at tho dittates of hun■gcr. When thoy were down, if anyono was coming, ono of the men <tave the warning by saying "Tea's Teady!" That was onough warning for them to dive for the beds and hide in tho mattresses. Awaiting their chance one night, Lientenant Garland and his companion resolved to make a dns'h for liberty. Tho officer of the watch had disappeared round tho corner of the building on his •final inspection of tho guards for tho night. Ae h'e disappeared the lights all went out. and out stepped the men into the blackness—bound for Holland. It was a case of sleeping by day in hiding and travelling the 250 miles to the frontier during tho night. During that journey they hail to swim the River 33ms, a feat that was accomplished at 3 o'clock in tho morning, and still thoy were four •days from the frontier. But by doggedly pressing on, the escapees at length, exhausted by their big effort, reached and actually crossed tho frontier into a Dutdh salient—but it was the hardest of luck that they did not kndw'it. "I was four hours in Holland and didivtlcnow 'it," ■ said Lieutenant Garland. "We had como to a small river or stream that was not on my map, .and Instead of crossing it wo walked along the banks and into Germany again. Thero we camo suddenly upon a German guard seated with his rifle. Ho gave tho alarm as he closed with -me, and I was soon surrounded by Gormans, and conveyed to a blockhouse near by. It was not till then we knew we had been in Holland and had come back to Germany. We learned, too, that the blockhouse /was within 20ft. of tho frontier, and the news gave mo tho notion of niajdng a dash for it. Albfocht and I had been tied witTi our arms fouother so as. to make any movement difficult. I soon found that the knot was not verv tight, and began to work it loose, until I found I could get niv arm clear. Once clear I mado a dash for ithe dooiyind ran right into the,-arms of a senfl-y, who put his riflo to niy head and threatened to blow my brains out. So if was back again to prison for me. ... I was given altogether four months' solitary confinement because of my attempts to escape. . . . Solitary is not too good, but we always had a good roof over our heads, a bed to lio on, and food was sent regularly to us from England. Tho German food was no good. . . . No, wo always got tha food parcels, and web treated pretty well throughout as long as wo behaved ourselves."