FEELING IN DAKAR

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 9, 5 October 1940, Page 12

FEELING IN DAKAR

Increasing Support For

Free French

REPRESSIVE MOVES BY OFFICIALS

(British Offlcial Wireless and Press Assn.) RUGBY, October 3. General de Gaulle’s headquarters states: —

“News received from French West Africa shows that in spite of the attitude of the local authorities at Dakar the Free French movement daily increases in power. To counteract any movement by the Dakar population who are determined that the Germans shall not take the port and who are alarmed by the attitude of the local authorities, machine-guns have been stationed in buildings.

“The Governor-General has dismissed the Dakar municipality.

“Owing to fear of hostile demonstrations, the funeral services for the victims of last week’s incidents were held not in the cathedral but on board the cruiser Georges Leygues. “A court-martial has been ' set up and is sitting permanently. Many arrests have been made.

“These facts clearly indicate that the population is favourable to General de Gaulle, who is regarded more and more as the only possible saviour of the French empire.’’ Attempted Landing. Captain G. Thierry Dargenlieu, who is a priest in peacetime, led the party of General de Gaulle’s forces whicn attempted to land at Dakar last week. When the supporters of the Vichy Government fired on the party, Captain Dargenlieu was seriously wounded in the thigh and stood in the boat with blood streaming across his.white uniform and under a hail of machine-gun bullets, and directed the withdrawal until the last of his party had been withdrawn.

An eye-witness of the Dakar action said that two boats shoved off from the French destroyer Savorgnan de Brazza six miles off Port Dakar. The first contained unarmed former French Deputies in full-dress colonial uniform, and the second was manned by non-commissioned officers and sailors who were also unarmed.

A young ensign and lieutenant, after first refusing, permitted the party to land, and other Dakar officials telephoned to the Governor-General for instructions. He flatly refused to receive the delegation and ordered the party out to sea. Captain Dargenlieu asked: “What if we refuse?” The reply was: “You will be arrested.’’ Then an orderly rushed up with a written order commanding the arrest of the entire party. Captain Dargenlieu shouted a quick warning to his officers and leaped into the boat. As they pulled away from the quay an ensign boarded a small trawler and ordered nmchine-guiis to be trained on the party. Hesitation on the part of the gun crew enabled the boats to reach the outer limits of the harbour, and there they met a murderour fire from the harbour moles. Captain Dargenlieu was wounded immediately, but halted his boat and awaited the second, which was slower.