CAPTAIN FRYATT'S MURDER

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 78, 28 September 1918, Page 16

CAPTAIN FRYATT'S MURDER

NEW LIGHT ON THE TRAGEDY

FIRST OFFICER'S REPORT.

■ On the second anniversary of the execution of Captain Fryatt {27th July), the following report to the manager of the Hxreat Eastern Railway Company from Mr. William Hartnell, who was the first officer of the Brussels at the time of her capture in 1916, and who is now interned in Holland, and which throws fresh light on his capture,. trial, and execution, was published in London :— ■■•■■■ ... i This being the first opportunity since the capture.of the Brussels in 1916, I will endeavour to give you details of the capture and happenings up to 27th July, this being the date of Captain. Fryatt's death. I beg to : report that on 22nd June the steamship Brussels left Rotterdam with cargo and passengers for Tilbury, stopping at the Hook of Holland. She.left the Hook Quay at 11 p.m. on.that day, the weather being very fine and clear. All'saloon and cabin lights were extinguished before passing the North Pier light. Directly after passing it, a very bright light was shown from the beach, about four miles north of the Hook, followed by a bright star, such as a-rocket would throw. After a lapse of ten: minutes this was repeated. On both occasions Captain Fryatt and myself remarked upon it, as we had never, seen similar lights on any previous occasions. After passing the Maas light vessel, all Board of "Trade regulation lights were darkened. , Five miles west of the light, vessel," a very small craft, probably a submarine not submerged, commenced morsing^ the letter "S'Vat intervals. No other lights were visible. t " ; • After running for one hour and thirty minutes, an. extra sharp; look-out was kept for a steamer that was going in the same direction and without lights, the I port and starboard lights of the Brussels being put on for the time being. At 12.46 craft without, lights ■ were seen at a point on the starboard bow, travelling at a great speed in the opposite direction. These proved to be" German destroyers of the latest type, five in all. Two came, alongside on;, the . starboard side, and one on the port side, ■ the other two following close, behind. During the time "the destroyers were approaching their commanders were shouting orders to stop, asking, the name of the ship, and threatening to fire on us. No firing occurred, however. . As soon as Captain Fryatt was assured that the destroyers were German, he gave orders for all' passengers to be ready to,take to the boats if necessary, and quietly instructed me to destroy all despatches and official papers. His instructions were carried out, and as .'the lastbag was | destroyed, German seamen, armed with pistols and bombs, . appeared .oh the starboard alleyway. I passed through the saloon. to ,the deck, and met more German seamen, who were driving all the crew they could find over the Tail on to the destroyers.'. I was ordered over the rail, but refused to go, and then met the officer who came on board to take charge. > He requested me to show him to the bridge, which I. did. He greeted Captain Fryatt, and congratulated himself over the great prize. ; ANGRY GERMAN OFFICER. ■ Satisfied that'all was well, the destroyers .left and made for Zeebrugge. The course was given for the Schouwenbank light vessel, and the order was given for full speed ahead; but no reply came from the ' engine-room, as the engineers had been driven over, the side with the majority of the crew. This greatly excited the German officer, who. drew his revolver and threatened to shoot Captain Fryatt and' myself "if we failed to assist him,: and to blow up the ship if the orders to the engine-room were not complied with at once. It was some minutes before the German officer could'be convinced that the engineers and most of the crew were on the destroyers. • He then ordered his own men:■ to the en-gine-room, and, instead of going full speed ahead, the engines were put on full epeed, astern. This also enraged the officer, and matter* became very unpleasant on the bridge. I was ordered to go to the engine-room ,to, inform', the Germans of their mistaKe. By this time the steam was greatly falling back, owing to the stokers being away, . and the order was given that all on board, except Captain Fryatt and myself, should, maintain sfeam till the ship arrived at " Zeebrugge. On reaching the, Schouwenbank light vessel the German flag was hoiflted, and directly after the Flushing mail boat for Tilbury passed quite close. \. Captain Fryatt was assured that soon after her arrival at Tilbury the capture of the Brussels would be reported. The ■Brussels was met arid escorted by .several aeroplanes to Zeebrugge, where the destroyere were already moored. On arrival at Zeebrugge. the Brussels was moored alongside the mole. The. engineers and crew all returned. The crew,were sent to their quarters and kept (under armed guard. ' The officers and engineers were placed under a guard in the smoke-room. The Belgian refugees were closely searched, and, landed at Zeebrugge. After a stay of about five hours the Brussels left and proceeded .to Bruges'under her own 6team.. • For some reason^ Captain Fryatfc was kept in his cabin, and I was sent to the bridge, not to.assist or officiate in any way, but simply to:.stand under ,gnard and to be questioned at intervals by the Germans if they could get the right answers. During the passage from Zeebrugge to Bruges both' sides of the canal were thronged in places, and both the soldiers and the marine Landstrum ,were greatly excited. . On reaching Brugea the crew were taken off and sent to a waiting, shed. Only Captain Fryatt and myself, with many German officers, remained on obard. After we had been questioned at lunch Captain Fryatt and I were photographed, and we \then joined the crew in the shed, being afterwards taken to a building, in the town. All of us, including stewardesses and 25 Russians, were,packed in, and there was scarcely standing room.

FACKBD IN. CATTLE-TRUCKS. 'After some hours, following a request to the prison, commandant, tie stewardesses were allowed separate quarters in the top of the building. Otherwise they were treated in the same way as male prisoners until they were separated to go to a different camp. At 3 a.m. on 25th June orders came for,all to be ready for the train to Germany, the stewardesses joining us at the station. At. 5 a.m. we ail left, closely packed in cattletrucks, and on arrival at.Ghent we were escorted to very dirty arid unhealthy quarters underground. At 5 a.m. on the following .day we left Ghent for Germany, via Cologne, where the stewardesses and the Kussians were sejparated to go to other camps. After being exhibited at Berlin; as at Hanover and other stations, the rest went to Ruhleben, where they arrived at 5 p.m., 28th June. Two days\ later Captain Frya-tt and I received orders to the effect that wo were to be prepared to leave the camp at'B p.m. for Bruges on ship's business. We arrived at Bruges at 7 a.m. on 2nd July, after visiting Ostend by mistake, on the part of the escort. AYe reported to the Port Kommandatur \at 9 a.m., and were taken from him to the town prison and> put in cells. From then onwards we were treated as criminals. We were occasionally visited by Oarman-flfflojali^andl .cpraßhif)iwd_jM-ito

the submarine and other subjects, on which Captain Fryatt made,a clear and open statement to the Germans, with nothing condemning to himself. From the time .of being placed in the prison at Bruges to 15th "July I saw Captain Fryatt and spoke to him on several occasions, after which I never spoke to him until one hour before he was shot. . I will endeavour to make you understand the so-called tribunal.or trial. On 24th July Captain Fryatt and myself were questioned and cross-questioned in the prison, and, so far as I could learn, Captain Fryatt never added to, or departed from his open statement. It was then that we were first informed of the tribunal that was to follow. On 26th July we were told to be ready for the tribunal, which was to take place at; Bruges Town Hall on the 27th at eleven a.m. On 27th July, at nine a.m. the door of the cell was opened, and an escort was waiting., To my surprise, four of the crew were., in the waiting-cell. Each man was escorted to the Town Hall, Captain Fryatt and I being the last to go, and placed under a strong guard until the trial began. , At twelve noon Captain Fryatt was called into his place before the so-called Bench, and repeated his previous statement. I followed, and answered questions that appeared to be ridiculous, not appearing either to defend or condemn Captain Fryatt. At the same time an officer in uniform,. . appeared, and, approaching Captain Fryatt and myself, informed us m broken English that he was for the defence. The Naval Kommaridatur of the port conducted the trial, and also acted as interpreter. At 4 p.m. the Naval Kommandatur informed us that all was over so far, and that the decision with the naval- officers, who had retired to another room, and the verdict would be made known after -we had returned to our cells. The i officer for the defence then spoke again, and said he would do his utmost to save Captain Fryatt. CONDEMNED TO BE SHOT. . After being again placed in the cells, the chief warder of the prison came to me at 5.30 p.m. and told me I was to go and stop .with Captain Fryatt, as that was his'last night. .1 then: met Captain Fryatt, who was very much distressed, not so much because of the verdict, but of the unfair and cowardly manner in which everything was done. He told me himself that he was to be shot on the next, morning, .and after having a 1 talk for about an hour—it was then 6.30 p.m.—the. prison official took his watch from his pocket and . said that in a short time the escort would be there, and Captain Fryatt would be shot at 7 . p.m. The last twenty-five minutes I spent with him were very appalling. At 6.55 p.m. I, wished him "Good-bye," and promised I would deliver: his last messages, which were many, and returned to my cell. -'■/'.',:.. '•■"'■ ■ , Punctually at 7p.m; a very short distance from the prison walls a band commenced to iplay,- and.prior Fryatt was no niore. Later, the,same evening an official came to my cell and described to me, in the, best way he could, how I Fryatt died. . He .was,shot by sixteen rifles, the bullets of'which penetrated through the heart, carrying with; them the clothes he was wearing through the body and out at. the back. Sir, I was and am still proud,of Captain Fryatt's manly conduct light up to the last, a,nd,l may add that there was hot a German present at the trial who could face him. -