LIFE ON A RAIDER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 11, 14 January 1941, Page 8

LIFE ON A RAIDER

SHIP WELL EQUIPPED

SURVIVOR'S STORY

Satisfaction at the treatment received while aboard the German raider was expressed by Mr. C. Clark, second mate of the Holmwood, who described the living conditions of the prisoners from the date of their capture, November 25, to the time of the abandonment of the island on December 21. The "Germans treated the prisoners well, he said, and those who complained were a few who by temperament were unable or unwilling to adapt themselves to circumstances. "As prisoners of war," he said, "we got better treatment than I thought we would get." In the first few days after the capture of the Holmwood there had been plenty of room on the raider, as 26 persons only were taken aboard from that ship. As the personnel of other captured vessels was added to the prisoners' quarters, however, the conditions became less comfortable, until at the end of their journey there were about 300 captives on board, with 26 persons crowded into a room 14ft by 10ft. In such a crowd the heat was terrific, and going through the tropics it was "simply wicked." WELL PREPARED. The Germans had obviously prepared for emergencies such as the accommodation of large numbers of prisoners. The vessel on which Mr. Glark and his companions were confined was the Manyo Maru, a ship heavily armed and quite obviously fitted out specially foi raider purposes. No. 1 hold had been divided into rooms suitable for living quarters, with sanitary arrangements and bathrooms attached. There had been three raiders, two of them fighting ships and the third presumably a supply ship. The third might have been armed also, and she might have been carrying seaplanes, but the prisoners were not permitted to see her, and consequently were unable to tell. The prisoners were given tobacco and cigarettes, a pair of shorts each, and a cap cover for head protection from the heat. Anyone who did not possess dental facilities was issued with a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. "The main cause for grumbling," Mr. Clark said, "was the shortage of water, which could not be helped, of course, in such circumstances. The food was fair, but it was typically German and hardly suited to our taste. A good deal of the food was taken from the captured ships, of course, and occasionally we would get a tin of marmalade or jam, which was a treat. The main food seemed to be black bread, which was about eight times heavier than white bread and baked hard. At first it was not so bad, because we could nibble it like a biscuit, but towards the end of our stay on the raider it was not well baked. It was soft and uncooked in the centre, and difficult to eat; some of it we could not eat. There seemed to be plenty of it, as also of other foods. SYNTHETIC FOODS. "Some of the rations we received seemed to be synthetic food. This was so with the German margarine, which had neither taste nor smell, but which had the colour and the appearance of butter. "We each had an enamel plate, with knife, spoon, and fork, and all of these utensils were brand new. The mess kits, which were boiler-like in shape, were made of aluminium, and were also brand new. Everyone remarked about them. "It seems that the Germans look after their raiders and treat them well with supplies and foods; otherwise they would find it difficult to keep up the spirit and enthusiasm of those chosen for the dangerous work." CHANGING OF THE GUARD. Mr. Clark spoke interestingly about the conversations which had taken place between the crew of the raider and the prisoners. At first the prisoners were in charge of guards who spoke English well, and it was revealed from their conversation that they expected the war to end in a German victory within six months. They- had told their prisoners gleefully that London and Liverpool had been completely destroyed and that other English towns were fast being razed. When they discovered that some of the prisoners had been in Liverpool but a month or two previously and were abJe to contradict many of the stories told by the guards, the Englishspeaking guards were suddenly taken off and replaced by Germans who could speak very imperfect English.