LOST MEMORY.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10508, 11 February 1928, Page 5

LOST MEMORY.

THE LONG BLANK TEARS

AMAZING STORY Or THE WAR

SOLDIER LOSES HIS NAM I

. I'lie most amazing story of the war nils had to wait id years to lie told. It is . the story of a man Mho lost bis name, his identity, his nationality. his native tongue, and -'.spent L) veers us another man, speaking another, language. The hero of. this almost incredible romance is a Swede named Gustaf Dimer, who until a lew months ago thought he was ( anadian called do Montalt. A few weeks ago. through a' remarkable series of coi iicidciiccs. In* puked up tin* threads ol Ins lost-life and found a mother and brother v.hom lie did not know existed.

- Gusual Dimer was born in 1880 in Sweden. His lather was a professor at tin* famous University of Upsa-la. f , “ , .m bis .youth a love -of war, ayui adventure was second nature to him, and he became an odiecr' in the /wedish army, but that, did not look like leading to any feats of arias of the- kind lie wanted.

■" Ac ordingly, when the Boer wav I roko out nearly .'lO years ago, In* enlisted in the British Ai'niy ami went m -Smith Africa, whore lie iouglit with such gallantry thrcugliont The campaign that lie earned a British am mission for himself. After that lie (ought in all (lie wars which broke *ul in Europe.- and on the,outbreak R tin' Great War.in J9U be was once nine an olliier in the British Army f'glning in Franco. /

A TERRIBLE EXPLOSION. dust' before the New Year of 1917the strange ■ occurrence ' took place which east a shadow of mystery over the next H) years of Dimer's life; lie was sealed .with oilier nUicers in a dug-out in If ranee when suddenly the warning, was- ’'given, that a mine oxnfos'ii n was imminent.. Dimer picked up lbe nearest, coat which lie. thought was bis. and bad just 1 inn* to 1 lirnst ui arm , into one, sleeve when jf' terrible explosion .wrecked Hit* ling-out*.. Lamer -throw himself to the ground md then lelf himself being lifted l.i'wlilv into the air. Then he lost •a nscionsnyss'. AVlieu lie canto to,yin *.■ ho/pilal far* behind (lie lines liis memory was a blank. ; Every detail •;i bis former life bad been ' wiped • i>ut as if a .sponge laid been drawn across a slate.' Tin*, nurses and doctors in the hospital, however, called him “‘Captain Vie 1 ;.\lontoh/jF fhltd when he asked why/ he has shown the* coal lu* had been .lining tiiLuil, The time of the, ex--1 Ibaion. In. the'pocket were a letter and other dofimimits, which seemed in ] rove that lie was a. Canadian officer bearing- that name. There were no iTues'/fo Hie whereabouts of relatives .or. friends, a ml, all .til tempts. In find them Caine lo nothing.., COAT TAKEN RY MISTAKE. IRinrr spoke English perfectly, so la* accepted the evidence ok the coat, •tiling himself OApl :ii,iiy ij.e Moil la It, . In* truth; although. Difner did nor, ! now' ii, was that 1 lie real j/nptain. do' .Montalt had been blown to pieces by. 1 lie-Explosion. Dimer had taken! liis' i oat by mistake. - .. ■' ■ ' Now began 10 years 'of mystery, i ait romance had not finished with “' this modern soldier 1 of, I'ortunr. ‘•( aptiiin do Montalt," who had been only slightly injured by the explosion lt'sigiiod liis commission and joined i Ik* R.A.E. as’ a recruit. It was not king helms* lie hild distinguished liinv- ;; If as an airman,, and lie was edtnmissiiMied asmi second, lieutenant*. 1 Then ciinn* a crash while living over . iiie lines’ which ineapacit.tited hinv. a omplctely from all .furllier participation ,iii war. . * •C/nptain de ’.Mmitalt. returned to London to settle down on the IBOper cant, pension which tin* Government gave him. and, incidentally, to periorm a task which had been laid on him. Not long bf-fore his crash at voting olliier .wild Was a friend of his had been standing close to him when a shell lnirst-' and /blew 'off both liis 'legs. As lu* lav dying in de MontnlLs arms.' lie made the latter promise to visit his sister, who was in London.. This-doMoutalt did, and our of the j athetic duty sprang a romance;whiea culminated in his marriage to the c harming'' young -Englishwoman who -was the defid manjs sister.

Then a period ol idyllic happiness ■ began, with,' however, pnc. cloud in the sky—the."doubt ..which lingered at the.hack of his miruFthat Ac was not .entitled to hear the -name tljilt lie had "taken. • AN-AM A 7 r.VG DISCO. V FRY : f ’ • ' A:." -■ ' (Inc day lie had a shock. He heard■some people in a crowd talking a foreign language, and to his astonishment h<> found that lie understood them! Shaken to the depths of his l. 'ing l . .ic asked what the fhuigiinge was.’ and found that it was Swedish. At once Ire began on a new avenue •of y inquiry into the mystery of his inline. Now he was. not even sureof his nationality... But he could make no headway.' 'Then came the most amazing coincidence b; all. T]ie ex-soldier was ■ sTtine- one dnv in a Government de--partnient. n.WniLing- on interview with some official about his pension.-' A number of., foreign .reference hooks were on a.sheik near him, and liis eye. toil e.ii , one%t!ie which is 'the ,'Afmv List of'lthe, Swedish Army. Natiii-ally interested^in all tilings. Swedish, he picked' it up and ian his eye down the columns-of offi,ccrs■ in the Swedish army. Suddenly the name of Gn.staf- Duncr’stared him in the tape. 'bye,. „ Tim' hero of the story "was stagger-" cuv- Tiie name: was familiar, olusivoly, inexplicably familiar. He began to remember - things,ill n ■ confused way> In a fever of excitement he ■ wrote, to the address given .opposite the, name. Piomptlv ■ cam the" reply: ‘'.Herr Giistaf 'Duner was unfortunately killed on the Western 1 rout at the-end of .IC-lfi,” said the writer. M‘ am Ins hVotlier.. '-v - • . - . There followed details of the life of this Giistaf' Duner. mid. like .a flash of light the curtain fell. from Duner’s past. He and ,his wife hurried .to Stockholm, where they ban a di'iirinusiy joyful meeting ■ with his mother and brother, wlm had given him ii)> as dead for ren years.