ESCAPING FROM GERMANY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 240, 24 September 1914, Page 6

ESCAPING FROM GERMANY.

REFUGEES’ ROUGH TIME. EXPERIENCES OF A NEW ZEALAN DER. An interesting account of his buried exit from Germany on the outbreak of war is given by Mr. Bruce Mackenzie, son of the High Commissioner for New’ Zealand, in a letter to his brother. Dr. K. Mackenzie, of Auckland. Writing on August 4. Mr. Mackenzie says:—"l have just arrived after an awful rush back from Pforzheim. We left on Saturday at 12.15 in the morning. The train was crowded, and we had great difficulty in getting ourselves and our luggage on board. We at length came to rest on top of our iuggege. and reached Karlstiruhe in the same uncomfortable manner. At Karlshrtilie we had the first of .a long series of wearisome changes, and there, of all people, we met Nell (Miss Nellie Mackenzie) anil Miss Brown, who were going back to Pforzheim. We speedily dispelled their ideas of returning. ami thev came on with us. The train was crowded all the way. The station staffs were short handed and wrathful, and ve had to carry our own luggage. We arrived .at Rotterdam dead beat, having had no sleep for over 38 hours and only a miserable sandwich and biscuit in 24 hours. The refreshment places were fleecing the refugees, and charged two marks (about 2-) for a sandwich. Everywhere along the line were signs of feverish activity and rapid mobilisation. ‘‘We got a good dinner at Rotter dam, and then looked for our luggage. which was lost. We embarked for Tilbury on the Batavia, which was filled with a pauperised crowd. Cabins arid Keiths were our of ih»question, But fortunately the trip

I was calm and dry. or the deck might have been most unpleasant All the way we could sec British destroyers patrolling the North Sea —just moving. but quite yeady and alert. The Xorth Sea had been mined, and we carried a special naval officer to pilot us through the danger areas. At London we were put through a very strict examination as to nationality, and even Americans were not allowed to land. Money was I very tight on the Continent, and we were paying heavily for everything. However, we may consider ourselves extremely lucky, as the train we came by was tlr? last to run, and our boat was almost certainly the [ last. Our German landlord was l very good to tn,” the letter con- [ eludes. "and we really owe it to his | trouble that we are not in GerI manv now.”

j The fears for the safety of Miss I Alary Mackenzie, who was reported I by cable to be missing, proved to be •groundless. Dr. Mackenzie was • afterwards advised that his sister had returned safely to England. ' She was sketching in an out-of-the- > way village in Belgium, and her relatives could not get into touch with her. The news of the outbreak of. war was also late in reaching her. j but she had no difficulty in getting back to England. I ,^ r -. Bruce Mackenzie, at the time of writing, had volunteered for service in a medical corps.