The German Surrender.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VIII, Issue 301, 22 November 1918, Page 5

The German Surrender.

Main Fleet Handed Over. lamentable Sufferings of British Prisoners. Murder of the Captives of Kut [PBKM ASSOCIATION OOPYBIOHT.] (Received 22, 9.55 a.m.) New York, November 21. The German main fleet has surrendered.— (Argus.) (Received 22, g. 10 a.m.) London, November 21. The surrender of twenty-one German warships to-day was completed without Incident.— (A. & N.Z.) (Received 22, 10.40 a.m.) , Amsterdam, November 20. Seven German torpedo boats arrived at the Dutch coast from Antwerp and were interned. Hundreds of prisoners of war of al! Allied nationalities are streaming over the Dutch frontier.— (Reuter.) London, November 20. The crews of the surrendered submarines were transferred to a bnmediatelysent back to Germany. — “Times.” (Received 22, 9. 15 a.m.) _ London, November 21. The Minister of Food announces that no food supplies will be permitted to be sent to Germany until the Allied Food Council has satisfied Itself concerning the conditions in Germany.— (A. & N.Z.) THE BRUTES WE HAVE BEATEN. TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS OF BRITISH WAR PRISONERS. Paris, November 20. Correspondents continue pitiful accounts of British prisoners arriving Nancy all in lamentable condition, their faces pinched, their tunics held together by string, some wearing horse cloths and women’s garments, and all terribly hungry. They had been treated like slaves. Several hundreds of British were lost in the woods near Chateau Salins. French soldiers searching discovered three hundred dying of hunger and fatigue. PRISONERS* PARCELS SAVED THEM FROM STARVATION. (Received 22, 10.40 a.m.) London, November 20. The doctors are furious with anger in describing the horrible marks of German brutalities on some of the returned war prisoners, but the majority show hardy resistance and are recuperating rapidly. All agree that only the gifts of food received at the prison camps from London prevented utter starvation. Of 350 Russians in .one camp, receiving no such help, all died.—(United Service.) BRITAIN THREATENS PUNISHMENT. (Received 22, 9.55 a.m.) London, November 20. In the House of Commons, Mr. Bonar Law stated that Sir Douglas Haig wirelessed the German headquarters that information had reached the British Government of the shocking lack of organisation in connection with the release of prisoners, who are returning on foot miserably clothed, foodless and without escorts and guides, resulting in lamentable sufferings and mortality. The Government cannot tolerate the continuance of this cruel treatment, and must insist on adequate arrangements by the German authorities, with whom, full responsibility lies. Otherwise we would be compelled to take this into account in the revictualling of Germany or satisfying the requirements of the German population and Government. Sir Douglas Haig was ready to forward food and clothing and transport to the prisoners’ camps, and our Allies were being asked to co-operate. APPALLING TREATMENT OF PRISONERS IN TURKEY. A White Paper has been issued, making appalling revelations of the treatment of British prisoners in Turke}’. Some of the officers were treated with almost theatrical politeness. Most of the men were tormented like beasts. The greater part of their sufferings was due, however, to Turkish incompetence. Three hundred of the Kut prisoners were dead a week after their surrender. The Turks had neither the will nor the power to save the lives of the Kut prisoners. Out of 19,583 prisoners in Turkey, 3290 are already reported dead, and 2222 are untraced and have doubtless perished, most of them being of the Kut force, who died during the 500 miles journey across the Syrian desert. In consequence of an urgent message to the Turkish commander, the British Medical Staff was allowed to go to Samarra. The medicals picked up hundreds of Kut prisoners lying on the roadside, suffering the miseries of dysentery and starvation. Many were beyond help, others were dead and lay unburied. They had been stripped stark by the Arab villagers. The last stage of the march over the mountains was the worst of all. The survivors were immediately taken to Tarsus and Adana to finish tunnel blasting operations for the Taurus railway. The prisoners were so weakened by privations that even the Turks were unable to make them do useful work. Therefore they were sent to camps in September, 1916, in the interior of Asia Minor. They had to march over the Taurus mountains, driven by gendarmes’ rifle butts. Many dropped and died, but the main body was somehow beaten and - driven across the mountain range. The survivors were finally taken to Arion, to an internment camp, where flogging was habitual. Turkish naval officers ruled with cowhide whips, file prisoners being lashed on their bare backs.—(A. & N.Z.) THE BULGAR BARBARIANS. DRASTIC PUNISHMENT NEEDED. London, November 20. “ The Times’ ” Sofia correspondent writes: Bulgaria is still thoroughly impenitent and needs stern punishment. The people Regard themselves as unconquered, and act as though they had actually won. There have been repeated evasions of the armistice. The British authorities are patient, but the French General recently ensured obedience by threatening an immediate bombardment. There are only 53,000 survivors of 100,000 interned Serbian, Greek and Macedonian civilian prisoners, who were horribly maltreated, flogged and starved. Typhus patients were locked in empty houses and died by thousands. Some British captured at Dovian were forced to march through Sofia bootless and foodless. Many died.—(“Times.”) THE HEROES OF LE QUESNOY. London, November 20. The civic authorities at Le Quesnoy presented the New Zealand Brigade with the first flag hung in the Grande Place after their entry, and decided to include a fern leaf in the town’s coat of arms. INVASION OF GERMANY. THE BRITISH WAY. London, November 20. General Rawlinson, in an order of the dav, dated November nth says- “The Fourth Armv has been ordered to participate in the occupation of the Rhine. I ask you men from all parts of the Empire when on German territory to show the world that British soldiers are not like Germany s, and do not vvage ■SS women and children. I rely on your sustaining the army’s fair name.”