NEW ZEALANDERS IN GERMANY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 74, 28 March 1919, Page 7

NEW ZEALANDERS IN GERMANY

Sy.ME INTEK-Eb* TING, INCIDENTS. HUNS PLAY NATIONAL ANTHEM. .-Letters received in Christchurch from a.New Zealander who entered. Germany with the New Zealand contains , an interesting account of ’ his - - expert- I ences.; Speaking of; the country- through which he advanced prior to the entry, ' he-says:—“Everywhere, we go The inhabitants VUrrt odt Id see us, and the children cheers us. France and Belgium are ablaze with the colours of the 1 Allies’ flags.” Following are other extracts : ’ - “At Verviers/ which wa* The; lasttown we bivouacked at in- Belgium, wo .met The most hospitable p60|)1&,-s0 Ifll* encountered; They Would not allow us o; occupy our allotted billets, but dragged us’ off to their homes to sleep in beds. Two days we spent here, after which we left for the 1 Germain irontier. Now, anyone at all would- have told the difference as we crossed from Belgium into' Hunlnud, because, - foy one thing, the aif itself siertied td bfe cblder. Thel'ri ll» & llglgia.il’ village right ton.The border, and, just - half a mile further on-, at ‘.he foot of-a hill, lies the, German town Eupen. Behind u s flags -were flying -and arches erected to show, la people’s joy at their deliverance. Huns in effigy wore hangingfrom posts, and everybody had on a smile that Would not come' off-. ” • ’ - : 111 Germany, says the writer, no Hags were seen. “Nobody speared’ - glad to see us (a new experience for us). In-' stead ;Thev either glared hard or passed though thhy did not notice our presence. At the- principal cornet ft' few iguns were; collected* probably to be handed 'over'to the Allies.' arid’ sonic young - Huftri With mouth-organs arid toy guns and swords, their heads covered with military caps, ‘Such * • atfy -'no doubt, their' elder relatives had worn on. the field some weeks a’g<v weri : playing about them: ■ “Towards dark we moved Into a village named Roetgen. ■ Billets were ■ requisitioned from • the farm people, and ill thw we spent out* first night among the' HuhS, TO be fair, T must say that they did pot. show any-ill-feeling whatever. When we - were sewed with 1 dur hot tea They’would hot let us ekt it in the bedrooms, a whi j ther we took it. They made u« enter the kitchen and eat at their table f while thev waited until W6 Were finished.

. Another 'stop - w&© made a rKerpen, whero’the New Zealanders spent Christmas Eve and Day. ‘There‘is a fine, K.U. churen there,’’ says the writer, ‘‘arid as two mates and 1 were standing near by ; the parish priest approached hs,and, speaking in •_ irreproachable English, 1 ashW tis if we- would -mind as-, fisting W ring The bells. We’ had ,rio objections, of Course, and soon the bells were • clanging good*oh. '-As we, were leaynig, ’the-priest, at ter thanking ns, said, bot think you- were coming to Germany To ring-the bells tor Uhri&tmas, did youT' We admitted r to be 'an experience we had- not counted 1 oft; We'.finished■ orir trqk on Boxing I Day, -when w© entered Cologne -,pas«fqg through The busiest par: of the city, and* crossing the river by the famous Mohehzolieru bridge. ' We canfie to a lull stop at the exhibition ,buildings on H©; far bank, and. a few minutes later —] Uflt think of it!—w© were - watering our thirsty horses In the Rhine. After seeing The prosperity in -this Town I do : not' know - what to think of the- tales we used •to hear of shortages. Nowhere else in the world have I 'seen so many well-dressed people. If there are slums I have not yet come across them, nor have- I. seen anyone Tikely To;; ’iclong to them. ’ The cafes ate great'. 7 ' Almost'everyone has an orchestra playing,' and '-Hey are all lull. On the other hand,' some, articles are . .undpubtediy scarce. - For: ixrstance, pi The .shop wih ; dow A may be -seen boots and shoe& with solesoof;f f ; wood instead .of Teath'ey. S6ap is -almost. arid.penriy sticks pt chocolate such a$ we know are marked I-}' marks each. The r giris and children plague ufc with pleading .for chocolate. They - get' round, Pur Y.M.C.A.’s and it is hard to,get - away tfrftm; them. ‘A mark-here, normally ‘ wor-h about a shilling, is noW worthj6£d.”. -r The New 25©aland6rs had, he says, in excellent dinner ofTui'key,' etc;, on New'Year’s Day. “The Fifth Battery had their dinner at night. I looked in ife I was passing and had a good lahgh at the piece the Hun band they had engaged were playing." If wa-s “God Save the King,’ and the Fritees were shaking it up a treat. No ‘man is allowed to fraternise wit-h a German, nor ■ is he permitted fo Walk with'a frnulein, but, of course, 'soldieig; especially ■ Diggers, would hot do that ftqrt ,of ■ thing. A few' days ago I.had leave te visit Bonn, a. Rhenish town of SOiOOCf .people. Bonn'is where Beethoven s wris bot*n; although he lies buried at Wien: (Vienna). I Visited his house, • ‘ and saw his original piano and other of feis instruraontfi.” ’ *"' ’' ; ■' In further . reference to the shortage of Chocolate the following- passage occurs: “(The Tuis’ who;peVform ‘before Jihe-i-Neyt Zealand troops/ have rather’>a good joke'on the subject: Wjiat is the best way id' catch a squirrel - ? Climb ■ a ttee and make -a- noise like a nut. Whiat is the best way to catcli a fraulein ? Walk lilbitg the road land make' a : noise likp;a'piece of chocolate.•' The writer runs from humour tp! tragedy in" the; following lines:. ‘ “Rrth into'.in few nights ago”who; had been a prisoner’dl war in y Germany fot twenty months, having been, cap- 1 tured at '"'Lagthftourt; ,'ndrtr Bullteconrt. He t-ptd by mate arid I- Tha*-* we had rio Mea of the Hurts’) criieity, ' They • forced him to carry dp bombs'to their front line 'and''ran, the gauntlet of our baprage, which ,was ; terribly' hot at' times. He saw Hun guards strike women > in the breast 'with' their : rifles Tor,’attempting to hand a piece of bread to prison- ? ere. It was the happiest day of' his' life when he Arrived in - and: saw the the oldfamiliar khaki in the streets. j It was so good that he worild scarcely believe his eyes, the poor chap.”