“COMPLETE FABRICATION”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 4 August 1945, Page 5

“COMPLETE FABRICATION”

STORY OF CORFSES IN “DEATH HOLE” London, Aug. 3. The story of 400 corpses found in a “death hole” at Basovizza. five miles outside Trieste, is untrue, says a special correspondent Of the “Manchester Guardian.” An allegation was made by Roman news agency that the village was the scene of the disinterment by Allied military authorities of 400 bodies cf Italians, Germans and 10 New Zealanders from a deep pit. The correspondent spent several hours visiting the pits and coalshaft. He said the New Zealand Seventh Field Engineer Company threw a small Bailey Bridge over this shaft. A cable was down and the shaft was found to be 600 feet deep. An experimental descent was made by a New Zealander but he was almost overpowered by the stench. A. diver in full kit was let down and he brought up fragments of flesh, human clothing, German ammunition boxes and stated that the place appeared to be a giant dump with human and horse remains.

A fortnight ago operations, which never at any time produced.more than these fragments, were suspended and now the New Zealanders have all left this region. Allied headquarters have taken over the Basovizza shaft and the place is being thoroughly investigated. The correspondent declares that the story about the disinternment of 400 corpses is a complete fabrication as it is known that the Bishop of Trieste and the Patriarch of Venice arranged the burial of corpses in a suitable place.— P.A. Special Correspondent.