THE NEW ZEALAND DESERTER.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13654, 23 August 1916, Page 4

THE NEW ZEALAND DESERTER.

ONE PARENT A GERMAN. A PARTICULARLY TRAITOIUOUS ACT. NEW ZEALAND PLANS UPSET. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, August 21, The Makura, which arrived this evening, brings tins following from the Herald's London correspondent, under date July (Hilt i;t not pleasant to have to mention any shortcomings on the part of any soldiers who have made New Zealand's name famous and respected in the war, nor would any person setting nut to find causes v ol' complaint against our soldiers have found it an easy task. Their conduct throughout 'has been almost without blemish, and the verdict of the people of England-coincides with that of distinguished commanders who have, praised them ill the field. It is this fact which makes it almost a duty to state-the, circumstances under which one man wearing the New Zealand uniform proved false to his oath and untrue. tft his salt-, bringing not (July, disgrace'lint also minor disaster in the field upon his comrades. The man referred to has been poster] in orders as "Dismissed the service, having deserted to the enemy." He enlisted from Wellington province in an infantry battalion. His record of conduct was not altogether good, and in June he came under disciplinary punishment for misconduct'. He appears to have smarted under this correction, and to have sot his mind upon ''getting even" with his superiors at the expense of the lives of his,eomradcs. On the night of the last Saturday in June his battalion was in the trenches, and the Brigade Commander was making complete: ai-rangements -for launch'ing gas to attack , the Germans. The man continued to sulk, and'he saw in this preparation a chance of getting,his revenge. At about three o'clock in the morning, apparently wheit tilings were usually at their quietest, he escaped from his comrades, stole out past the wire into "No Man's Land," and before anyone could realise his intentions he had made good his escape into the German trenches. There are more or less artistic descriptions of how this was effected, One story is that he ran at' the top of his speed across the 1 open ground carrying a white handkerchief as a token of surrender, and that his comrades only realised his intention in time to send a few bullets after him before lie got over the Bosche parapet. The Minister has probably received official accounts which will enable him to say all that is known, At any rate, there is no doubt thai the traitor made good his escape to the enemy, and there is equally no doubt that he gave I hem information highly prejudicial to our own plans, for:with the daylight the German guns; which had paid'no particular attention to our front line for some days, commenced a hot bombardment of our trenches, inHiding considerable casualties on the Now Zealawlers, and, further, by shelling the headquarters, upset the plans for the gas attack, which had to. be abandoned. All parties agree that this is substantially what occurred, The only bright spot in the whole miserable story of the soldier's treason is the fact that the traitor is not of British extraction, though lie was brought up in the .Dominion. He is, t believe, not even ;i hyphenated New Zealander, inasmuch as both his father and mother are from the Continent .of Kin-ope, one of them being a German, Possibly this may assure him a wanner welcome in the Fatherland than lie would ever again receive in New Zealand. The i-ase is a very painful one, and Ihe traitor's comrades feel most keenly .the slur cast upon their battalion,