FATE OF STEAMER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23863, 14 January 1941, Page 82

FATE OF STEAMER

COMMENTS ON FOOD * LIFE ON EMI RAU ISLAND KINDNESS IN AUSTRALIA The first man to see the raider that sank the Holmwood was the second officer, .Mr. C. Clark, who was on watch at the time. "I saw her at about 7 a.m.," he said, "but I did not realise what she was until she came close alongside about an hour later. On the whole the conduct of the Germans was very good. We had to put up with shortage of water, air and food, but they treated us as well as anyone could expect under the conditions."

The Holmwood's complement were the first to be captured, and afterwards there were added iu order those taken from the Kangitane, the Triona, the Yinni, the Triadic, the Triaster and the Komata. For a time the prisoners were allowed on deck twice a day, from 12.:50 to 1..10 p.m. and from o.J'iO to 6.30 p.m., but near the Equator they were restricted to just one hour before sunset.

Conditions at Emirau The third engineer of the Holmwood, Mr. G. R. Clayton, said that 26 officers were kept in a room loft, by 10ft. On days when the raiders "made a kill" the captives were not allowed on deck at all. The womenfolk were treated very well, he said. When they were first taken on board they were given a room to themselves, and fresh milk and white bread was provided for the children. They were afterwards, with their husbands, transferred to the supply ship so that they would be out of any fighting that might take place. There was a shortage of provisions on Emirau Island for the first two days after they landed, Mr. Clayton said, but they were able to get immediately tea with tinned milk in it, which was a great treat. They also had fresh meat and ship's biscuits. After the second day there was plenty, for the mission launch which had taken to a neighbouring island news of the landing of the captives brought back with it five tons ot foodstuffs.

Hospitality to the, Rescued Like other passengeis, Mr. Clayton could not speak too highly of the generous kindness received on every hand from the moment of their rescue. The ship that took them back to Australia was designed to carry 100 instead of the 500 she took on board, and five sittings were necessary for meals, but the' food was like the usual first-class fare, and the bakers turned out fresh bread for them every day.

"We had a wonderful trip,'' said Mr. Clayton, who enumerated some of the kindnesses shown them by the Queensland and New South Wales Governments and Red Cross Societies. They had fresh fruit and cigarettes supplied them on their long railway journey. In Brisbane they were entertained at the Hotel Canberra, and at Sydney their reception was headed by the Governor-General, Lord Gowrie. They were billeted at first-class hotels and provided with pocket-money, and given free passes to places of interest around Sydney. They had been fitted out with new clothing of quality good enough to enable them to appear at the Hotel Canberra without embarrassment.

The New Zealand Government was being not less generous and considerate. It. had arranged free first-class passages back to New Zealand and had provided the survivors with pocketmoney and free facilities for reaching their homes.