A REMARKABLE STORY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 12799, 17 March 1916, Page 6

A REMARKABLE STORY.

A fine spirit of patriotism is being exhibited lw Private John Fraser Gourley, of the South African Field Force, who h;is come home to rc-enlist in the British armv after being ten months a prisoner in the 'hands of the enemy in German SouthWest Africa. Private Gourley ish&l years of age, was acting on the medical stiff, when 200 South Africans, with only two big guns and two maxims, were surrounded at Saudfontein on September 28 last year, after a battle with 2100 Germans which raged from 7 a.m. till 6 p.m. The Germans had also 18 big guns and 10 maxims. After the surrender, when the little force had been completely surrounded, the German commandant congratulated the British commander, Colonel Grant, on his excellent defence, and expressed surprise at'his being able to hold out so long. At Xamntoni, on June 17, after seven prisoners had escaped, the others were marshalled in. tlie courtyard, when they were told by the German commandant that they seemed to have an altogether impression of the war. He then gave ~ out the following "news" as "official" :—That. Warsaw had fallen on May 11, and that 240,000 Russian prisoners* had been taken; that on May 12 Calais fell, and General French and 172,000 British prisoners were captured; that the French fleet had been sunk in the harbour of Calais; on June 9 London was bombarded by land and from the sea by the German troops and navy; that Ireland had declared her independence, while Scotland had risen against England; and, further, that at the end of the war—in about two or three weeks—it would bo an easv matter for the Kaiser to send out a fleet to put things straight in South-West Africa.

On .July 5 the Germans at Namutoni, in viev of the advance of the South Africans, under General' Smuts, s who had been pushing north, hoisted the white flag ovjr the fort, and the "prisoners" took possession, at the earn© time taking five officers and 170 men, 90 waggon loads of provisions, 12 waggon loads of ammunition, and six water-boring machine. Private Gourlay confirms the poisoning of the water wells by the Germans at Sandiontein.