REPATRIATED FROM RUHLEBEN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17324, 25 May 1918, Page 11

REPATRIATED FROM RUHLEBEN.

A NEW ZEALAND,EXPERIENCES TRIBUTE TO TIIE VALUE OF SPOUT. (Fboii Ouk Own Couhkspondent ) LONDON, March 19. Immediately after tho Oxford and Cambridge boat raoe of 1913, in whicli Tom Sullivan was professionally concerned in tho training of tho Oxford crew, tho Now Zealand oi-cliampion Soulier of England loft London to take up tho appointment of coach to tho Berlin Rowing Club, prcpyratory to tho Olympio Games of 1916. War intervened, tile Games did not ooine off, and Tom Sullivan was detained, as also were his wifo and son. Mrs Sullivan was eventually allowed to come back to England, but Mr Sullivan and his son were interned at tho tivilian camp at Ruhloben. After about 3j years re tho father has boon repatriated and has arrived in London; tho son is still a j: risoner, and is likely to bo until tho conclusion of tho war. At the moment Mr Sullivan is not saying much about tho conditions meted out to tho camp prisoners. numbering somewhere p 'iont 4000. What ho has to say in this connection will first lie placed at the disposal of tho authorities, but he has a good deal to say from the sporting viewpoint, which alone has kept so many of them fit. All are agreed as to Mr Sullivan's fit appearance, and ho says he feels thoroughly well _ despite trying experiences, his fine physique having stood him in good stead, while indulgence in plenty of sport was a tremendous aid, though of sculling he had none. THE SORE POINT In an interview, Mr Sullivan said: " 1 do not wish to make any detailed reference tc Ruhleben at present, prefering to withhold my statements for certain reasons. Many reports have been given as regards this camp, and to some of these, from my own point of view, I feel that I must lake exception. Soma of tho reports are not as just as they 'night be; in other cases probably they might havo been made a little clearer. With some exceptions, the inttrnees in Ruhleben Camp are fairly well at tho present time. It mav seem a strange thinjj to say, but, I thinli the older men in the camp, speaking generally, appear to have stood the wea- and tear bettei than tho younger men. For food we depended almost' sol civ on what came from England, and tho bread which we received through the Dutch Red Gross I must admit that the parcels from homo, and also the bread came fairly regularly. The German authorities supplied us with potatoes, which we received most days during the week, and a little meat sometimes on Slunday, which they made up in the form of a slew. Tho work of the kitchens is under the- control of a : taff of our cwn civilians, with, of oourse, German supervision. The | food supplied by tho enemy authorities lias never been sufficient to keep body and soul together. Even at tho beginning, when the. German nation itself had plenty of food available, there was not enough for the prisoners. That is the sore point I have with the Gormans—they did not provide the food when they were able to do it." During his long period of internment Mr Sullivan lived in a stable and slept in a horse-box. For the information of tho un initiated it may be mentioned that Ruhleben Camp is a converted trotting enclosure. THE VALUE OP HEALTHY SPORT. The New Zealander attributes his present good physical condition largely to the opportunities for sport, of which tho interned men were glad to avail themselves.ln this direction, it may be mentioned, no assistance or encouragement whatever is received from the Germans, and never has been. All tho time it has been the energy of the interned men themselves and the determination to keep up a good spirit—and that alone—whicli has enabled them to carry on. The atmosphere of an internment camp must, necessarily, be peculiarly depressing, and, as Mr Sullivan remarks: "It is the mental effects which one has most to fear. If some distraction from tho routine of camp life is not possible, if one's mind is allowed to brood for long on the monotonous position, then the end is inevitable. We had, as one would expect to have in a oommunity of 4000 people, some mental oases. I do not know of one of them affecting a man who took a keen interest in a healthy sport of somo kind. Some of tho best-known British footballers are interned at Ruhleben, including Fred Pentland, Stove Bloomer, Brearly, Wolstenholme, and others. Pentland was secretary of the Sports Committee, and all the others did really splendid work. They did all they could to keep the game going", and they invariably turned out themselves. Pentland was whole-heartedlv energetic in tho best interests of all kinds of sport. THE FIRST MEETING. " Wo held our first athletic meeting early in 1915," said Mr Sullivan, " and of 1260 I entries over 1100 competed. The programme had to be spread over a week, for we could not always have the uso of the track. Our events included running rases, from sprints up to a mile, high and long jumps, hurdling, aud a relay raco round tho course. The prizes were not of great value, as. you can guess, but they are much treasured. "There were other interests besides those purely sporting to claim our attention. Practically every nationality was represented in tho camp, and it was possible to learn any language ono chose. I havo been to some, most interesting lectures on diverse subjects. An orchestra of really talented musicians owed its inception to such mon as Godfrey, Ludlow, Peebles Conn, Bainton, and Maemillau. They were the 'backbone of tho musical side. Then there was Johnny Rlbker, the dancer, who organised theatricals, a stage for which was, erected in the grand stand." Apart from the games and music, education was not neglected. At the echool, whioh has about a thousand pupils, men who in pre-war days were connected with the commercial world havo been devoting their time and ability in instructing younger men. In case, after all that ho has said, the impression should get about that Ruhleben must bo a very beautiful and desirable place, Mr Sullivan is careful to point out that it is the energy of tho interned themselves and the determination to keep up a good spirit, and that alone, which has enabled them to carry on. No assistance or encouragement whatever is received from the Germans, and never has been. Whatever assistance there has been was procured from England. So far as tho surroundings of tho cairfrp aro concerned there is nothing much to find fault with, for there is plenty of fresh air. "I CANNOT REMAIN IDLE." _ Referring to churns left behind, he added : "Ihough they maike a big fight, you eventually see strong men losing their vitality, and I dp hopo that overy effort will brmade to release them, both young and old." After so long an absenco from tho Old Country Mr Sullivan is keenly anxious to bo able to do something useful—to take some part in winning the war. "I havo been out of it for three years and a-half. andi I cannot remain idle long now I am free." Thjs keen desire speaks much for the qualities and physique of a man who has passed through many trying and difficult experiences. TRAINING MILITARY OFFICERS. It is not a ,little curious, remarlis Sporting Life, that tho last event in which Mr Sullivan took part before the outbreak of war was a military regatta at Wanasse, on July 29, 1914. Three months before this a number of young military offioers were sent down to Mr Sullivan for physical training. "In the light of after events, this is significant, but there was no whisper of war during the last days of July. The Berlin Rowing Club had a very fine senior eight, but within three months of the beginning of hostilities six of them were killed. Most of the military officers who came under Mr Suliivan's hands were destined; for tho flying corps." AN EXPLOSION. Naturally, little news from the outside world reached tho camp. But one day a terrific explosion, 10 miles distant, smashed tho plate-glass windows of the grandstand and made the building rock so badly that it seomed in danger of collapsing. Tho official German account was that six people had been killed and three injured; but unofficial rumours put tho death roll at somiv tiling like SOO. OTHER OPINIONS. From the remarks made by others of the hundred-odd: returned civilians, it is evident that they havo not kopt their spirits up to tho same extent as Mr Sullivan." They tell u- Jeasont stories of their treatment bv tho Germans. "It was liko hell during the earlv part of tho war. At first wo were kioked and treated like dogs, and if it had not boen for the fnod received from England, wo wwuldi havo starved." Another, a Scotsman, said: "I have not seen a fire for throe years. Even in tho depth of winter wo wer-s given only one blanket." Again: "The food was awful, and tho oonI ditions intolerable. On Christmas Day we wero given for our meals coffee modo with

! acorns, a few potatoes, and for tea a j liquid that wo could not drink. During the last few months food conditions in Cenriany luvro boon very bad. Tho people look thin and worn, and thoroi is a great sliortago of everything; but as we received our pareels pretty regularly, we lived much better than tho Germans." One man said | that there appears to bo a groat sliortago ? . for when any of the internees fell ill the German doctors had nothing but aspirin tablets to give them. DEPRESSING INFLUENCES. Mr I 1 ranois Gribblo tolls us that our men at Ruhleben aro in increasing numbers going mad. "No ono who has had any experience of the life will havo any wonder that these. thing 3 should be so. Much had been done by tho organisation of study and amusements' to resist tho tendency ; but the depressing influences aro many and various. Over and above tho physical hardships, which aro bad enough, thero is the monotony, tho hopelessness, tho separation from all the normal interests of life, tho sense of a broken careor, and the anxiety for the fate of wives and children, loft to fend for themselves in a hard world. And the trouble is now likely to bo aggravated by tho increasing difficulty in supplying tho camp with food." SUGGESTED RECIPROCAL EXCHANGE. The Prime. Minister yesterday received a largo deputation of members of both Houses who desired to make representations in i lavour of an exchange of civilian prisoners i W "vr kord Deyoraport, Lord Gainford, and Mr Joynson-Hicks urged a reciprocal exchange of civilian nrisoners by this country and Germany. Mr 'Lloyd Georgo expressed sympathy with tho Dosition of our countrymen in Ruhleben, but said that tho . Government could not accede to the demands put forward. It was impossible, i owing to tho attitude of Germany, to ar- : range an equivalent exchange. Tho Government, therefore, was being asked to exchange 14,000 German civilians under 45 years of ago in this country for 3000 British , subjects under 45 in Ruhleben. Tho total number of civilian Germans in our internment camps is over 21,000, and it is esti- , mated that about 14,000 desire to be repatriated.