YAMASHITA'S ESCAPE

Otago Witness, Issue 3331, 16 January 1918, Page 22

YAMASHITA'S ESCAPE

HOW A JAPANESE SAILOR GOT OUT

f OF GERMANY

A smiling Japanese sailor, with dark hair, yellow face, and lovely white teeth> recently entered the offices of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, Commercial road, London. Whilst ho was a prisoner of war in Germany he received six parcelsl of food and comforts every month, but for this assistance he stated that ho could not have lived. A short time ago the society received an intimation that K. YamashitA had escaped from Gustrow, and subsequently he turned up in person to give ah account of his adventures.

Yamashita originally served on the New Zealand Shipping Company's ill-fatedi steamer Otaki, and the owners gave him $ good character. On her last voyage she was 10 days from England when the famoug enemy raider Moewe attacked her, destroyed! the ship, and took the survivors prisoners. When the Moewe had served other ships and crews in the same way she scuttled! back to Kiel, and. landed her human cargo* In due course Yamashita was transferred to Gustrow, where ho worked with 300 other prisoners of war —British, French, and Belgians —in the dockyard, loading and dis> charging cargoes and trains. "We were called up at a quartern past four in the morning," ho told a representative of the Westminster Gazette. "A piece of black bread was given us—which had to last all day—and we had some coffee, but no< sugar' or milk. We. lined up at half-past $ and started work at 6. We came back to) the barracks at 12 o'clock, and had threat spoonfuls of soup —very thin ! . A potato) was found in it occasionally, but very small. Sometimes we left work at 6, but when busy! 8 o'clock. It was very bad, and we could hardly do the work, we were so weak, before the parcels arrived. " I made up my mind to escape, and on August 28 took my chance. I stayed up' to half-past 12, and dropped out of & small window in the barracks on to the ground outside. My socles and shoes I had taken off, and was in my bare feet, to save any noise which the sentry could have beard} Five minutes took me to a Norwegian shim and I did not see anyone. I got oh board and went down into the hold, where I hid in a piano case. The only thing I took with mo was- a packet of from the society's parcel. "A sailor had told me that his ship woulq leave on Wednesday, but it was Satur* day before it left?, and I stayed in the 1 piano case all the time. I was very and knocked on the boards, but no oris| came. I could not eat. I wanted wateft When the ship got to Stavanger somebody opened the hatch, and I knocked agaiift The Customs officer heard the noise and told the police, and then told the British Consul, who came on board. They brought mo' out of the hatch and gave me some whisky because I was very weak. "The Consul was very kind, and sent m$ to ffie hotel. He gave me some clothek boots, and a hat, and in two days he puj mo on an English boat, and I got to Leitm*< Yamashita, who seems none the worfi# for his harsh treatment in the Genua© camp, and his enterprising method of escape* is now waiting in London for another shit* He says that he is not afraid to go oyf again. -