FIRST PRISONERS FROM THE EAST.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14590, 27 April 1918, Page 8

FIRST PRISONERS FROM THE EAST.

kut survivors arrive m ' . geneva. ; ■-■;; ■ GENEVA ', February 14. The first exchange^ prisoners of British, French, and Serbian 'nationality to cross the Austrian frontier since th& beginning^ the war; arrived. here last night from the, Near East, and were given a rousing, reception. .• . ■ , ' . =The party numtteys 384, and includes one English officer^ v7O: English and colonial soldiers, anditwo American volunteers, ;The British .prisoner^ were chiefly ifrom ; Mesopotamia, the Dardanell,«s,.aiid Palcßtine, and UJthbrs, liad been taken prisoners; by iho^.Bulgarians. '''■ ■''■{. There wore 17 stretcher vCases, fpr .whose, reception all* arrangements weve. made here m idvaneeV by the R«d CroW and by the British' Consuls. ] ■ ■■' An Australiaiii ttoopeT who had been m Ktifr told -me that oth#' Turks 'treated them very badly; after the surrender 6f the garrjson -by General Townahehd. This especially applied to a number of. men of. the West Kent. Regiment; who :were held up as prisoners m Austria for aipht»moiithi, „ ,; • ; . The -contingent included seven Indian soldiers, who stated that many of their comrades perished of «old while iiu.Ttuv. key.. .-!.■■ .. .: : :..h : . ■.;.■ „ ; " Many of the prisoners interned m the camps, near Constantinople were only given four ounces. o| ; bread' per day and no. other rations of any ; sort. The exchanged prisoners relate that two serious explosions occurred iii Constantinople, m., the imiddle of. November ■last, and caused great* damage, ■ . -: The vTurks^ they all say, ar©. utterly tired\ of .the -war,- and are greatly embittered against their German masters.