WAR TROPHY FROM SAMOA

Taranaki Daily News, 8 August 1930, Page 11

WAR TROPHY FROM SAMOA

GERMAN FLAG TAKEN AT APIA.

Definite information that the Gerinandlag at the Auckland Public Library is tiie viie that was flying, over the Government buildings at Apia. Samoa, when the New’ Zealand force took possession in- August, 1914, is contained in a letter scut by Mito Herbert F. Bailey, to the New Zealand Herald. Mr. Bailey, whose present address is Stanorma, 33, Gross Street, Concord, Sydney, New South'Wales, was a member, of the New Zealand Samoan Expeditionary Force and later of .the. Australian .Imperial Forces. He relates that he lowered the flag and retained’ possession of it until it was presented •to the New Zealand Government, with a request that • it should be retained in Auckland....

“It . was only by- accident that..l saw a picture of’ the' official German flag hauled-, down at : Samoa on Ap'gust 29, 1914, : by myself,'cut from one' of your papers a week or so ago, and as I understand there is .a controversy between the Parliamentary Library of Wellington and the Auckland Public Library as to the ownership., I, as donor of the flag to the New Zealand Government, thought I would take the liberty of writing to you and trying to clear the mat .er. up. Here is the story of the flag,” Mr. Bailey writes. “I, with nine other residents of Fiji, enlisted with the New Zealand Samoan Expeditionary-Force, on its arrival at Suva about August 25, 1914. I was posted to the 3rd Auckland Battalion, and was one of the first ashore at ApiaWe scouted through the bush, and worked round the back of the town as it was not known by the majority of us whether there was going to be an armed resistance or not.

“We finally came out at a large building, which was the German Government offices. , The flag was flying over this building, and I asked my platoon commander (whose name I forget) if I could haul it down. He gave me the necessary psrinission. I hauled it down, rolled it up, and fastened it to my belt. That was, if I remember rightly,..about 11 a.m. “Later that day, about 7 p.m., I was sent with a despatch, to headquarters for the force commander, who, after he had read the message I had brought, asked me what I was carrying cn my belt. I told him if was the flag of the Government buildings, and his answer to x that was: ‘Damn it all, man! I gave orders that that flag was not to be auled down. Who told you to haul it down?’

“I then told him what had occurred earlier in the day; eo, after a while, he asked me what I was going to do with it. I said: 'Stick to it if I can? He said: ’All right, but do not carry it round on your belt all the time.’ “Some weeks later,; while I was in camp at Epsom, Auckland, the ten of us who had enlisted in Suva, were paraded before the camp commandant, and I presented tho flag, through, him, to the New Zealand Government, and I specially asked him to use hie best endeavours to have the flag kept in Auckland and hung: either in the Auckland Museum or the cathedral, “1 have stated all the facts. The flag was my property, and, I think, in fairness to m'e should be kept in Auckland. Only the citizens of Auckland have a claim to it.”