GREAT WAR RUSE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20056, 13 March 1935, Page 10

GREAT WAR RUSE

TOWN TAKEN SINGLE HANDED The story of a British officer who, by a tremendous bit of bluff during the Great War, compelled a heavilyarmed German force to evacuate its strongly-fortified position and surrender to Great Britain, a West African town is told in “Heat, Hell, and Humour,” a fascinating autobiography by Captain James H. Freebody, who tells of his adventures in many parts of the world. It was while in a cargo boat coasting along the West Coast of Africa that he came to Lome, the capital of Togoland. He writes:—lt was interesting to me as the first German colonial possession captured during the war. I applied, as usual, to the all-knowing captain. He cocked an omniscient eye towards Lome. “Interesting place, quite fine. It was in the hands of the Germans.” “How was it captured?” “Attacking party from the Gold Coast. Troops were moved up, but they took a long time to come. So the attacking party walked in and told the commandant of the town that the place would be bombarded if he didn't capitulate.” “Did they bombard the town?” “They didn’t need to. The town capitulated. There wouldn’t have been a bombardment in any case.” “Why not?” “There weren’t any ship; it was a bluff.” “But what about the bombardment by the attacking force?” “He couldn’t do it.” “What on earth do you mean?” The captain, delighted at mystifying me. sighed as if being patient with a half-wit. “Well, you see, the attacking force was one man. a British officer. He walked into Lome from somewhere on the Gold Coast, demanded the commandant, demanded the surrender of the town, and promised all sorts of trouble if the Germans didn’t capitulate. “They did!” The surrender of Lome was brought about by Captain Edward Barker, of the Middlesex Regiment, who had been seconded to the West African Frontier Force. He died in January, 1916. Lieutenant-Colonel F. C. Bryant, who w r as in command of the British forces operating against Togoland, told the “Daily Mail” of the gallant part played by Captain Barker. “I sent a telegram to Captain Barker, who was in command of two companies,” said Colonel Bryant, “asking him to go under a flag of truce to the commandant at Lome and request him to capitulate. “My telegram told Captain Barker to say that troops were advancing on all sides, and that Lome would also be attacked from the sea. As a matter of fact we had only a small force, but Captain Barker carried out his instructions, and, exaggerating the number of troops, bluffed the German commandant, Major von Doring.”