GERMAN PRISONERS.

Waipa Post, Volume XVII, Issue 961, 29 June 1920, Page 2

GERMAN PRISONERS.

THE 111 TRIP HOME.

Major Blackett, M.C., who passed through Wellington on his way to Auckland, had charge of the German prisoners returned to Holland in the Willochra. He has given the Dominion some interesting details of the voyage, which was rather a troublesome one. He said :

Occasionally there would he a row in the cells, when a prisonei would attempt to half kill a sentry. It was my custom to keep the boat deck clear of prisoners, with a sentry at the head of the gangway. One evening during the journey to Sydney, I walked up to the boat deck and suddenly Count Von Luckner, evidently wishing to have a look round, ran up after me. I drew my revolver, and ordered him to the next deck, and in ■front of him, gave the sentries orders to shoot him if he attempted to go up , to the boat deck again. On the trip over a Jngo-Slav .-attempted to throw one of the sentries overboard, but on examination by the ship’s doctor he was pronounced insane. In Sydney harbor we were in quarantine for a while, and on our arrival a most amusing incident occurred.. At the time a number of Australian troops were returning, and we were mistaken for a troopship. All the steamers in the harbor sounded their sirens in token of welcome, and a small vessel covered in bunting cruised round and round us display-, mg' a banner bearing the words, “ The Comfort Committee welcome you home.” Needless to say the Germans were greatly amused, and thought the thing a huge joke. While in Sydney harbor one of the prisoners caught a 12ft shark on an ordinary schnapper line. After putting a few bullets into it we placed a rope round it and hauled it on board. Count Von Luckner remarked at the time : ' “ That’s the best sentry you have j got.” I quite agreed with him, and | gave leave to half the guard. When lying at Durban a great deal of unrest occurred among the prisoners, while a certain number of the guard were on shore. I walked along the deck and noticed that, instead of standing quiet in their places for roll call, the prisoners were very excited and talking a great deal. As I arrived on the scene, the ringleader, a man with a long criminal record in Australia, approached and commenced abusing me for holding too many roll calls during the day. I held the man up with my revolver and a couple of the guard clapped him in irons and lodged him in the cells. The rest of the prisoners then fell into 'their places quietly. lam quite convinced that this incident was a move on the part of the prisoners to make a break and get away in South Africa. A whisky still was discovered on board, and a man was found giving a flask of vile liquor made from decayed fruit to the late Governor of Samoa. During the voyage . one prisoner died and was buried at sea. Count Von Luckner gave an address, and the crew of the See Adler committed the body to the deep. “ We Germans,” said Von Luckner, “ will take back his spirit to the Fatherland.”