“CADAVER”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19435, 22 October 1925, Page 7

“CADAVER”

A WAR TIME STORY ALLEGED EXPLANATION FROM NEW YORK NEW YORK, Oct. 20. “The story of Germany boiling down the bodies of her dead soldiers during the world war to utilise the fats for fertiliser was started as a bit of British propaganda in China,” said Brigaclier-Gerferal J. W. Charteris (who during the war was chief of the British Intelligence Unit, and was author of the story), when ho revealed the origin of the tale for the first time .in a talk to the National Arts Club. “When England was worried over seeming pro-Gcrnian proclivities in China,” said the General, “I concocted the idea of switching the titles of two pictures taken from dead German soldiers. One bore the caption ‘ Cadaver,’ and showed a train of dead horses being taken to fertiliser factories. The other was one depicting dead German soldiers being taken to the rear for burial.” Labe I.l’ng the dead soldiers with the caption “Cadaver,” General Charteris said that he sent it to the Chinese newspapers, and then forgot baout it. However, tho story swept over tho Continent ,arousing England so that eventually it was the subject of debate in the House of Commons.