SHOT AT BY NAZIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 3, 5 January 1939, Page 6

SHOT AT BY NAZIS

EXPERIENCE OF FORMER MARTON MAN CZECHS TOOK HIM FOR A GERMAN Shot at tour times by Nazis, ami set upon in the streets of Prague by Czech civilians who thought he was a German, was the experience of a New Zealander who was an inhabitant of Czechoslovakia for three months prior to the end of September, when Herr Adolf Hitler began the move which ended in Germany's dramatic occupation of the Sudeten area. This man was Mr. T. G. Barton, formerly of Marton, and now on the staff of Messrs. McGruer, Bone and Co., Ltd.. Hawera. Mr. Barton returned to New Zealand in November after some two years spent abroad, most of this time being spent in England. Silent evidence of his encounter with the Czechs referred to may be seen in three scars on his face, marks which he will carry for the remainder of his life. Other injuries received at the same time included a badly bruised rib, the result of being kicked while lying on the ground where he had been knocked by his assailants. Warned by British Embassy While in England, Mr. Barton met several students from Czechoslovakia and it was through them that he decided to visit the country during the course of his return to New Zealand. He had been there for three months when the international difficulties commenced, and when warned by the British Embassy to leave without delay, he found this was not as easy as it seemed. However, much was to happen before that came to pass, and in the interim he mixed a good deal of pleasure with gaining a first-hand knowledge of what a country becomes like under the iron rule of a dictator. The incident of being shot at stands out in his memory as one of the most vivid experiences of a lifetime. Mr. Barton had been to the little village of Lientz, where a demonstration was to be held, it being believed that this was to be a peaceful function. However, the opposite proved to be the case, for Mr. Barton and his friends saw the burgomaster and the postmaster clubbed to death before their eyes. This incident was photographed by the New Zealander, but the camera was taken by a Nazi guard and thrown to the ground and smashed under his foot. The party finally wended their way out of the crowd towards their car which they found with all the tyres slashed and the body daubed over with paint. They walked four miles to the next village for more tyres, and after getting the car into working order again they commenced the homeward journey. While passing through a copse on the way home, the car was fired at four times by Nazis guards, all four bullets being extracted from the upholstery later in the evening. Two Czechs “Beat Him L'p” Wearing a black shiny raincoat and a Tyrolean hat, some days later in the streets of Prague, Mr. Barton was mistaken for a German by two Czechs, and they proceeded to "beat him up.” They had heard Mr. Barton talking in a language they did not understand (English), and they thought it was German, this giving the reason for the attack. However, when he was lying on the ground and being kicked in the ribs, his passport fell out of his pocket and the word “British” was recognised by one of them and they desisted in their attack. The aftermath was a simple procedure. The Czechs picked him up, engaged a taxi, and set about repairing the damage done to Mr. Barton’s person. When the time came to leave the country, Mr. Barton found that there were about 5000 people trying to get on to the train he wanted, and there were seats for only 400. He finally got a seat by bribery, only to find when he had left the city that the train was going in the wrong direction for him. He had only Czech money, and wherever he went thin was refused by the banks as worthless. “The bank officials just sniffed and raised their hands in horror when I offered the money to them,” said Mr. Barton. “For four days I had nothing to eat except a piece of chocolate given to me by a priest, and I found that it had cost me £3O to leave the country, whereas It should have cost me nothing as I had all my tickets.”