A WAR PRISONER

Waikato Times, Volume 91, Issue 14241, 16 December 1919, Page 8

A WAR PRISONER

EXPERIENCES IN QERMANY. Some startling experiences were related to a Lyttelton Times reporter by Mr Lionel McConvlllo, who is at present visiting his parents at Lyttelton, anil who for 12 months was a prisoner of war in Germany. Mr M'Gonville was at the time of his capture an engineer on board the Atlantic Transport Company's liner Minnetonka, a vessel of 13,528 tons, 600 ft. in length, carrying a crew of I'2o all fold. The Minnetonka, on January :tO, 1 *.)iß. was returning from .Mesopotamia, where she had landed 500 troops, lo Marseilles. When about 50 miles off the Alaltesß coast two U-boats were sighted, at 4.30 in the afternoon. Soon after being sighted the submarines submerged, and when they were again spotted the Minnetonka was just in between the two. It was not. long before one of the raiders let go a torpedo which hit the liner aft of the engine-room on the port side. Soon after the vessel received another torpedo a little further aft on the starboard side. The Minnetonka commenced to sink stern first, and a little later a big explosion, which must have been her boilers, look place. Standing upright on her stern, the ship sank gradually. As a result of the explosion seven of the crew were killed or injured, and were drawn down by the ship. •Mr McConville had just come off his watch, and was about to .have a bath, when the attack occurred, and was (but scantily dressed. He was the last to throw himself overboard, and managed to reach one of the boats, which contained the captain and li officers and men. As there were too many in the boat by which he had been picked up, i v . was decided that some of them should transfer to another boat which they picked up. Mr M'Conville boarded the empty boat with a number of seamen and firemen. Instructions were then given by the captain that the boats should spread out In different directions in order to escape capture. if possible. This was done, but it so happened that when the submarines were satisfied that they had carried out their work successfully one of thern came around to Mr M'Gonville's boat and ordered all the officers to eomc on board. The U-boat then visited some of the other 'boats, and took off in all two deck officers, a wireless operator, six engine-roorn officers, and the chief gunner. The ofllcers who were taken ■ on board the U-boat, numbering JO, were lined up on the deck of the submarine, and the rest were allosved to go on their way. Later the captured officers were ordered down below, where they were questioned regarding their ship and about the conditions that existed in England. Then they were quartered in the after torpedoroom, where two armed guards kept watch over them. They were informed by the commander that they must consider themselves prisoners of war, and that as long as they did not interfere with the workings of the submarine he would treat them as well as he could. He further told them that thcro was not much food aboard, as they had been out at sea for six weeks. They claimed to have sunk 23 steamers and sailers, and said that they would immediately leave for Pola (Austria). The trip to Poia occupied six and ahalf days. Four days after being captured they sighted two Italian destroyers. The boat submerged as deeply as possible, and remained there motionless for about three-quarters of an hour. Then she rose again, and after seeing that the coast was clear, Bet her engines in motion, and proceeded to her destination. A day before arriving at Pola the food supply ran short, but the submarine rau into a shoal of porpoises, one of which was harpooned. The prisoners were then supplied with a meal which they thoroughly enjoyed. On arrival at the entrance of the harbour at Pola the submarine again submerged to enable it to get under a minefield protecting the entrance, and on reaching the inner harbour the craft was tied up alongside other submarines. The prisoners were escorted on board an Austrian battleship, where they were again questioned -as to the state of affairs in England. They remained on board that night, and the next day they were sent by rail to Munich. From the latter town thsy went to Karlsruhe, a journey which occupied ten days by rail. It was on this journey that their most severe sufferings were experienced. They were conveyed in poor railway carriages, and some of them were bul scantily dressed, just as they left the ship in a hurry. The weather was extremely cold, and during the whole journey of ten days the prisoners received only two bowls of soup, made from dogs' flesh. They suffered from the cold and hunger so much that they were driven almost to desperation. The reason for not getting any food supplies appeared to ie that the Germans did not have food for themselves. The Germans were badly off indeed in this respect, but the. Austrians were still worse off, and it was pitiful to see. the women and their children halfstarving. On arrival at. Karlsuhe the prisoners were billeted in one of the largest hotels in the town, which had been turned into a detention prison for officers in transit to prison camps. They were' fairly well accommodated in a. room of about 28ft. square, which contained seven beds. Other prisoners told them that the hotel was being used in the hope that the Allies' aeroplanes would not bomb the building or town, as they knew there were, prisoners in the hotel. Aircraft, however, were constantly visiting the town and doing considerable damage both night and day.

After a stay of several days at this hotel the prisoners were again entrained, and after a. two days' journey reached Brandenburg, where they were billetted in very insanitary barracks. with no light or fire, although there was heavy snow lying on the ground. There was no provision made for food supply. At 7 a.m. they were marched off to headquarters, where personal jdentillcalion, etc., was demanded .oy the German staff, after which they were escorted to the English prison camp and shown a tumble-down hutment in which they were to live. The prisoners at this camp were mainly .merchant seamen and a few military. They were being kept by food parcels sent >by the British Red Cross Society. Immediately the next batch arrived they made a fire for them, and provided them with a hot meal, including tea. No German food was available except a supply of potato bread. During his stay of six months at this camp, it looked very much as if Mi-- Germans did not supply food because they did not have it to spare, even for their own people. The German bread was generally given away to the Russian prisoners.

Brandenburg camp was a non-com-missioned officers' camp. During their btay at the camp typhus fever broke out in the Russia quarters, and some 1300 hundred died in about four months.

"Six weeks after our arrival at Brandenburg parcels of food from the Bed Cross Society and friends in England begin to arrive," said Mr M'Gonville. "Up to that, time we had been living on parcels for other prisoners. Influenza, also ■ isited the camp, and from o tQ 40 wers by.::zd per iay while it

lasted. We had only one dAXror, and the only medicine available was from a medicine chest sent iby the Red Cross Society. For various diseases we were inoculated, and we were vacinated on two occasions. The treatment received from the Germans, if we did not salute them as quickly as they desired, was very harsh, and they bullied us about as much as possible. On the arrival of our certificates from England we were allowed to proceed to a proper officers' camp in S'chweidnitz, near the Polish border. At this camp there

were a large number of members of (tie British Air Force, also military officers and merchantmen. The accommodation was boiler, but no food was supplied by the Huns.' Parole was allowed—two hours per day—jn three days a work. When Bulgaria asked for an armistice there was an immediate difference in the treatment, received, and from then on the prisoners became very much happier S.I the prospect of being able to regain their liberty. On December 24 a batch of prisoners were entrained for Warnemunde, in the Baltic, whence they wore ferried to Denmark, where they received a great reception and many kind cifls from the Danes.

Mr M'Conville is at present ou the Kia Ora. as third engineer. He is making the trip to New Zealand to visit his relations in Lyltelton. He is still feeling the effects of his experiences.