ECHO OF WAR

Chronicle (Levin), 24 August 1946, Page 7

ECHO OF WAR

NEW ZEAIiAND WITNESS A muterial witness in the case agninst a Bouth Afriean soldier who is charged with eollaboraling with the eiiemv during the Becond World War Avill bo Mr. 11. B. Muir, a poultry farmer, oi' Swanson. At the expenso of the South Afriean Uovernnient, he has been flown at short notiee to Pretoria to attend the trial on Septcmber 18 and give evidenee of what he saw while he - vas a captive in one of llommol's m eamps in Libva toward the end Oa .11)41. fSiuee his ropatriatiou threc years ngo .Mr. Muir, who was a rogimontal sorgeant-iuajor of the tiixth Field Aiubulanee, Second N.Z.E.F., has been busy rehabilitatiug hiniself on his JU00bird poultry farm. lle imagined liis uar experienees wero over and dono vvith until one day he was approaehed bv an Auckland detective to make a written statemeut on au incident which occurred while an assortment oi Allied suldiers, induding .South Africans and New Zealanders, were herded togcther w aitin» to be transhipped froin Libya to prison eamps in Italy. The allidavit was sent to Bouth Al'rira, and on August o he received au urgent tologrnm from the Prime Minister's Departnient in Wellington. It stated that the iSouth Afriean Departinent desired his presenee during the eriminal proeeedings against a.. soldier and instrueted hiin to telephone the departnient to say if he could go. In a letter written on the sanie day, the departnient stated that the (rovenuuent had agrced to pay alJ his expeuses atwell as eonipensation for loss of timo. On August 7, alter he had made up! his inind to go, Mr. Muir received ' another tolegram sayiug arrangemeiits't had been niade fcr hiiu to tiy the ncxti day from Auckland to Sydney by a Tasman Kmpire Airways flyingdioat enj route to Pretoria. lle was given onlyi a few hours to get ready and the management of the poultry farm had to

be handed over to his wife and their 11-year-old duughter. When he re-ached .Sydney Mr. Muir learned from the New Zcaland Trade ( 'ommissioiier that he was to Ieave at f> tt.ni. the next -morning by a Ilythe Hving-boat on the first stage of the fiveday journey to Pairo. Fle was instrueted to report to the British" Enibassy at Pairo, which was to arrange accommo dation and transport to Pretoria for liini. . . . f'