CAPTURED GERMAN FLAG

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2256, 16 September 1914, Page 6

CAPTURED GERMAN FLAG

PRESENTED. TO NEW ZEALAND. ', (By Telegraph—Press Association.) I Auckland, September 15. ■ The,'first German flag: to be hauled down at Samoa after tho landing of the New Zealand Expeditionary. Force, is to become tho property of tlie New Zealand Government. This flag was flying oyer the Courthouse,,which :forms part i of tlio Government' Buildings of :Samoa, and was the official flag prior to the landing of the New Zoalonders. The honoui- of hauling down the flag fell to Private H. F. Bayley, a member of the ' Fiji Defence Forco Contingent, which accompanied the troops from Fiji to Samoa. Noticing that tho flag was flying when, the troops lauded, he rushed forward and lowered it, and by permission of the headquarters staff ho was allowed to keep it. Members of tho Fiji contingent came on. to Auckland i in theMonowai,.and seven of tliem have made application to join the -ranks of the Expeditionary' Force at Epsom. Among those arriving was .Private Bayley, who brought tho flag with him. Private Bayley, after conferring with tho ,other members of the Fiji contingent, who .are now in Epsom','camp,, decided to hand'the. Gerfnan flag to tho New .Zealand Government. For this purpose, members of tho Fiji contingent lined up under Seregant R. J. Cottingham, in front of the headquarters at camp, and in the presence of Captain Alderman, camp, commandant, and . his staff, tho flag was handed over 'to Colonel -Major, D.5.0., • acting-ofßcer • commanding the Auckland District, with a request that he should forward it to the New Zealand Government. . In making the presentation, Sergeant Cottingham stated that Private Bayley and- the test of tho Fiji contiigent had expressed a hope that the Government would see fit to retain the flag in Auckland.