HAYDN BECK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2494, 22 June 1915, Page 9

HAYDN BECK

IN THE MIDST OF ALARMS EXPERIENCES IN BELGIUM Among the passengers to arrive from London by the llemuera yosterday was that talented New Zealand violinist Sir. Haydn Beck, of Wauganui. who waa sent to Belgium by a committee of his follow • townsmen to study, and who really had a wonderful experience at the outbreak of the war. Mr. Beck had been under M. Ce6or Thomson at the Brussels Conservatoire for about eighteen months, when in July of last year ho decided to visit historic Namur. He was staying at the Hotel de la Citadel. on the heights overlooking the river and town, when tlie German Army attacked Liege. Immediately it became known that Germany was invading Belgium tho people became extremely excited and terribly anxious. The day after the news arrived —one of the early days of August—Mr. Beck relates how lie was sketching the fortifications when lie was taken lor a German spy, crossquestioned as to who he was, and what lie was doing, but after being marched back to tlie hotel between two soldiers l liberated, but cautioned, with the other guests, that he must not go more than one hundred yards from the hotel. In the hotel were several German cooks, who were giving trouble. One was dismissed after a row, but declared that it would not be ' long before he would return. Mr. Beck saw the propi letor of the hotel in London afterwards, and was told that the Gorman cook did return to Namur—as an officer at the head of his company. Three other cooks were found to be German were shot and ono escaped. Ihey were discovered showing lights to ?> c . lrc ,"S Zeppelin the day after Mr. Bjck left isamur. The young New Zealander saia that he stayed on as long as he could at Namur, bat at last they, were compelled to leave by a military order, which they found much difficulty in obeying, owing to the disruption of the railway services. No one knew what was going to happen, or when a train was likely to leave. He was turned ! out at 6.30 in the morning, and raced to the station. Then, discovering that he "had left his precious violin behind he returned to the hotel. On his return he found an excited crowd wanting to board an already overcrowded train, and in the crush he was thrown on to the rails, and his violin smashed. Then through the help' of' mother wit and a sharp pair.of elbows he managed to scramble on, and in due course reached Brussels. There the panic was not so acute, but there were all the symptoms of it coming, so he pushed on to Ostend,. arriving there with only 3s. in his pocket, too late to catch that night's boat. He made a frugal meal on a French pistole (loaf) and a cup of bad coffee, and slept the sleep of the injured innocent, though his troubles had been accentuated by the knowledge that he had lost his cross-Channel ticket. Through the good offices of a train friend he managed to get another. The first boat was crowded; he got as far a3 the gangway on the - second, and was then pushed off, and got away in the third, leaving 300 or 400 worried people on the pier. They shaped a course for Dover, but a British submarine ordered them on to Folkestone, where they arrived safely. After this the traveller was soon back in London amongst friends. Whilst at Brussels Mr. Beck obtained tlie highest honours in the Second Prix, and ranked as a'senior 6tudent. His old master, Cesar Thomson, was at tho latest news sheltering in Italy. His son was injured in the trenches at Antwerp, having fought all tho way across country from Liege. On his return to London Mr. Beck continued his study uuder M. Emile Sauret, a French master of the violin. So far Jir. Beck has made no arrangements to tour New Zealand. That may come later.