A PRISONER IN EAST AFRICA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 8

A PRISONER IN EAST AFRICA

BRITISH NAVAL MAN'S ORDEAL

THE HUN BRUTE AGAIN

The following is an account of the experiences of a naval warrant officer who was; taken prisoner in February, 1915, during some operations iu the Rufigi lliver. His commanding officer, 17 men, and two black boys were taken prisoner at the same time. They were first taken to lilati, but lata' on they were sent to various other places. The witness himself and 13 men were sent to Tabora.

On their arrival at. Tabora they neve received by the three guards of the camp '-Jluiller, flerrich, and Erben—who were practically in . charge. Lien tenant Brandt was nominally the Commandant (ho had formerly been a schoolmaster iu the colony), but. Brandt seemed to exercise no authority, and Midler was the official who ran the camp. Although this prisoner claimed to be an officer -lie was not entered nor treated as. such. There happened, however, to be a Belgian officer in the camp, as well as a French count, and, as the witness protested against being put in the general room, he was allowed lo live with the Belgian and the count, and to mess with them. The Belgian officer was allowed to go out of the enclosure every day, butjthe others were .not. This arrangement lasted for about a month, but, in consequence of the Belgian having been put under arrest, the infortna.ut and the count were removed to the general.room. His rank was not recognised, tucl no was treated as a petty officer; the count was entered as a private. The prisonei'3 suffered great hardships, every possible indignity was heaped upon them, and they were forced to work side by. sido with natives under most trying conditions—digging, carrying lefuse and other degrading employment, and also without proper protection from the sun. The guards, Muller, Herrich, and Erben, .were responsible for these things, and their conduct towards the prisoners was often 'brutal outrageous. Prisoners who were, obviously sick and unfit for work were frequently dragged out of their quarters and made to work alongside of natives, and subsequently carried back to their beds stricken with fever.

Much, of the work which (lie British prisoners were forced to do was unnecessary and unreasonable. One of the tasks given 'was to drag heavy wagons loaded with water for twenty minutes at a ■time. This water was not oven used for cooking, or for the requirements of the camp,/ but, after having brought it from a distance the prisoners were ordered to empty it over the roots of trees which obviously did not require lvatcring. In addition io this they wo.re\ made ' to empty (he latrines, and on more than one occasion the British prisoners were forced to clean out the latrines of the natives. Jluller seemed to be particularly spiteful, and he was responsible lor all this ill-treatment. On one occasion he threw a bowl of water over a sailor . named Hall, who was ill in lied with fever, ea'ying that the man was always sick. The informant had an opportunity of seeing the camp occupied by the Indian prisoners. There were there about 3;i5 prisoners. Officers, men, and women were all penned up together, and (here was only one German guard and an Indian who had resided at Ta'bora for many years, and who acted as interpreter, (o look after them, assisted by some Askao'is. The camp was in a disgusting condition, and a horrible .state of filth. |An Indian officer who was there complained very much of the interpreter,! faying that his treatment of the prisoners was even worse than that of the guard. The prisoners had to go without food for days because the Germans would not allow them to cook it l iiemselves. Tliey were often cruelly beaten, and he said that (he interpreter stole everything that they possessed. The Indiana were renllr in a pitiable state. On one occasion when they were working in tho white man's camp an order was given to (hem in Swnhili, a language which they did not understand, and because they did not carry out the. order nt once Herrich, the guard, ordered the unfortunate Indians to be flogged unmercifully with a rope. In April, 1916, some other naval officers reached Tabora, and the witnefs was allowed to accompany the officers' party when they left for Kusulu. 'During the whole, time that, he had been at Tabora. he had received no money, and he was obliged to borrow things and money from fellow prisoncirs. On November 18, 1917, the unfortunate prisoners were happily released by the British troops.