BRITISH BLUE JACKETS AT STETTIN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 155, 26 March 1919, Page 7

BRITISH BLUE JACKETS AT STETTIN

HELPING THE "TOMMIES" (By One Who Was There.) *"" J H.M.S. Coventry visited Stettin on December 20. Our arrival off Swinemunde appeared to be unexpected, and the news that we intended to go up to Stettin caused the German authorities some uneasiness. After a short wait a pilot appeared, and wo started on the 33-milo run to Stettin, which is the port of Berlin. Going up the narrow waterway we passed several littlo villages whose inhabitants hurried out of their houses and stared at us. We passed a small ferry boat, and as we did so I witnessed the first insult to tho British flag that I have ever seen. A well-dressed passenger in the ferry boat stood, up as we went by and made a "long nose" at us. As we approached Stettin the river became reminiscent of tho Clyde or the Tyno. Each bank was crowded with factories, coaling piers, cranes, warehouses, and shipbuilding yards. There were .dozens of merchantmen on the stocks and men were working on them. There vers also several destroyers in various stages of completion, and work was proceeding on somo of these. The river itself was crammed full of merchant ships alb ready to put to sen, and wo thought how we would like to use them to bring our prisoners of war home. As the Coventry was returning to England after this visit Captain St. John had volunteered to take 500 of our "Tommies" home in time for Christmas, and the. authorities had readily accepted the offer. By 3 p.m; we had reached: Stettin and tied up in a dock, and close by we found the Western Australia, one of our hospital ships. As we made fast the quayside became crowded with hundreds of Russian prisoners. They were in a shocking condition, dirty and ragged, and obviously very much starved. . . . Their lot is a. most trying one. No one appears to want them. Some are shipped back to Eussia, but there is no organisation to meet them there and they rust drift about the country. We heard how. they are met at Libau by Bolsheviki, who sav, "Bolslievisai or no food." Thus many of rliem are compelled to jour and fight for the Bolsheviki. Scores of them had actuallv walked back from Libau to Stettin. The night before our arrival these Russians had attempted to rush the ■Western. Australia to get food. Our SCO prisoners were marched down from a camp five miles away, and in spite of their weak state moved so quickly that several of the German guards had to.dropout. It was 5 p.m. and dark when they arrived, and they were lined up at the head of the dock some little way from us, and thus did not see us. Then occurred nn unrehearsed but most dramatic incident. -An order was .given for us to switch on a searchlight to light.up the quayside. By a happy chance its beam fell full on our large, new White Ensign, which was blowing well out. Everyone sow the flag, but for.n moment there was silonco: then a Tommy excitedly cried out in the darkness, "By Heaven, there it is!" , Then thty cheered. The most wonderful cheers I have ever heard. Owing to tho unrest among the Russians the enptain ha'd forbidden any demonstration, but the bluejackets had to do something, and so they 1 nng over the side illuminated signs which ran:

"We're here." "This way for Christinas at home.

•'The Blighty Express.'' Each sailor gave up his hammock to a "Tommy," and the officers turned out of their cabins tor tho Army officers. Before leaving England the ship's company had received a present of 5000 cigarettes from the city of Glasgow. These they handed over to their guests. In well under an hour we had all our men on board, and they were feeding on ;the mets decks.

"Hullo, Jack, boy!" "Good-bye, Germany!" and "Look at that flag, mate! were some of the things they said; but it was the illuminated sign "Blighty Express" that took their fancy, and they pointed at it, read it aloud, and laughed at it just like children. . At G a.m. on December 21 we left Stettin, with our hand playing and soldiers and sailors cheering. On the morning of December 23 we arrived at Hull, ami our passengers net foot in England in time for- Christmas, as we had- promised. They cheered us to the, echo as. the tugs took them away.

As we.dropped once more into our normal routine we felt rather lonely, but couldn't help feeling a little thrill of wide at the thought thnt once more the British Navy had played the part of "Father and Mother to the British Army."