ESCAPE IN COLLIER

Evening Star, Issue 23686, 20 September 1940, Page 12

ESCAPE IN COLLIER

LADY WILFORB'S WAR EXPERIENCE TRAITORS SIGNAL SUBMARINE [Ter VxrrF.D Tress Association.] AUCKLAND, September 19. Lady M ilford, widow of Sir Thomas Wilford, former High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, managed to escape from Southern France a few days before the German invasion, and has now arrived at Auckland. In the course of her journey to safety she travelled'on a grubby collier, on which sis “fifth columnists” aimed to do their utmost for the enemy, and later on a troopship. Lady Wilford was advised by the British Consul at Cannes on June 'l7 to leave within 12 hours, and. with 700 evacuees, she left the following day for Gibraltar in a small collier. The collier developed engine trouble and put into Port Vondres, thus losing the convoy. After leaving Port Vendres the collier was attacked by a submarine, which had received torch signals from the six “ fifth columnists ” on board, and it was only through the captain’s skill that they were saved from a torpedo and from shells, which fell wide. When the collier’s gun was manned the submarine dived, and was seen no more. The desperate-six enemy agents then attempted to seize the snip, but were overpowered and placed in irons. Lady Wilford was in the aft hold during the trouble. On reaching Gibraltar the evacuees _ were transferred to a troopship, which, with 1,400 evacuees and 450 troops, arrived safely at England. An Englishwoman who -also iled from Southern France, said that five of six Italian planes which harassed them on the way from Venice to Cannes were shot down. Lady Wilford said she was very glad to be back in New Zealand. She left by tho limited express for Wellington.