LIKE AN ARMED CAMP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20052, 26 September 1939, Page 4

LIKE AN ARMED CAMP

LIFE IN ENGLAND SHIPBOARD EXPERIENCE VESSEL B LAUKE D - OUT “England was .much like an armed carnp when we sailed on August 17 from the Royal Albert Dock. As we moved down the Thames estuary huge flights of French bombers and fighters were carrying out a mimic raid that served as a climax to our previous experiences of R.A.F. manoeuvres, the counter measures of the balloon barrages, and the black-outs,” said Mr. Dawson F. Muir, a member of the staff of the Herald who has returned to Gisborne after a six months' tour abroad.

“After we had settled down to normal shipboarcr life we thought that we had left all experiences such as those behind and yet that was not so. Not long after we realised how fortunate we were to be away from England because a few days later all ships within a radius of 400 miles from the coast were being recalled and we were safe at a distance of about 3000 miles. We enjoyed the convenience of lights at night for 10 days and then extreme measures were taken to black-out the vessel during the hours from dusk to dawn. Sent No Messages “To all intents and purposes ours was a lost ship. We received news, but sent out no messages for fear of giving away our position to any enemy craft that might be in the vicinity. The vessel was guided off her normal course and the. chart near the purser’s office was removed so that our position might not be known even by passengers,” said Mr. Muir. . “In view of the conditions ruling it was not possible for passengers to communicate with relatives and advise them of their safety.”

The spirit of the passengers was splendid, although it aas inclined to be a little jumpy until the declaration of war on account of the feeling that the situation might develop into an : other Czechoslovakia. However, passengers had been in touch with the situation in various degrees before leaving the Homeland and all were of the opinion that Herr Hitler had gone too far and that the time had come to stay his hand. From a late hour on August 27 the officers were acting under emergency orders issued by the British Admiralty.

German Cruise Ship

On arrival at Curacao on the afternoon of August 29 the North German Lloyd 32,000-ton liner Columbus was to be .seen riding at anchor. There were about six other German vessels in the inner harbour of the neutral port. The Columbus was on a cruise of the ports of the South American coast with about 700 American passengers. News of the gravity of the situation was confirmed when the passengers learned of the plight of those travelling on the German ship. They were virtually stranded and did not know when and how they would be getting back to New York. The morning of Mr. Muir’s arrival the Columbus had been up off the coast of Florida on its return, but had turned back and made a dash for Curacao, the nearest neutral port. The German officers had started to ration out the food and water on the Columbus. Later the vessel made a dash from the port, leaving the Americans stranded, and a few days later was interned in a Mexican port. The crossing through the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific was accomplished without any trouble, said Mr. Muir. Extra troops were stationed in the Canal Zone and many devices of defence were being included in the walls of the canal to protect the intricate machinery of the key waterway dividing the two large continents. On the second day out from the last port war was declared and the backout ‘became less of an experience and more of a necessity.