Grim War Story

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 18, 5 February 1937, Page 5

Grim War Story

— Presa Aasociation.)

TAHITI'S VOYAGE Finding of Bottle Recalls Tragic Trip EIGHTY MEN DIED

(By Tel«Kr»,Dh-

CHEISTCHURCH, This Day. The sender of the message in the bottle thrown from the troopship Tahiti and found at Waikato Heads (see page 6) was Mr A. W. Brown, now assistaat Crown Prosecutor at Christchurch. He aud an other man named Brown decided to evade the censorship and send thmessage in the bottle. When marching to the ship in Wellington t.he parade passed a fnneral, and this was taken as a bad emen for the voyage, which proved to be tragis, over 80 men dying before the. ship reached England, due to infiuenza breaking out on board, The vessel carried nearly one thousand men. The voyage was ill-fated from the start, a terrific storm being encountercd. The Tqhiti joined the convoy at Freetown, Sierra Leone, on August 24, and in three days infiuenza had strucki On September 1 men started to die and in one day the deaths totalled 23. There were eloven nurses on board, and Mr Brown paid tribute to the way they carried on amid a ship full of sick men. Two nurses died, and the deaths eontinued till the ship entered Plymouth Harbour. Some of the men were sent eo France. but they were too weak and were returned to England. Mr Brown Je mother still lives in Colenso street, Sumner, and hopes to Teceive the message