Red Treachery

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 31, 20 February 1937, Page 5

Red Treachery

-PrfesB Assn

BRITONS MISLED - ^ Moscow Inveigled Men to Spain FORCED TO FIGHT

(By Telegraph-

.--(Jopyright.)

(Received 20, 1.45 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 19. The Daxly Mail's Avila, correspondent says: ' 'Moscow Ieaders operating through "puppets" in Bngland stand Charged With treachery hy 35 British prisohers captured on the Jarama front hy General Frahco 's forces." The Mail adds: "Prisoners' deposition^ show how unemployed men were inveigled to Spain by the promise oi work. The centre of the web was the British Communist Batty 'a head* quarters at Govent Garden. Each prisOner Said he visited here before ho Was drafted abroad, some being handed Week-end tickets and pormd notes. They came from London, Birrningham, Liverpool, Edinburgh^ Glasgow and Breston .'Pans, and were drafted to Ftance in parties of 20. They were met at Boulogne, given money and sent to Perpignan by rail and thence by motor coach to the frontier," stopping a few days in Barcelona, Valencia, Albacete or Madrigueras. "Some were drilled, but mo'st had no drilling. The first intimation of their real destination was when they were given arms at Madirgueras and sent to join the Saklatvala (British) Battalion of the International Brigade, under an Englishman named Wintringham. "The battalion lost half its numberS killed and wounded. Those protesting on realising that they had to fight instead of work wero shot and others wfere warned of a similar fate. They were driven to the slaughter like cattle and, when General Franco's troops captured them they were wandering about ignorant of where they were.