ABOUT PRISONERS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 July 1918, Page 3

ABOUT PRISONERS.

LONDON, June 15th.

The Commonealth official correspondent reports:—Prisoners are more ready to surrender, and it is systematic of a growing tendency of the enemy on this front. It may he that the German division here is steadily deteriorating with the increasing proportion of new young drafts, consequent upon undoubtedly heavy losses inflicted upon them the last- three months. It is probably not safe to construe that this tendency is general in the Gorman army. Our men feel confident that they could have broken through the enemy lines in any of these recent night attacks. ■ German accounts, stating. they held up the advance are ludicrously untrue,. Prisoners sometimes surrender easily almost amicably. The first prisoner captured by a West Australian was taken before the colonel. He approached smiling, holding out liis hand in the most cheerful fashion. Subsequent prisoners greeted each other in tho happiest reunion. A senior Queensland officer relates that the last prisoner arrived at his headquarters some hours after the recent raid. He kept the German prisoner waiting there till daylight, thinking more would arrive, and then all would go down with the same escort. Finally the prisoner, when a German-speaking Australian spoke to him said: “Why do you keep sno here, and not send be to the back? I am the last prisoner. There arc no more behind,me. They have-kept in; at the battalion headquarters a long time .thinking there were more com-, ing. We are all in now, and I have not tasted breakfast.” The proportion of youths in the enemy ranks has increased considerably the last few weeks.