CZECH BITTERNESS

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 128, 30 December 1938, Page 4

CZECH BITTERNESS

K'X iMvi {i icixoE of To i;ki s f r - ~ ' ■ STONKI THROWN AT CAR SYDNEY, Oct'. I I.—l)r. Richard C. Heevcs, honorary .surgeon »(,' the Hornsby District Hospital, oil his join rn I mm Europe l»,v i lic Strnthodun yesterday,, described how a I>rick was thrown at his cur while lie was travelling through Czechoslovakia a month he foie the crisis in iJiirojie reached its peak. "After .1 had completed postgraduate courses in surgery in England," Jie said, ‘‘l visited' (.’erniany mid Czechoslovakia. A party of of us left Nuremhurg hy Inis, hut. the Inis broke down. \Ye then engaged two (<!< rinnn cars. Each car had on it a large letter D—for Deutschland. "We entered Czechoslovakia on the western frontier and all through the Sudetnnland, our cars were received with cries of Mleil Hitler.’ Children, part ieiihirly, seemed anxious to. lie friendly. r ' Unfriendly Looks- " Hut there was a different story when we entered Hit* Czech territory. When the people saw Herman cars l heir looks were very unfriendly. "When we were passing near a village, a brick was thrown at the car in which I was travelling and hit

one of the windows. Fortunately, the •glass was prepared and jt powdered. No one was injured.' "When the ears reached the Gzeelioslovakian. frontier on our way. into Austria we were greeted by a Herman with a brush, who brushed the dust firoin our loot. Our «nr was obliged'to pass over a strip of wet canvas. Wo never learned the exact purpose of this cereniouiy, but one interpretation of it was that, the dust of Cl/.echoslovakia must he cleared from travellers who entered l Herman territory. It may have been .due to some foot and mouth disease or something else. Hut there it was. You may imagine how galling this process was to Czechoslovakians /who lived right, near the frontier. "When it became known in Czechoslovakia that we were Hritish subjects we wore well received. There were, however, intense feelings of bitterness against the Hermans and Italians."

Sutiotaro Refugee. • The lirst Czechoslovakian refugee from the .Sudeten la ml to reach Australia arrived in Sydney yesterday hy the Strut liedeii. He is .Mr. Walter I lanibiirgor, III), manufacturer of imitation jewellery. "1 left the Sudeten area al (he end ol August because |, thought that there would he. trouble,'lie said. "L had my business at Dubious and I oslimnlc that I have lost do,ooo by closing it up.” Air. Hamburger said lie was overwhelmed with happiness to .step ashore in a free land.