HEROINES OF THE BRUSSELS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 239, 5 January 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

HEROINES OF THE BRUSSELS.

FIVE STEWARDESSES HOME AGAIN. pathetic story. graVkseno. Tim live stewardesses of the Brussels arrived here from Holland this evening., and narrald the full story of their experiences from the time the vessel was captured by the Germans to their release from the internment camp at Holzminden. All were in good health—a fact nol due to the treatment they received at the hands of the Germans, and concerning this point they hnd a great deal to say—and it was with moist eves and tremors in their voices that they expressed the jcy they felt in finding themselves once more on British soil after 15 weeks' detention in a German camp, which by all accr.unts runs Ruhleben hard from the points of view of nasty and scanty food and* filthy conditions. They were not easy to interview these five women. They wore overpowered by sad memories, and the saddest of all was the execution of Captain Fryatt, news of which was read out to them Mi the camp from n German paper. " A fine man and a gallant sailor," to use their own words. The stewardesses travelled by the Zeeland Steamship Company's steamer. which arrived a little before five o' ..lock. They are Mrs. Catherine Stalker. Mrs. 'Alice Elwood, Mi.-s Kate Bobby (Wandsworth).. Miss Edith Smith, and Miss Clara Elwood.

TKRRIBLE DISCOMFORTS. '• We were taken to Zcebrugge,'' said Miss Bobby , who gave me a connected account of the itinerary of the crew of the Brussels and the subsequent sojourn of the women members at Holzminden. "Afterwards wti were conveyed to Bruges. In the Town Hall we stayed two days and a night. The nexl day. which was Sunday, we were moved to Ghent. We remained there in colls until Monday morning. "At 4.30 on Monday afternoon we were put into a train and taken to Cologne. We remained four hours "n Cologne Station. There we were se]>arated from the rest of the Brussels crow. They got into one train, and we ws>ro put into another and taken to Holzminden, where we arrived at halfpast one in the morning. We had to walk about two miles, accompanied by soldiers, who carried our baggage. It was four in the morning when we arrived at the laugei.

"You can imagine how tired we were. And, oh! wo were so hungry! It may seem includible, but it is a fact, that ■ah the food wo had from the time we left Ghent until wo reached Holzminden was a few biscuit*; and these were not given to us by our captors. We took them from the ship. FOOD IN THE BARRACKS. "There was nothing in the barracks to which wo were taken—not even a straw sack. 'You must lie on the bare boards,' said the German guards. The next diiy we were given a sack of straw to sleep on, and then passed over to a doctor. There were other people in the barrack, mainly of Polish nationality. Tin food given to the stewardesses was bad, and Miss Bobby mad.' a wry face as she recalled the daily menu. The meals, ot the apologies for meals, were made up thus: Breakfast.—Coffee mndj from burnt beans, or tea concocted from nettles. A piece ot black bread which had to last all day. Midday ileal.—Soup which could not ha eaten, and a portion of the black bread. Simpar.—Coffee and maize or mealies. Sometimes a little bit of sausage. Remainder of black bread; if any were left. This was the diet given to the stewardesses for 15 weeks. There was no variation whatever. •• If it had not l>een for the food sent by the Great Eastern Railway Coinpan v. th.! Red Cross, and Lady Dodds," continued Miss Bobby, "we should have .starved."

FAREWELL TO CAPTAIN FRYATT

Then a harrowing description was given of the condition of the camp. "All the time we were there we can conscientiously say that we never had i real night's rest. The place was hltliv beyond description. It was literally infested with vermin. The two blankets given to us when we entered iho laager were never washed. They went through a process of fumigation.'" With great emotion Miss Bobby described the parting from Captain Fryatt and his crew at Cologne Station.

" 'I won del- what they are going to do with us?' said the stewardesses to the captain. 'Surely they will not shoot us, because we hnvo done nothing.' " 'Oh, no,' replied Captain Fryait. •We shall be interned until after the war.' His only thought was for us,' Miss Bo'obv went on. Tdo not mind for myself,"' he said to the German commander, 'but what abotr,t the five stewardesses?' The commander repied: 'I think they will ha kept in camp for two months, and then they will be sent home.' "A French prisoner brought a German paper and read the account o! Capt. I'l'.vatt'.N executiou. I think )t wa.s four days alter he was shot. \\ e wore terribly upset, and were loth to believe the 'news. But there it was. Ami when we grasped the full significance of it we wept. . The stewardesses had no complaints to make about the German guards. "Thev did not treat us unkindly.' Mis.-; Bobby admitted. "They did not interfere with »•« in the least. Me had books to read, and, altogether, with the exception of the food, and t!w soaking wet mattress on winch we had to sleep in a cell with damp wills -n Ghent, we were able to bear our incarceration." RAVENOVS GERMANS.

Mrs. Catherine Stalker, of Benchmad, Dovorcourt, interviewed by it "Daily New*" representative at Liverpool Street Station Inst night, described briefly some of her adventures. She siid:' "The Brussels, was raptured by fivo (Itiinin warships, and we were taken into Zeebrugge, and thrilcc along the (anal to Bruges. " We bad clear evidence of the shortage of food in Germany. In the first ci e, the sailors rf the .ships which captured our vessel, and other who came on board later, ate ravenously of the food taken from the Brussels' larder. I' -ermed to me that they must hive heon on very slic.rt rations. At the earn;), tie. there was evidence ol the food shortage. Here wo were fed chi.-f- ---|, on cabbage sou<>, black bread, and coffee."