“THE SEA DEVIL”

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1004, 21 June 1930, Page 14

“THE SEA DEVIL”

VON LUCKNER’S STORY CONTAINS FALSEHOODS “ITS LIE DIRECT” Several statements in Count Felix | Von Luckner's book “The Sea Devil” i are declared by Air. H. C. Hills to be j absolutely untrue. The book was written in German and • translated into English by Lowell | Thomas, author and lecturer. Mr. Hills, who is at present living ' in Auckland, actually captured Von i Luckner in 1916 at the island of Wakaya in the Fiji group. He was then a sub-inspector of the Fiji Con- | stabulary at Levuka. 5 His work in capturing Von Luckner j was never recognised and lie learned j afterward from the Colonial Office in London that no recommendation for any decoration was made by his chief at police headquarters. Mr. Hills refers in his criticism of ‘‘The Sea Devil’' only to those parts of the book in which he was actually concerned. In Chapter 28, headed “Caught by the British at Wakaya,” Von Luckner says that several halfbreeds and a couple of white men met them on the island of Wakaya and he fixed them with half a gallon of rum. Mr. Hills points out that the only half-caste on tlie island was a young lad, so the half-gallon of rum must have been consumed by the Count and his crew. The lad did speak to the crew of the Seeadler. Later on. the Count states that a S reward of 250 dollars was offered for ! their capture. Mr. Hills replies to this: “Ho word was ever passed from headquarters at Suva to any but officials as to the whereabouts of the Seeadler or any of her crew, and no reward was ever offered or mentioned.”

Von Luckner states: A Malay police officer swam out to the vessel, cut the anchor line and the vessel drifted ashore. Mr. Hills answers this by stating that the Malay referred to has j never been engaged by tlie constabulary. The vessel was never removed from the anchorage until captured by him and the engineers. A number of tlie Seeadler's crew remained on board. On page 271 Von Luckner says: “I have no satisfactory explanation for ! our caution now. It may have been we were not ourselves.” “It may have been that that halfgallon of rum was finished,” comments Mr. Hills. On page 27 3, Von Luckner says that a steamer slid into port. Mr. Hills, in detailing the capture, describes it as follows:—The steamer referred to was the S.S. Amra, with myself and members of the Fiji Constabulary. We anchored a mile outside the lagoon or “port,” as Von Luckner prefers to call it. The starboard lifeboat was then lowered, and the Fiji crew of the vessel rowed us to the entrance to the lagoon. I 1 did not carry a sword (Von Luckner states that he did). This was only j permitted on strictly ceremonial oeca- j sions. My uniform consisted of blue i field, dress, breeches and leggings, Sam Brown belt, holster and empty revol- ] ver. Before leaving Levuka. by steamer j my men and myself were fully armed, but for some unknown reason instructions came from headquarters at Suva that we were to go unarmed. I bad the greatest difficulty in persuading my natives to understand this extraordinary order, and gained their confidence only by emptying the chamber of my revolver in their presence. “My natives were picked men of the Fiji Constabulary, including an expert native diver of the Levuka Harbour Board; also a well-known native, ‘Wesley,’ of exceptional physique.” J Von Luckner states that Indians took part in the capture. Mr. Hills replies that no Indians were ever engaged or took part in the capture. “Tlie conduct and behaviour of my men were splendid, and deserve the greatest credit.

“Von Luckner and his crew,” he continues, “wore a uniform of tlie khaki naval pattern and made no pretence whatsoever of being civilians.” Mr. Hills continues:—“When leaving the s.s. Amra, I had to decide on my. course oC action very quickly. Captain Day. of the Amra, willingly decided to remain as near the reef of the lagoon as possible. The Germans were then leaving at full speed. I looked back on the Amra with her derricks lowered and her tarpaulincovered cattle pens, painted grey, and decided to call her an ‘armed cruiser.* When about 200 yards distant from the Seeadler, bolding my empty revolver at firing point, I called upon them to surrender, as they were covered by the ‘guns’ of the ‘cruiser.’ I stepped on board and repeated my challenge. The first to meet me was Lieutenant Kircheiss, who handed me his revolver, saying: ‘I surrender, as second in command of this vessel.’ The next person was Von Luckner, who said he hoped he would not be sent to Australia. We returned to the Amra, after transferring the machine-gun. bombs, arms, etc., including £489 in Bank of England notes and sovereigns. I sent tlie vessel back to the lagoon in charge of native constables.” NOT DUMPED OVERBOARD In his book Von Luckner states that machine-guns, arms and bombs were dumped overboard in his presence. This, says Mr. Hills, is a deliberate lie, as these weapons are now in the Fiji Defence Force Club at Suva. Von Luckner also refers ro a black stewardess on board who, he says, made insulting remarks. No such person wa.s ever carried on’ the Amra. the stewardess being a well-known European woman. Further contradiction is given to Von Luckner’s statement that when thev arrived at Suva a half-caste fellow stepped forward and spat :n the face of one of his men. Von Luckner writes that he (the Count) jumped out of the line and gave him a blow which sent him down in a Leaf,. “This is an absolute untruth, as it was impossible for anyone to get near a prisoner of war.” says Mr. Hills, whose part in the story ends here. He swore before the Prize Court the amount of the captured property—£l,4oo. Air. Hills was awarded the Lloyd’s silver medal for his work, but did no* receive any official recognition. Mr. Hills is supported by the “Official History of Australia in the War. 1914-18.” This states that “Hills lowered a boat, pulled alongside th*» launch containing Von Luckner an. 1 with an empty revolver forced its crew to surrender by the threat that other wise his ship's guns (meaning the Amra) would blow them out of the water.” It was not until the prisoners were safely under guard on the Amra that they discovered she had no guns at all. Yon Luckner was interned at Motuilii but made a sensational escape. He was captured again by the Iris and interned in Australia.