IN THE HANDS OF THE GERMANS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 157, 9 December 1914, Page 6

IN THE HANDS OF THE GERMANS.

A DUHEDIN BOY'S EXPERIENCE. Lieutenant Eric Croft, R.M.A.C., in tho course of an interesting letter to his parents in Dunedin, '"lt was quite impossible to write you while we were in Brussels, a3 the Germans forbade all postage outside Brus sols. I occasionally managed *to get a post card through, but possibly they novor reached you. I had many letters written to you, whioh I intended to post when opportunity should arise, but we had to destroy all letters, diary, and everything which contained news of any ■kind. We arrived there (Copenhagen) on Friday, October 9, at midnight, after being in the train four days and' three and a-half nights. We were sent from Brussels by the Germans, and the whole' of our party (40, together with St. John Ambulance nurses and the Rothschilds nurses, comprising about 140 altogether, were sent here in a special train. The train journey was very trying, but in teresting, when you think that we passed through Louvain, Liege, Aix-la Chapelle, Cologne, Munster, Bremen, Hamburg, over the Kiel Canal into j 'Schleswig-Holstein, and then into Denmark. It is impossible for you to understand the relief with which we escaped from the Germans. The AVhole of the last two months we have been in a state of semi-terror. We have not boon safe, even though we are Red Ci'oss, as they have no respect for anything or anyone. Another and 1 were arrosk'd as spies, and after an experience were liberated. Indeed, we have the Americans to thank that we have not been sent to Germany Hi prisoners of war ami that We are iieve. You see, they are pandering to the Yankees, who were good enough to look after us. In fact, the American Ambassador has been 'top dog' in Brussels since tho German occupation. Well, we, through the Ambassador, applied to be sent to England. It was refined. \ Then the Germans changed their minds, ! and. every English nurse and doctor j wa.i ordered to leave. We were tent out to go to England via Ai:c J elle, Maestricht, and Amsterdam, on Tile: day, at mid-day. > "Wo travelled all night, and (jot to ! iAix at mid-day on Wednesday. On the ( way we passed through Jjouvaiu, the j demolished city, of which you iuv.< read I so much. It was really tcrriu 1 .! to tee j --nothing but heaps of ruins, Wit'.oii'. a ' single home ieft.We then passed through j Liege at night, where the first .Memo of the Belgians took place.' Wt i-ad a miserable purncy at tiiis time. llueh- I ed Aix at about mid-day-, but wi-ru d en told that we had to go on to -,'ologno in ori.hr to get to Holland, t-o we proceeded, and on the way we had iii- .-jxpor't/iic. At a Elation caked Stollberg, we wore aroused by l.ard ' Gorman voices, and on opening the dtn.rs j all of us were - ordered, in the most disgusting tones, to 'get out.' I iiav-.i . never in my life seen such a display of j rage as was witnessed there. The Ger- } man officer, waa simply white with rat;;;, and stamped up and down tho platform, , unable to control himself. He ordered j his men to search us, which they did most thoroughly. Our luggage waa then thrown out, and we had to open every thing and throw the contents on to the platform. They took- our • surgical instruments, knives and scissors, and even razors. Fortunately, my man was not very particular, and missed my knife,' scissors end razor. 'Then they ordered out the nurses and their luggage, and treated them in the same way. Tho train was then searched. Of course, j it was simply dono to bully us, but at 1 the time we men thought we would be I taken off as prisoners, I'm afraid wc | had a big fright, and most of us were ' white. I

"You really can have very little idea" of the extreme hatred that exists be twccn'them and us. They realise that the little -British army has been the framework of the whole allied arfny, and but for us tlicy would have conquered on the west side. We were then ordered in, and proceeded to Cologne, which we reached at about 10 o'clock. We then had a pleasanl evening—a good dinner—though we were surrounded by a guard of soldiers. Crowds came round to see us, but we saw no evidence of hostility to speak of. The band camo round to the restaurant and played German war tunes for our benefit. Altogether we had a pleasurable evening, after oifr tiring train journey. We were, told that we could not go to Holland, but had to go through Germany to Denmark. We did not know why this was so, nor can we surmise a reason. Anyway, we embarked at about 12 o'clock p.m., on our long trips through Germany. That night I slept better than the termer. I. supposed 1 was getting more used to the hard seats. We had no rugs, and I only had my waterproof, and slept on the lloor; but the cold was intense. The carriages were, dirty, and we were cramped for room. Next morning we reached (Munster, and a jolly fine breakfast was prepared for us by the Germans, consisting of rolls and all sorts of German sausages and col Tee. We had a good feed. An armed guard, of course, was on the train with U3 all the way, and also at the stations. We then re embarked, and passed a dreary day through Germany, crawling along at a snail's pace, and stopping at all stations. In the evening, we stopped at a small station, where soup—the same as the army have—was provided for us. It is excellent, and is a whole dinner in soup form. We started off again, and later crossed the Weser and reached Bremen. Here we had to close all windows aud l)lind3, and were forbidden to look out. •

"Then again, on to Hamburg, which wo .reached about midnight. Here the feeling against English is most intense, and we were subject to int.ults and threats, but fortunately, our guards, who were good sorts, looked after us. Then to Altona, just passed Hamburg. Here we alighted and had dinner at a restaurant on the station. Again we were subjected to a display of animosity. The officer in charge, when we were in the middle of the- dinner, ordered us to re embark, and also some civil authorities did their best to stir up feeling against us. Fortunately, nothing worse was experienced, and we set out for Denmark, and another dreary night in the train —the worst of the lot. About :< a.m., we were disturbed by voices, and found out that we had reached the Kiel Canal, and every compartment had an

armed fiuiird. The curtains, etc., were most carefully closed, and we, with out backs to the windows, crossed the famous canal, and then got out. We had' a wretched morning going across Schles-wig-Holstcin, which is a miserable barren land, and no use to the Germans except for the defence of the canal. Our downfallen spirits were now beginning to revive, knowing that every revolution of the wheels was bringing us nearer to the German frontier.

"We passed through Elousburg, which is the present capital of Schleswig-Hol-stein. Then about 4 o'clock We reach ed the last.German statiwK-Somnersted .teen of