GERMANS REPATRIATED.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1919, Page 9

GERMANS REPATRIATED.

i .VON LUCKXER GOES LANDING AX ROTTERDAM. Details of the final stages of the re« patriation of the German and Austrian prisoners of war who were interned for many months on Motuihi Island, ani who sailed from Wellington under gourd on the Willochra late last May, have been recounted by a member of the guard who has just returned from abroad. The most prominent members of the party were, of course, Count Fell? von Luckti ner, ex-commander of the raider Seeadlsr, Lieutenant Kircheiss, of the same vessel) and Dr. Schultz, ex-Governor of Samoa. The party, which consisted at some 160 interned aliens when it left Auckland, was joined by other internees at Sydney, bringing the total number of passengers aboard the Willochm to about 800. The monotony of the long voyag® "home" was broken principally by very frequent concerts by the members of the string band, well knows in Auckland streets in pre-war days, The greater pvtion of the music* at these concerts was composed by the conductor himself,

a German named Mersy, Of the other ! items it is interesting to note that they i Wfl re not all tnken from operas com* I posed in the "Fatherland," On July 18 the Willochra drew up off Dover, and after having taken aboard a representative of the navy, ran straight across to Rotterdam. Before sunrise the following day the vessel steamed Alongside the quiet quay. The spot on which the prisoners were to land had been fenced off, and a few military official! only were to be seen. Aboard the ship a general spirit of excitement and bustle prevailed, and it was noticeable that the Germans, with their accustomed eye to things material, literally bought out" the ship's canteen of all its foodstuffs. The relations between the first-class passengers and. the ship's officers were not at all strained, and von Luckner was often heard to remark, "You have not won the war; it was a draw." Among the second-class passengers, however, the feeling was not so kindly. This ifa exemplified in tho manner in which they rushed the gangway as soon as it iw lowered, and accompanied their first moments of '•freedom" with hoots and angry cries, directed at tho ship's officers and guard. >. Count von Luckner remained courteous to tie end. Ho was the last to leave the slap I lint morning he had discarded his naval uniform and donned a new prey tweed suit. At the foot of the gangway he stopped, took his leave of the officers, shaking- hands with Major Blackett, officer commanding the ship, and than passed down to the end of the quay. A few hours laiertlie Willochra Bwnng clear from her anchorage, and almost simultaneously a troop train steamed out towards the west, to the accompaniment of guttural hoots and -rio, iron ft few men returning, to Ihs inglorious ml* of their beaten country. Even at thai moment thousand-t>f Allied troop* were treading the streets of London in Ut* triumphal tictary march «f July if,