IN A GERMAN PRISON CAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1920, Page 12

IN A GERMAN PRISON CAMP.

■LIFE UXDER NIEMEYER. EXPERIENCES OF LIEUTENANT " JURISS. "It is one of the strangest experiences out to mad your own obituary notice," said Lieutenant Max Juriss, M-C, of W. llington, who recently returned from England., "I had my biggest laugli reading all the nice tilings they said about me after I was dead." Lieutenant Juriss, who was formerly a member of the New Zealand Forces, went to England in 1915, and was immediately appointed signalling officer to the Royal Lancashire Regiment (U)th King's Own), but desiring to go into action he exchanged to the 7th City of London Regiment, and went to France in December, 1915. After ftv-e months in the trenches he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry, and 21 days later, in a fierce engagement at Vimy Ridge, he was taken prisoner by the Germans, while endeavoring to succour a wounded corporal. His capture occurred after a violent bombardment of the advance post by howitzersAs Boon as he was detected as an officer, Lieutenant Juriss was surrounded by a dozen men with rifles, and an officer, who was armed with a hu?e club, a weapon said to have been used by the Germans for "settling' wounded Britishers. His life was spared, however, as the Germans expected to gain information from him. They did—of a sort. Then commenced a trying time of over two years in filthy German prison camps, first at Douai, then at Main*, at FreifTberg. and finally at Clausthal, where he, with 250 other British officers, was shockinsly treated by the Infamous German Commandant, Captain Niemeyer. Thanks to Lieutenant Juriss. Niemeyer's name was included in the list of German criminals whose trial is (remanded by Allies. Lieutenant Juriss was able to secure a portrait of Niemeycr, and it was in due course handed to the War Office. At Clausthal they all had a terrible time, the object of the Commandant being tn break down the ho-Oth of his prisoners miJ in many cases he succeeded only too well. Had it not been for the parcels from England, and, in Lieutemant Ju'riss's case, from New Zealand, none of the prisoners could have survived trie awru« ordeal. Whilst at Clausthal Lieutenant Juriss endeavored, with others, to escape, but all failed. As the trapdoor to + he tunnel, through which '.hey were going to try to escape, was discovered under his bed, Lieutenant Juriss was given a seven months' sentence However, at the end of June, ID'lB, his turn came to be exchangee, and no matter what had occurred the lists were strictly adhered to. So sure of victory wore the Germans even then that Niemeycr said to Juriss that nftor the war he Would be brought back to Germany to serve his sentence. The German panes said,, that the English fleet had been sunk, that the British Army was,at its last gasp, and that London was a waste of ruins. Sues were the lies that the German people worn fed on to the la.-.1. , After three months in Holland T,iout Juriss was sent across to England, and went into ".ospital with a nervous breakdown. Referring to bis experiences at Clausthal, Lieutenant Juriss said tnat the first one among the prisoners t,o rocoirnise libit was Captain Estcourt, I who was A.D.C. here to Lord Islington, and a fortiiiu-ht after ho arrived I there they were joined by some naval officers who had been captured in the Battle of Jutland. Among these was Sub-Lieutenant Deardon, formerly of Ashburton, said to haw been the sole survivor of the Queen Mary. On recovering his health after tno armistice, Lieutenant Juriss was sent to Celle, in Hanover, to take charge of a big camp of Russian prisoners there on behalf of the British R«d Cnxs Society and the Tutor-Allied Commission. There were 3000 in '-< camp and 11)00 each in two other adjacent camps. The prisoners were a handful to manage as Bolshevism rife amongst them, and outbreaks were not infrequent. The officers were fine, well-educated fellows, but the men Injd no education at all, and were easily influenced by anyone with ideas and a "gift of the gab" On the whole, however, the men were of J a good stamp, amenable to discipline, "iid, properly led, would make as good oldiers as a.iy existing. Lieutenant uriss was in charge for three months, iter which he returned to England, iter General Wheeler wished him to ,ct for New Zealand on the Graves Commission, but delays in securing his lapers from the War Office prevented lis taking up the work, which he would lave liked to do, as he had already done i little of it in Germany under the Red ?ross. "You can never trust a German,** said lieutenant Juriss. "Why, they cannot rust themselves- The German guards vould come sneaking round the rubbish )ins looking for scraps to eat. They did lot care about us seeing them, butiv"ifraid of their own comrades seeing ;bem and reporting the offence to the officers. People ask me if a. German is »ver auy good. My answer always is: i'es, when he's dead." gU". . M