SYLT RAILWAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1940, Page 9

SYLT RAILWAY

OWNED BY THREE BRITISH CHILDREN. INDEMNITY FIXED BUT NEVER PAID. Three London children now evacuated to North Wales, own the railway at the German island of Sylt. it was revealed by Dr F. W. Pick, the historian and authority on Anglo-German relations.

The railway is the backbone upon which the Nazi air force on the island fortress depends —there is no road —and it has not been overlooked by the R.A.F. Every scrap of material for fortifying the island, for installing nests of anti-aircraft batteries, and for building hangars for bombing squadrons has to be transported by the railway.

Goering tried hard to rid himself of this foreign influence right inside his fortress. Before the war an impartial board was asked to fix an indemnity to be paid to the British owners of the railway. A sum of about 4J million marks was fixed as a fair price. That would be a small sum to the Reich —■ in marks. But they would have to pay in pounds sterling. And the Nazis fixed the currency rate at about 12 marks (as against 20 marks in pre-Nazi days) to the pound. So this debt to the English would have meant to Goering at his own rate, about .£375,000. He preferred not to pay. The railway remained British. This fact was carefully concealed from the German public. The leader of the Labour Front. Dr Ley, proclaimed the railway company a “Nazi model service.”

On May 1, 1937. he honoured the management and the employees for their exemplary “community spirit" When war was declared Goering simply took over the British company, without having to pay a penny.