BOY SCOUTS SHOT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1940, Page 8

BOY SCOUTS SHOT

ATROCITY IN POLAND HERDED IN FRONT OF HALL. MACHINE-GUN OPENS FIRE. From the time of the taking o£ Bydgoscz agents of the Gestapo have been pursuing the Polish Scouts, states a London correspondent. They rounded up more than one hundred of them and herded them in front of the Town Hall. They were young boys of be-' tween 10 and 10 years of age. wearing either scout uniform or school clothes. At the same time they took other victims until they had collected about 150.

Passers-by did not realise, at first, what it was all about. The guards suddenly spread out and the scouts were lined up in front of the wall of the Town Hall. Opposite them the Germans set up a machine-gun.

The scouts realised at last what was to take place and took off their hats; from a near by church a priest came out and forced a way for himself through the crowd toward the intended victims. The Germans held him back, but the priest raised his hands and, with the crucifix held aloft, gave benediction to these youngsters who awaited their death. The scouts knelt and offered up their prayers.

From the Germans there came a short order. The soldiers manned the machine-gun, while the scouts sang the Polish National Anthem, “Boze cos polsce.” At this moment the priest was removed by force and the scouts straightened up, crying out “Long live Poland!”

The stutter of the machine-gun broke out and the line of scouts slowly grew less as the victimes fell one after the other, with a last cry of “Long live Poland!” Even some of the Gormans could not bear to witness this dreadful sight, and one after the other they went away murmuring “Diese kleine helden” (These little heroes).

In the distance the motionless priest held the crucifix in his raised hands. When the last scout had fallen the Gestapo agents threw themselves on him to arrest him. Since that time his fate is unknown.

This information is given by the Boy Scouts’ Association, London.