EVENTS AT DAKAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 February 1941, Page 6

EVENTS AT DAKAR

■ HOLLANDER DESCRIBES SCENE GENERAL DE GAULLE'S COUP FAILS. ARRIVAL OF A CONVOY. i You know what it is with father hind son: I thought I could make more ! monev if I stepped out on my own. I Previously, in 1926. I had taken on a ' job as ship's printer with the Holland- ' America Line. This time 1 thought I ! would go over to America, find a job 1 there and settle down, said Mr W. ’ Degen, a seaman who recently visited i Cape Town. . • So on April 12. 1940. I set sad in the ! Westerland, a magnificent two-fun-I nelled ship, for New York. Io get a i job m Africa wasn't as easy as 1 had i thought. Anyway, while I was there • she news came through on May 10 that ! Germany had invaded Holland. ‘ I shall remember that day as long I as 1 live. The news came through at j : ,ix o clock 'n the morning. Most of ■ the crew on the ship were Hollanders 1 and we were stunned. It was a ter* ' rible dav. All of us wanted to go back immediately and fight for Hol- ■ That, wo wore told, was out-,of the j question. Eventually we docked at Falmouth, England. ! After a few days we heard General Winkelmann on the radio announcing ’ to Hollanders everywhere that Holland I was in the hands of the Germans. I ! leave you to imagine the pent-up feel--1 ings on board ship. Some of us pray- ! ed for Holland; we sang national songs. After a week we got news that the Dutch. Navy was safe and was fighting side by' side with the Allies. Altogether 1 was five months on the ship at different English ports. I had , ao word of my wife and children or of my parents, although I had writ-; ten. , ! We had a long slay at Livcritool and were treated with great kindness, by the English people. And then on August 31. 1940. . our ■ ship was suddenly taken over by I Geucral de Gaulle and his Free French forces in England. We knew then i ‘ha! something big was going to hap- ! pen io us. From Liverpool we sailed : straight to Dakar in a big convoy. ! Before we reached Dakar a message I came to the crew from the captain. : He said: “You must help Holland by: helping the ’ troops of General de! Gaulle.” lb? asked for v»>hmleers to row; General de G.aide's peace mission and nis troops ashore 1 was one of th<-:e i vohmt. ei Also prmlcd on largo :h.‘ei- of paper- printed by my- elf ■ was the message from Genera! de Gaulle in French: — “I assume from henceforth the ! hit her administration of French West Africa ■ 1 assume the command of all : the forves by land, sea and air. ' My mission is devoted to defend-! ing the territory and assuring the' eeenomie life of the country. I expect everyone t<> stay at his; post and that all will do their duty i “Long live French Africa. “Long live France ■GENERAL DE GAULLE" I’erhaps there is n<> need for me to; reiterntv what happened at Dakar. As 1 : <a,n . ; s we arrived there arraiig< inents ! wer- made to scud a party ashore m , one of the ship's lifeboats. We ■ '..'ion; hl. as did General de Gaulle and ! everyone else concerned with the epi-; .ode. that the party would be wel- | eomed with friejidlinos by the French people at Dakar The party m the boat set out amid cheers from the troops and the cr<-'.'. of the Westerland. but they • hud i o', gone very far when shots rang out from tile shore, and one man in | the boat was killed. 1 was: wailing’ to take my turn m one of the boats,! but the first boat returned and later j the shoie batteries -taru-d firm;’, on.' lie British warshipThe coiiV"', ship.* -teamed away to abot;< 30 mile: from Dakar, and for-I tunatcß for n-. none ‘.'.as hit From I D.'.kar to Freetown .md back to Dakar we went three of four times At < length Genera! tie Gaulle took Ins' in inv Mass Ixxik—l am a C.itholir I 1 Lave !!'.< ci:.of t Jem !al Ch ! !<■ (I idle winch lie willingly g.-IVf) :m- • mortong m ho cabin .iftcrl. Holy - ,hi- t before we reached D:,i. i !i« . .’.I. ■ fi-lebrated. ami;, Gem-;:,! de G..u!!e -t.-od a few feet J He a t.dl. ■' rmuw-loiM.-ing man i < with .a qim t but firm voice ;md 1 f.-lt ; t •;r. tii.e thrill tome over me as l ;] :■ br fop- this man of destiny, the l : - of X...-. (;< nnany , , •i 1.-.iM .ml o!h<- t '.ii.j.- M th.- <. nv..v i' .ven many am! mam of , j many .-.,1.t0 ■ v., v.-re n-ady to . lollov. hnn .u hv-e Some W ho. t m tin d..u >1 the coast 1 heard UM ii • •’ m«i v. ..I . .1 Ul. I ' 7, hm ! j? ’ C’.tj v I'»»*•*• •• t 5 z *«"s ’ll/’ if ♦♦' •r;*' tai* HIV i*. i' i ft** *■ ■■ I Ai ? I»*<irh I ;U’i ’«•