CONDITIONS BAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 March 1943, Page 4

CONDITIONS BAD

IN ITALIAN WAR PRISONS REPORTS BY EXCHANG D MLN. NAVAL PERSONNEL AND OTHERS. | (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, March 25. The steamer Talma landed at Alexandria 862 Britishers from Italian prisons, thus completing the first recorded exchange of able-bodied combatants in the history of warfare. The oldest of the exchanged men, and the first ashore, was Admiral Sir Walter Cowan, who is 72 years of age. He had retired long before the outbreak of war, but sought and was given a place in the commandos. He was captured nearly a year ago near Tobruk. The released men agreed as to the shortage of food and comforts in Italy. Many stated that but for the Red Cross parcels they would have been dead today. They added that although food conditions in the prison camps were not good, they were not very different from the conditions among the civilian population. The men said few German uniforms were to be seen in Italy at present, compared with the swarms seen previously. Members of the crew of the Ark Royal, of the crews of the destroyers Sikh and Hereward, and also from several submarines, are among those released. One man escaped from the submarine Cachalot, using the Davis apparatus to reach the surface from a depth of 200 feet. The men are puzzled to know why able-bodied prisoners were exchanged. Some believe it is because the Italians are very short of naval personnel, particularly submarine crews.