FATAL EXPOSURE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21370, 14 March 1941, Page 8

FATAL EXPOSURE

NAURU PATIENTS PERISH RESULT OF RAIDER S VISIT DRAMA IN THE PACIFIC (Times Air Mail Service) . SYDNEY, March 3 Several patients in the Government hospital at Nauru died from shock and exposure when the island was shelled by a German raider on December 27 last, says the Sydney Daily Telegraph. All but one of the 60 patients scrambled out of the hospital during the shelling. They were all rounded up later, but the hardships some of the more serious cases suffered proved fatal. This was disclosed yesterday by Dr. Kevin Earle, who was a member of the Nauru Administration Staff, at the time of the raid. Dr. Earle, who arrived from New Zealand by flying-boat, will study tropical diseases at Sydney University. “The raid happened very early in the morning, about five o'clock,” Dr. Earle said. “I was in bed when I was phoned that a strange Japanese ship was flashing orders to us. “We were told that the phosphate plant would be shelled, and warned not to use our radio. Patients Flee “When I realised it was a German raider I got down to the hospital as quickly as I could. “The sister, an Australian girl, immediately set about preparing the theatre, and the medical assistant—another Australian, Bill Slugg—tried out the hospital’s emergency lighting. “After the second burst of shellfire from the raider, all except one of the patients—the pneumonia cases, mothers with babies, beri-beris, and tiie cripples—got out of their beds and left the hospital. “One old chap was over 70. The patient who remained was a badly burned case. “All the native orderlies except one cleared out. The one who stayed was put to work cleaning up the instruments. “The chief medical officer then rushed off to hide his three children among the coral. When he came back chere were just the six of us left at the hospital—sister, two doctors, the medical assistant, the orderly, and the one patient. “The lepers escaped, but we rounded all of them up afterwards. “The hospital patients were brought back gradually. Several died later from shock and exposure.” Staff Shelters “When the shelling began to grow wors e—one burst came near the hospital—we decided to take shelter ourselves. “The six of us sheltered in a deep hole that had been dug at the rear of the hospital. “The German raider was using armour-piercing bullets. We could hear the shelling and the rat-tat-tat of the bullets. “There was a lull in the firing. We decided to clear out of the hole and get down on the beach. “Just as we were on our way, the German decided to start aiming again. There was a burst right over my head. “Bill Slugg and I did 100 yards in five seconds. Lively New Year “After a while we became used to the shelling. We badly wanted a cup of tea, so we made tracks for the hospital. “We’d just got the teapot ready I when we heard that the German was ! coming round our side of the island. ! The Administration buildings were only 200 yards away. “We all flew over the barbed wire fence back into the hole. But the raider passed and didn’t fire on us. “A ship came in next day. She didn’t know the raider was about, but cleared off immediately on being told. * “We got no Christmas mails, ana there were no mails out until well after Christmas. But we had a lively New Year.” •