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French Steward BeNazi SailorWhen a steward from th j French ship C oni-missaire Ramel, sunk in the Indian Ocean last year by a German raider, went on board the raider he clicked his heels and said in true Nazi style, “Heil Hitler.”The next the former Conunissaire Ramel companions knew of him he was in German naval uniform.The 10,000-ton Comniissaire Kamel was sunk Iasi September when someMlAn sued the n tmliaAmihavethreeThe !idays out of Fremantle.A member of the ship's crew was 18-year-old champion West Australian tennis player Bruce Logan, of Ned-iands.lie had signed on for the trip to England where he hoped to join the Royal Navy. Logan returned hoi..e during the week after being released when a prisoner of war when the South African troops advanced into Italian Somaliland.He said he was a prisoner with many others at Merca when the British troops arrived and when the white Hag was hoisted over the townNativesThe Brifish troops wore mostly Gold Coast natives led by white officers.WX72 nora lt;IjThey were tine, grout big fellows, all grin a yard wide.They seemed to take a delighl in polishing up their bayonets and cleaning their machine guns.Logan and his fellow prisoners were taken off by a British cruiser which had co-operated with the land forces in the advance on Italian Somaliland.lie went to Mombasa where he was in hospital for some time suffering from dysentery. From there he was brought home by way of India where he was also in hospital for a time.WX7»than* •!VVX77, t ImantrWX57 Bank siWX61:goorlie\\Apart from hospital treatment in Italian Somaliland the treatment he, . , . ,, Vinlctii/l lUlllcUl OUllUUIIdllU Ul— II 11^Uie Unio^Jack, U,e ^T^nch'anl received a. tne hands of the enemyYugoslav flags over their huts.The Union Jack had been made in the prison camp in anticipation of the event.Materials were odd bus possessed by the prisoners, the blue being part of a pair of old blue dungarees.In BunkThe first the crew of the Comrnis-maire Ramel knew that they were being attacked was the shelling of the ship about 12.30 one morning.“1 was in my bunk at the time, Bruce said, and with others had to get out and on deck as best I could.There was a good bit of panicon the ship, French Senegalesemembers of the crew losing theirheads and jumping overboard.But, of the 05 members of the crew, 62 were saved and taken on board the raider.Logan said that while the crew were on deck on the Comniissaire Ramel they were subjected to machine-gun fire from the raider but once they were in the boats or in the water the firing ceased.Since SunkThe raider, he said, was a German irmed merchantman named Atlantis vhich. according to description* he lad heard, had since been sunk.The German who took charge of us was a Lieutenant Mohr, formerly a scientist in London, while the German doctor on the raider was formerly from New York, said Logan.When we came on board the raider our steward, who was French, clicked his heels, said ‘Hell Hitler,' and soon was decked out in German naval uniform.What was also significant was that other Biltlsh prisoners onboard the raider told us that the day before Lieutenant Mohr had told them that they were to have companions next day.The raider had accounted for eight other ships before the Comniissaire Ramel was stink.Ten Weeks At SeaAfter being on the raider mi six eeks the prisoners were transferred a Yugoslav ship captured by the ider. A month later they were ndcd at Warshcik f Italian Somali -nd I.After being two days at War-sheik we were moved by motor truck to Mogadishu through the streets of which we were driven very slowly, the people booing us all the time, said llruee.Afterwards we were transferred to Merca prison camps.We were given picks and shovels and told to work but we said ’no pay, no work.’They told us that when the rains came our camp would be flooded so | we had better get to work to lix the place up.FaithOur reply was that the British would be there before the rains came. And so they were.Logan said the Italians had been telling them of their great victories in the drive against Kenya but these were disbelieved by the prisoners.We knew that the battles were going the other wav. he said.“We could hear heavy gimfirinft and British air force planes would come over and bomb the place.One night the Italians fled leaving only one of their number with us to hand us over officially to the advancing African troops.The white flag was hoisted in the town and we ran up the Union Jack, the Free French and Yugoslav flags.We were the first to hoist the old dag over Merca.was tair.We were naturally on short rations. he said, but this was only to be expected, particularly on Iheships RAAFMarches ForRecruitsMajor celebration of Empire Day in Perth tomorrow will be an R.A.A.F. recruiting1 drive display in the city.Over 1000 men will march through the streets and along the Esplanade.A still more characteristic pari of the spectacle will be two formations of nine planes.They will roar overhead to give point to the march's purpose.Air force reservists will be along the route, wearing their badge and a cockade of red, white and biut ir-cles. ready to hand literature to Interested men.The salute will be taken at the Hobbs Memorial on the Esplanade by Lieutenant-Governor Sir James Mitchell.He will be accompanied by the heads of services, the Lord Mayor, the Premier and the Chief Justice.WX10 nington WX57 Brook i I WX67 roona ( WX61 Hawtho;WX10 der (Ini WX68 Queen’s WX63 Kalgoor WX63 Subiaco WX63 goorlie I WX51 : Perth f WX53 1 nup ‘In ! WX59 lands (1 WX7C toria Pa WX6G mantle WX23 Norsem WXTfl Northar WX63 goorlie W XH9 mantle WXG5 Knlnmn WX75 West P.WX54consflelrWXflflman fir WX54 Oern1dt»WX64 Reprfv rParticularly large crowds are expected to see this unusual display.Flags and hunting will ne flying from buildings along the route, as asked by the Lord Mayor.The march will start at IJ a.m. from the foot of Barrack-street and go by way of Barrack. Hay. William. Murray, Barrack St. George’s-terrace, and William streets along Riverside-drive past the saluting base.It should take just under half an hour.Mr. Faddon A si sFor UnityADELAIDE. Friday.Speaking in the Boolhhy by-election campaign, Acting-Prime Minister Faddcn said yesterday that there should be no place now for party bickering, that the nation needed unity.lie said that he was confident that Government candidate Grenfell Price would win Boothby by a large majority.WXfirt Ml. 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Newspaper Details
Perth Daily News
Perth, Western Australia, AU
Fri, May 23, 1941
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Carolyn L.
IA, USA 05 Jul 2020
Other Publications Near Perth, Western Australia
Perth Western Mail
Perth West Australian Sunday Times
Perth Swan River Guardian
Perth Sunday Times
Perth Sparks Fortnightly
