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French Steward INazi SailorWhen a steward from thj French ship ( om-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, “Hcil Hitler.”The next the former Connnissaire Ramel companions knew of him he was in German naval uniform.The 10,000-ton Commissaire Kamel was sunk Iasi September when somedays out of Fremantle.A member of the ships crew was 18-year-old champion West Australian tennis player Druce Logan, of Ned-lands.lie had signed on for Ihe 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 British troops were mostly Gold Coast natives led by white officers.nThey were tine, great 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.He 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.t:LigApart from hospital treatment in Italian Somaliland the treatment hethe Unio^Jack, the Free French and ™ce.«d at tne hand, of the enemy Yugoslav flags over their huts.The Union Jack had been made in the prison camp m anticipation of the event.Materials were odd bits possessed bv the prisoners, the blue being part of a pair of old blue dungarees.In BunkThe first the crow ot the Commis-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 C5 members of the :rew, 62 were saved and taken on aoard the raider.Logan said that while the crew vere on deck on the Commissaire Ramel they were subjected to mach-ne-gun fire from the raider but once hey were in the boats or in the .vater the firing ceased.Since SunkThe raider, he said, was a German rmed merchantman named Atlantis /hieh. according to descriptions he ad 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 British prisoners on board 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 her ships before the Commissaire imcl was sunk.Ten Weeks At SeaAfter being on the raider foi six weeks the prisoners were transferred to a Yugoslav ship captured by the raider. A month later they were landed at Warsheik Utahan Somaliland ».After being two days at Warsheik 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 Bruce.toAfterwards we were transferred 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 wus 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 giinfiring 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 flng 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 flag over Merca.was tair.We were naturally on short rations, he said, but this was only to be expected, particularly on theships RAAF£Marches ForRecruitsMajor celebration ot Empire Day in Perth tomorrow will be an R.A.A.F. recruiting: drive display in the city.Over 1000 men will march through the streets and along the Esplanade.A still more characteristic part 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.Particularly 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 1J a.m. from the foot of Barrack-street and go by way of Barrack. Hay. William. Murray, Barrack St. George’s-terroce, and William streets along Riverside-drive past the saluting base.It should take just under half an hour.Mr. Fadd pi i AsksFor UnityADELAIDE. Friday.Speaking in the Boolhby by-election campaign, Acting-Prime Minister Fadden 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.LAST LONGER . . .. . . LIGHT BhWON’T LEISEE LOCAL DEALER
Newspaper Details
Perth Daily News
Perth, Western Australia, AU
Fri, May 23, 1941
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Carolyn L.
IA, USA 21 Jul 2020
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Perth Western Mail
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Perth Sparks Fortnightly
