Sunday Post - 08.09.1940, Blaðsíða 2

2
SUNDAY POST
British internees from Sweden in Iceland
A number of British military and civil
internees from Sweden have arrived in
Iceland. They have been released by agree-
ment in exchange for German airmen in-
terned in Sweden. They include a number
of British soldiers who took part in the
Norwegian campaign, members of a
Friends Ambulance Unit who were oper-
ating in Finland and mechanics attached
to a British firm which had been supply-
ing the Finnish Government with planes.
An officer told us how his platoon was
operating in a forward area and was left
behind when the withdrawal began. The
first they knew of the retreat was when
they saw some tanks approaching them in
the opposite direction.
FIVE WEEKS WANDERING.
They joined up with other troops who
had also been cut off, and for five weeks
they wandered in the mountains without
a map. “We just followed the sun and
made East” he told us. They were con-
tinually hunted by the Germans. At first
they kept together in a party of about
sixty but they soon found that this made
them too conspicuous so they split up into
groups of two and three. This also made
it easier for them to get food and shelters
at the farm-houses.
On one occasion he was walking with
two other officers when they were sighted
by the Germans. One of the officers was
killed, the other taken prisoner; he ran
for it and got clean away.
ON FINNISH FRONT.
The members of the Friends Ambulance
Unit had been operating on the Finnish
Front north of Lake Ladoga.
They describe the Finns as amazingly
(Continued on Page 8.)
Prize ship
SAILED FROM
OCCUPIED NORWAY
Centre of interest at Reykjavik harbour
this week was the Norwegian converted
sailing vessel Veslekari, which was inter-
cepted off the coast of Greenland by the
Norwegian naval patrol ship “Fritjof Nan-
sen” now cooperating with the British
Navy. Veslekari sailed from Tromso —
with permission from the German autho-
rites — three weeks ago to relieve trappers
and scientists.
One of the crew told us that he had
fought with the Norwegian Army in the
South during the first days of the invasion
and was taken prisoner. “We were taken
completely by surprise” he said.
Conditions in Norway were not bad
when he left; there was enough food for
the present, but they were afraid that
there might be a severe shortage when the
winter comes. All articles of clothing are
scarce since the Germans have bought up
a large quantity for their own use. There
are large numbers of German troops in
the coastal towns and great road-making
and repairing activity. Aerodromes are
also being repaired and new ones built.
There were frequent air-raids he said and
considerable damage has been done to
coastal towns and shipping.