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[Page 96]
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The "Messina" arrived at Ocean Island 0n Tuesday, 3rd, Novenber. I landed and met Mr. E.C. Eliot, Resident Commissioner, Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate, at 9-0 a.m. From him I learned that on the 6th September all the British Officials or Employees of the Pacific Phosphate Coy. - about 40 in number - employed at Nauru, had been deported by the Germans to Ocean Island.
I informed Mr. Eliot of the nature of my mission, and showed him the instructions I had received. After conferring with him on the whole situation, I arranged with the Manager of the Company to take all the deported Officials back with me on the "Messina" to Nauru, for which place I determined to start on 5th Novr. I found that Mr. Eliot was without any instructions from the High Commissioner, Western Pacific.
I left Ocean Island at 10 a.m., 5th Novr., a guard of honor of 4 Officials and 40 others being formed by the Resident Commissioner, consisting of the Ocean Island Volunteer Reserves, Japanese Soldiers, many of whom had served in the Russo-Japanese War, and the Armed Native Police.
I took with me 37 British Employees of the Company, 3 Women and 2 Children, as per list attached hereto.
Nauru was reached before daybreak on the 6th. It was found quite impossible, owing to adverse weather conditions, to land at either of the jetties on the West side of the Island. I therefore signalled to Government House that I intended to proceed to the lee side and land a Staff Officer under a Flag of truce, and request the Resident Commissioner to come on board the ship.
The place of landing on lee side is about 6 miles from Government House, but the Resident Commisioner (Herr Wostrack) and two others cycled round to such landing place and came aboard the "Messina".
I received him on board and explained that the whole of the German Possessions in the Pacific, including Nauru, had been surrendered to me by Herr Haber, the Acting Governor; I handed him a copy of the German translation of my Proclamation and said that I had arrived with armed force to take possession of the Island, hoist the British Flag, permanently garrison the place, take over the Administration, and remove all Germans as prisoners. I asked for his assurance that there would be no armed resistance, that Government property, including wireless station, would not be damaged, but the whole of it would be peacefully handed over to me. This assurance he gave, but I retained him and his two companions on board until I had landed advance parties of Troops to seize the Wireless Station. I then sent Herr Wostrack on shore to advise all Germans and to tell them to report themselves at once.
The landing of all the Troops was a difficult and slow process, as there is no semblance of a harbour, and surf boats had to be obtained with native crews from shore, to enable the dangerous coral reef to be negotiated in safety. The two Cantilever Jetties on West side could not be approached at all.
Immediately after the troops, I landed the passengers from Ocean Island and their belongings, and stores and rations for the troops.