Primary tabs
Transcription
plates. Damn the Germans!
The threat of confiscating our belongings prompted many to pack and to put on extra underwear, etc to be prepared for all eventualities. The Major was definitely interested in a speedy solution, since there was to be an official inspection of the camp by a general of the Defence Department on Sunday, 21st of June. Once he realised that his various edicts made no impression on us, he appealed to the reserve officers who were interned with us to act as mediators, and he also refrained from confiscating our belongings. He insisted, however, that he would first have to telegraph Melbourne about the work issue and thus agreement could not be reached and the officers eventually declined any further mediation. In his despair, on the morning of the 19th, he called in Mr Taeufert on his own, with the pretext that an important letter had arrived for him which he could not hand to him right away but which concerned his return to New Guinea. In familiar manner, he first laid out a bait
before getting to the real point, the strike. Taeufert apparently pulled no punches