THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 8, 1941
MYSTERY OF THE GERMAN CAPTAIN TREECK
FRIEND OF HITLER HAS ENGLISH HOME SOLD UP
FRIENDS OF CAPTAIN Robert Treeck,
German ex-cavalry officer, who rode with the M.P. TAKES Pytchley Hunt, learned recently that the Cus- IT BACK
todian of Enemy Property had ordered the sale of the furnishings at Guilsborough House, where, with his Chilian-born wife, he gave intimate parties attended by influențial people, including M.P.s.
An English friend who on one occasion accepted an invitation to attend a Nazi rally in Germany with him found that Hitler and the captain were on terms of close friendship. The visitors were invited to take seats in the Fuehrer's own box.
Captain Treeck New to Ger-, Ribbentrop once stayed only a few many to make special reports al- miles from Guilsborough House. must every month between 1937 nd the seizure of Czechoslovakia,
It was thought that, as he
moved in the same social circles as Ribbentrop, Hitler employed him privately so that he could give a second opinion to that of the Ambassador on the reactions of this country to events on the continent.
Captain Treeck visited Germany ostensibly to hunt on an estate he rented in Bavaria. lic did not often talk
poltics, although he sought his friends in circles fami- liar with polit.cal and financial questions.
He, like Ribbentrop, always in- sisted there would be no war be. tween Britain and Germany, but when he went away on his last Captain Treeck
had a fifteen- visit in 1939 he told his head roomed house in Cheyne Place,
groom, Thomas Drinkwater, that Chelsea, S.W., and while in Lon-if anything prevented his return in don he kept close contact with the German Embassy.
October, he was to dismiss the
other servants and, with his wife, take care of the house and stables.
Since he left London by air for Germany on July 2 last year nothing has been seen or heard of either him or his wife in Chelsea | inspect the house. Recently or Guilsborough. The captain is believed to be serving now with the German forces.
"When war began," Drinkwater said to me, "the military came to
His Marriage
He was married at Chelsea re- gister office on April 27, 1938. Mis. Pearl Balfour, of Smith Street S.W., was one of the witnesses.
The captain's wife had the title | of baroness. He played polo and hunted regularly. He spent his summers in Germany.
A personal statement was made by, Commander Bower in the House of Commons to correct and clarify statements made by him in a speech about
Narvik and the loss of H.M.S. Glorious.
"At that time," said Commander Bower, the chief burden of my criticism of the Admiralty was that certain High Commands and Staffs, notably the R.A.F. Coastal Command were not informed.
"I also said the Director of operations at the Admiralty was not fully informed.
"I have now received a letter from Captain Harcourt, the Dir- Operations at the Ad- miralty.
ector of
"I fully and unreservedly ac cept his version of the incident, withdrawe and i beg leave to the statement that he was not fully informed."
Commander Bower added, "Captain Harcourt and his deputy. Captain Edwards, felt that certain words of mine in which I said I had been
approached by officers holding responsible position at the Admiralty could be applied to them.
"My words were carefully draft- aed and I do not think that that Home Office inspector came and
construction can fairly be put exam ned my letters and papers upon them. But I want to make to see if I had any commuñea- it clear that my contact with these tions from the captain, Thereofficers was purely of a service were none."
character."
NAZI BOMBER BEATEN
CBY CREW OF HEROES
Mrs. Lawther, wife of Colonel | John Lowther, master of Pytchley, said: "Captain Treeck did nothing ostentatiously. I have known him three or four years.
CAPTAIN PETER Booth Clarke, D.S.C., of the "He was tremendously popular. New Zealand cargo ship Sussex (12,000 tons), whose He was a fine rider, and often gallantry was mentioned by Mr. Ronald Cross, Minister of Shipping, in a broadcast afterwards "He said his reason in coming gave the full story of how he brought his bomb-torn to England was mainly to live in ship to port.
told Us how he loved the English country.
the country and have as much
hunting as he could.
"We were off the North-West Coast of Ireland,"
"I attended some of his parties he said, “inward bound with a cargo of food and a at his house He was very char-large quantity of explosive packed in steel cylinders.
ming-qu'et, but jolly."
Laughed at Danger
"Suddenly a German bomber round. The wireless had been Captain Treeck, 6ft. tall, fair- flew źt a great altitude over our damaged and it was impossible hatred, bullet-headed, broad-starboard bow.
to send out any signals of dis- shouldered, had a deep scar on! "The anti-aircraft crew raced tress. his throat, a relic of the last war, to their stations and we waited. in which he ought against the Suddenly the- bomber altered All'es.
As He let England suddenly course and dived.
it came during the Munich crisis of 1938 down it loosed a volley of ma- and was absent six weeks.
chine-gun fire and fired from its cannon.
gunners opened fire. I think they hit the machine, but
"A young assisant steward, E. not seriously, When it was at a
Trundley, low altitude the 'plane dropped
of London; perched
of two heavy high explosive bombs, himself on top of a number
and with a hosepipe The cylinders
Last year he went away again, cam back for forty-eight hours,
then booked a seat in an aeroplane and returned to Germany.
At Nazi Rallies
"Our
"Both made direct hits.
"The fire started by the second bomb had by this time spread to the cargo and was blazing furious- ly.
first blew the funnel away and played water around to keep the damaged the decks, the other fell flames from reaching the spot.
His visits to that country began to cause comment. It became aft of No. 2 hold, tore its way known he had attended Nazi through the timber and started a rallies, but no one knew much of are.
his standing with the party till
he invited. one of his Guils-
borough friends to Germany.
Used Their Rifles
"As he squatted on top of the cylinders he laughed and joked with other members of the crew and urged them on to greater efforts. It was a great display of courage. Captain Treeck first arrived in "The plane circled around us "The 'plane must have thought England in 1933, with apparently to see what damage had been we were completely finished; for. Jimitless money. He stayed at the done and to finish us off if neces-It made off. Park Lane Hotel, London. Hesary. When it came down low-we, *It was not until afternoon; was only thirty-six then. The opened fire on it again from our that we managed to get the fire We then tried to scar on his neck, he said, had been' gun and with rifles fired from the under control. given to him by a Bolshevik when, bridge. We drove the plane off steer by a boat compass, but the he way escaping from. Russia, but not before one lad named efficiency of this had been im- His wife's former name was Croxteth had been badly wounded paired by the explosions and so Baroness de Schroeder. She is by bullets. He was a member of we had to use the sun or wealthy. They met when he was
the gun crew and refused to leave To add to our difficulties we
Saran into a thick blanket of fog- hii gun living in Chelsea.
"The plane bovered around and we didn't know where we H's mansionat Guilsborough as for nearly three quarters of an were. Once we collided with a "was rented at £2500 * year. Here hour and then came down lower trawler from which we got our he and his wife hunted five days a und signalled us to stop. It was position. Soon afterwards a war- week.
then within range and we opened ship came along and escorted us The Treecks kept cleven ser- fire again from our gun. That, to_port.”. vants, and open house was the Was the answer they got
Captain Clarke, who lives at rule. In one season their coal bill | - "All our navigational Instru- Blundellsands, Liverpool, sailed alone was £190. But they never ments had been destroyed by the inQ ships in the last war and entertained Germans, although bombs and the ship was circling, took part in the Zeebrugge rajd."
Page
Get out in front in money saving
Drive This Lowest Price Car
STUDEBAKER CHAMPION
That's Out In Front In Style And Value !
HONG KONG HOTEL GARAGE
Stubba Road
Phone +27776-9
MORRIS
Universall
When considering the purchase
of a new car MORRIS stands out
the
as
the best proposition - advantage of Universal Spare Parts Service and repair facilities by trained men at our Hongkong and Kowloon Service Stations assure you of economical and trouble-free motoring.
SERVICE STATIONS: 5. RUSSELL ST., HONGKONG. Tul 23711 25, MATHAN KD., KOWLOON, THA 50152
ICE HOUSE IT., HONGKONG. Tel. 325İX §, KUSERA ST., HONGKONG. Tul. 23957
SHOWROOMS -
PARTS DEPOT,
:S
R
OMNI
Fireside
Comfort
On the dullest, coldest day there's sunshine in the room where there's a gas fire. Its healthy, glowing warmth has been acclaimed by the medical profession as artificial "sun-heat." The sun on tap in fact. See the new gas fires at the showrooms to-day.
GAS
THE CHEAPEST HEAT ON TAP
Write, Call or Phone
THE HONG KONG & CHINA GAS CO. LTD.
Central Showroom
Gloucester Bldg., (Corner of East Arcade). Tel 24704. Kowloon Showroom-~-
248, Nathan Rd., (Corner, of Jordan Rd.). Tel. 57341,