CO885-24 — Page 40

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE Reference :-

CO. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH--NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

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66

CEYLON.

3. The volunteer contingent, under Major Hall Brown, embarked on the 19th, The departure of the evening, on the Bibby line 8.8. "Worcestershire," which was due to leave, with

as escort, early on the 20th instant. H.M.S."Yarmouth vessel has, however, been delayed for a few hours, and she is now expected to leave to-day (22nd).

The contingent numbers 231 of all ranks, and I am sending with it Captain G. H. Stevenson (of the Welsh Regiment, adjutant of the two Planters' Rifle Corps), who will continue, on board, the training which began at Diyatalawa. I record with pleasure my appreciation of Captain Stevenson's services in the train- As the adjutant of the Ceylon Light Infantry can also ing of this contingent. undertake under existing circumstances the adjutanoy of the Planters' Corps, I have felt justified in granting Captain Stevenson permission to resign his appoint- ment in Ceylon if, on arrival in England, he rejoins his regiment.

I took the opportunity afforded by their presence in Colombo on the 19th to inspect the contingent, and, later in the evening, to entertain all the members to a farewell dinner.

In enclosing a copy of a letter which Brigadier-General Malcolm has addressed to the War Office regarding the quality of the personnel of the contingent, I desire to associate myself with his appreciation of their value for commissioned

rank.

I still await an answer to my telegram of the 15th instant, referred to in paragraph 1 (i) of my despatch of the same date.

4. As indicating the feeling for supplementing the trained contingent by recruits from Ceylon for active service in Europe, I append a copy of an advertise- mentt which appeared in yesterday's papers.

5. In a separate Confidential despatch of to-day's date I deal with the subject of trading with the enemy.

6. As regards Germans and Austrians who, to the number of 68, are on parole in Ceylon under the conditions set out in the printed enclosuret hereto, I had already interned a considerable number of these in Ragama Camp (which contains 217 prisoners and is overcrowded), and am taking immediate steps, now that the camp at Diyatalawa has been vacated by the Ceylon volunteer contingent, to intern there the whole of the parole Germans, etc., of the island, so as to comply with your instructions. I will report to you at the earliest opportunity the several steps which are in course of being taken by me in communication with the Officer Commanding the Troops in Ceylon.

As regards the first part of your Confidential telegram of the 20th instant, I desire to state that, before war was declared, and throughout the whole period which has since elapsed, I have at all times sought to ascertain and to investigate all rumours or possibilities, however improbable, that any leakage of information could occur, or be occurring, through the presence of Germans on parole, either in Colombo or elsewhere in Ceylon. I have not been able to find any evidence whatso- ever of such leakage. Whenever one of His Majesty's ships has entered this port, I have made a point of inquiring from her captain whether from fact or on suspicion he thought any such leakage was taking place; in all these cases the inquiry has produced negative results. Further, I have from time to time made a point of consulting the Senior Naval Officer on the station, and have been fortified in my confidence by the fact that no information had reached him which, though a newspaper telegram from an association in London had suggested it, had led him to believe or suspect that the alleged leakage was taking place in this island. In these circumstances, and with the most lively sense of my responsibility as Governor. I saw no reason for the sterner measures which I should have taken forthwith, without awaiting instructions, had there appeared to me to be any need therefor. Such being my conclusions on the local information available to me here, In view, I carefully noted the broad policy enunciated at the end of your Confidential telegram of the 21st ultimo, with regard to trading with the enemy. however, of the instructions in the concluding portion of your telegram, I have felt it to be my immediate duty to intern all enemy subjects. I have, &c.,

ROBERT CHALMERS,

Governor.

87

CEYLON.

Enclosure 1 in No. 36.

From BRIGADIER-GENERAL H. H. L. MALCOLM, C.B., D.S.O., COMMANDING THE TROOPS, CEYLON COMMAND, to THE SECRETARY, WAR OFFICE, LONDON, S.W.

Headquarters, Ceylon Command, Colombo,

SIR,

19th October, 1914. WITH reference to the Contingent Company, Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps, from Ceylon, which is proceeding home shortly, I have the honour to report that many members of the contingent would make good officers, being public school men who have been accustomed to the handling of large bodies of men on the plantation of which they have had charge. Many are also keen sportsmen.

The whole contingent is quite up to the average of the Ceylon men who have recently been given commissions at home, and, as they have had a good grounding in the ranks lately in military work and training, I consider that, with some further training as officers, they would form a valuable reserve from which officers could be drawn for service in the field.

46130/8

I have, &c.,

H. MALCOLM, Brigadier-General Commanding the Troops, Ceylon Command.

No. 37.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 23rd November, 1914.)

(Confidential.)

•

SIR,

The Queen's House, Colombo, Ceylon, 27th October, 1914. In continuation of paragraph 6 of my Confidential despatch of the 22nd instant, I have the honour to inform you that I have, in communication with the military authorities, now completed my arrangements for the interning of all male German and Austrian subjects who were formerly allowed to remain in Ceylon on parole. Twenty-four who had already been interned at Ragama were removed to Diyatalawa on the 24th October; 31 were sent up from Colombo to Diyatalawa on the morning of the 28th; 18 from outstations are under orders to proceed to Diyatalawa; seven Buddhist priests (to whom two more will be added) are separately interned at the Buddhist retreat at Dodanduwa; one prisoner is under guard in hospital; and the remaining two parole prisoners (at present in charge of upcountry estates) will be removed to Diyatalawa as soon as arrangements can be completed for supervising the labour forces of which they are in charge.

This will leave in Ragama Camp 206 prisonerst of war (who have never been under parole), and 13 more in Welikade Gaol (under sentence of court).

As several of the prisoners are married, I have, at their request, and in com- munication with the military authorities, authorized the wives of such prisoners (if they so desire it) to join their husbands and be interned with them at Diyata- lawa. I have taken this step as some of the prisoners will be without means to provide their wives either with passages to their homes or with accommodation in Ceylon. On legal advice, no restriction has been placed on the departure from Ceylon of such of the German or Austrian women as desire to leave.

The camps are under the entire charge of the local military authorities. The Diyatalawa Camp is guarded by a detachment of the 28th Punjabia, while the Ragama Camp continues to be guarded by a Ceylon Light Infantry guard. I had informed you by my cipher telegram of the 22nd instant of the steps I proposed to take.

The internment of all male enemy subjects left the large business of Messrs. Freudenberg & Company without a manager. As I considered it to be necessary for the benefit of this Colony that the business should, if possible, be carried on (so as neither to throw out of employment the thousands of Sinhalese workers engaged in the firm's mills, etc., nor to dislocate the large native interests involved),

* No. 86.

F 2

+ Three of the 206 have been since allowed to go to Diyatalawa,

* No. 85. ↑ Not reprinted.

: 44884: not printed.