Norwich bulletin., 1918-07-11
STORIES OF THE WAR
HWhere Are Those Americans" 2"

Major T. Lyon of the Canadian Med- ical Corps, who suffered such severe treatment when he was taken from the captains boat and dragged aboard the German submarine, following the tor pedoing of the Llandovery Castle, has been brought to a hospital in London. T dread to think what would have happened to an American flying off Ger, had he been in my shoes" said the
 Aajor. He then related to The Asso- ciated Press his experience with the Germans
 The Germans" he said, seemed otsessed with the idea that American aviators were aboard, and it took us some time to convince them otherwise. Almost the first words they used when approaching our lifeboat were: Where is the flying officer?" This was when the German commander ordered us to come along side quickly and we ex- plained that the slight delay in the darkness was due to an endeavor to rescue a man in the water. Then it was that the German commander l threatened us, again asking: Where are those Americans?' 9 and then shot over our heads with his revolver and l made more threats.
 Captain Sylvester (master of the l itpSPtlo1 oli4Pt welt aDOdlu JiiS Sub- marine first, remaining perhaps five or ten minutes. Then they came after me. The second officer of the sub | marine grabbed me by the hand and 1 1 was ierked aboard, a bone in my foot i being broken.
 l 'I ascertained afterwards that the l Germans had questioned Sylvester as 1 to whether a wireless message had l been despatched asking for assistance and about American flying officers. was taken to the coming tower, and kept standing about three minutes while I was interrogated by the Ger
 man commander regarding my being medical officer I saw eight or ter
 men while aboard. All of them spoke English Finally they sent me back
 to the lifeboat, my story having tal- 1 lied with SyIvester's.
 | This seemed to surprise the Ger
 mans, as they pretended to be sure | that ayiators were aboard. I have
 my doubts about this belief being gen uine, my idea being that the Germans simply used this as a pretext for the torpedoing of the Llandovery Castle 1 Major Lyon was propped up In bed
 Apparently his foot pained him ant the interviewed seemed to annoy hin
 slightly. A handsome young wounded British officer just from the front wa! much amused at Lyons calmness il telling of the disaster and his eager ness to get the interview over with He related how the Germans pursued them soon after the lifeboat put ava,
 from the submarine and called for thu ships second officer, who was takel to the coming tower and questioned a length regarding the eXplosIon as tn vessel sank. The Germans apparent, had beforehand information, as tn commander of the submarine said Ma
 jor Lyon had asked about eight fly
 ing officers. Eight medical officer
 had intended to make the trip. but on ) did not sail at the last minute becaus of illness.
 Finally the second officer returned t
 the lifeboat, and the submarine began running down the wreckage and an floating object. The submarine. con tinued Major Lyon. "a little later mad for us, missing our stern by two feet l I believe the Germans tried to ram us
 but why they did not shell us or FIJI us down we could not understand. Af ! ter our first experience we all agree ; that their first intentions were to sin without trace but why they spared u is ineXplicable unless it was becaus most of the survivors in our boat ar
 men of the sea. and they tell me ther
 is a sort of Free e-masonry anon l them.
 i. "As the submarine disappeared i the darkness we heard ten or twelv
 shots, one over our heads. I sha never forget the cries of the helples
 men in the water clinging to tn
 , ,wreckage that night. While the SC : was rolling, it was not really roug
 and I believe that if the Germans ha
 not delayed us we would have bee . able to assist quite a number.
 T was in the smoking room whe ,. we were torpedoed. I first went to th
 staterooms of several nurses, but a t were empty. I saw one nurse ascend Il ing the companionway, but never gc e another glance of the women. althoug . one survivor said that he saw a boz U :. with twelve of them capsize Despit '' the darkness there was no panic an
 no cries for help until an individu
 reached the water. My boat was tf : last to leave the ship.
 a 'The Llandovery Castle began SC 6 ting rapidly, first listing. and the = strengthening herself as the bow b' .' gan pointing skyward We were witt Il in forty feet as she settled, going dow
 so gradually that we did not noti,
 any suction. My last glimpse of u = ship showed the boat sticking straigl IT up out of the water like a gial s wounded shark and going to her deat 9 without a struggle. This was befo
 our experience aboard the submarin IL The Germans sent us aheat in
 the darkness without a word Of far