DLA163-0021  Transcription

STATEMENT by ALEXANDER ALLAN, P.C., C.I.D. KENSINGTON

POLICE STATION, who saith :-

I was present at Kensington Police Station at 1.40 p.m. the 18th July 1917, when Mr. de Laszlo de Lombos, 3, Palace Gate, called and was interviewed by me. He said that at 12.30 p.m., the 17th Ju1y Alfred [sic] Horn,^[1] the escaped Austrian Officer from Dennington Hall, called at my studio, West House, 118, Camden Hill Road, Kensington, and handed to my servant a letter asking to see me. The letter was written in Hungarian. I saw the man and he told me that he was Arped [sic] Horn, the escaped Prisoner from Donnington Hall, and that he was staying at the Golden Cross Hotel, Charing Cross. Horn asking me for money and I gave him £1. I was so upset at Horn calling upon me that it did not occur to me to inform Police until after he had left. I had forgotten the name of the Hotel where Horn said staying until the following morning, when I found the envelope of the letter in the waste paper basket on which was the name Golden Cross Hotel, and came to see you. I pointed out to him that even if he had forgotten the name of the Hotel, it would not prevent him informing Police before.

De Lazlo [sic] said he did not know Horn prior to his call, gave me his description, and said that·he would communicate with Police if he heard of him again. I made an appointment with Sergeant Warner, C.I.D., E. Divn., and met him at 2.30 p.m. the same day outside the Golden Cross Hotel, gave my information to this Officer and acted with him in the arrest of Horn.

Although the information given by De Lazlo [sic] was late, it was in consequence of it that Horn was arrested.

ALEXR, ALLAN, P.C.

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[Page 2]

In consequence of a communication received by Police from the Military Authorities, that Mr. De Laszlo de Lombos, 3 Palace Gate, Kensington, was sending money to a brother in Hungary, I saw Mr. De Laszlo at his address on the evening of the 5th December 1916, and questioned him on the matter.

Mr. De Laszlo said, “I have a brother Marszel [sic]^[2] residing at 28, Eotios Utza, Budapest. He has been in need of money and a friend of mine in Madrid, Baron Mayendorff, a member of the Russian Embassy, there, owes me £1,000 for portrait painting, and I wrote him asking him to send £200 to my brother Marszel [sic], but I have since heard that my wish has not been complied with by him. I have sent money from this country to my brother in Budapest but at the time I did not know that I first had to obtain permission. The last occasion that money was sent to him was in February last when I directed my bankers. The London County and Westminster Bank, Lombard Street, City, to forward £500 to a Mr. Van Riemsdyk,^[3] 8, Oranje Straat, The Hague, Holland, who forwarded the money to Marczel at Budapest. It was not until I had been informed by a friend that I was doing wrong in sending money to an enemy country that I discontinued sending”.

Although Mr. De Laszlo admitted to me at the time that he knew he was doing wrong, by his statement to me he had tryed [sic] to persuade an Ally to send money for him to his brother.

PERCY ISAAC.

P.C.

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StdeL

22/02/2023