"Captured Under
The White Flag"
By HUN TREACHERY
THE ONLY WAR BOOK
OF THIS KIND
BY
Corporal FRED. JAGGERS
FIRST EXCHANGED PRISONER OF WAR TO RETURN
TO THE COUNTRY
ALSO ONE OF THE FIRST HUNDRED THOUSAND
COPYRIGHT
Robert W. Woodruff
Library
William H. Scott Collection
EMORY UNIVERSITY
Special Collections & Archives
"CAPTURED UNDER THE WHITE FLAG"
By HUN TREACHERY
Cornoral FRED. J AGGERS
PREFACE.
Owing to all notes and diaries being confiscated by the
derman Authorities previous to leaving their Hospitals
)r Camps for Exchange, this small book or narrative
lad to be brought to memory relating to my personal
Experiences and Times in the Enemies Hospitals, etc.
Also knowing that there are many of our Boys Captured
whilst wounded on listening Detached Posts of a night
time in No Man's Land, therefore, are in German Hospi¬
tals and Camps. The story herein depicted would let
Friends or any one know the exact times as occur there.
No camouflage herein told, and truth is always best. Of
course, all letters or post cards sent by Prisoners of
War in Germany, to their homes and friends here—the
truth is not allowed, but Censored by the Hun Authori¬
ties; also, if the prisoners told the real thing in their
mail, it would never be allowed to leave Germany, but
would be destroyed.
Corporal Jaggers was shot down by Dum-Dum Bullets,
whilst trying to escape, so as to prevent capture by the
Huns during one of their abuses of the White Flag, at
Zownebeke, Ypres District, Belgium; was operated on
in a German Hospital and later exchanged. Also, he was
one of the First Hundred Thousand to go across to
France, with the Allies First Expeditionary Forces dur¬
ing August, 1914. Was on end of the Marne, the second
fight of the War, then along the Western Front, up to
the taking of Ypres and many fights in that vicinity.
This book can be obtained for
50 CENTS
from THE FISCHER PRESS
64 Fulton Street, New York City.
"CAPTURED UNDER THE WHITE FLAG"
By HUN TREACHERY
PREFACE.
Owing to all notes and diaries being confiscated by the
German Authorities previous to leaving their Hospitals
or Camps for Exchange, this small book or narrative
had to be brought to memory relating to my personal
Experiences and Times in the Enemies Hospitals, etc.
Also knowing that there are many of our Boys Captured
whilst wounded on listening Detached Posts of a night
time in No Man's Land, therefore, are in German Hospi¬
tals and Camps. The story herein depicted would let
Friends or any one know the exact times as occur there.
No camouflage herein told, and truth is always best. Of
course, all letters or post cards sent by Prisoners of
War in Germany, to their homes and friends here—the
truth is not allowed, but Censored by the Hun Authori¬
ties; also, if the prisoners told the real thing in their
mail, it would never be allowed, to leave Germany, but
would be destroyed.
Corporal Jaggers was shot down by Dum-Dum Bullets,
whilst trying to escape, so as to prevent capture by the
Huns during one of their abuses of the White Flag, at
Zownebeke, Ypres District, Belgium; was operated on
in a German Hospital and later exchanged. Also, he was
one of the First Hundred Thousand to go across to
France, with the Allies First Expeditionary Forces dur¬
ing August, 1914. Was on end of the Marne, the second
fight of the War, then along the Yfestern Front, up,to
the taking of Ypres and many fights in that vicinity.
This book can be obtained for
50 CENTS
from THE FISCHER PRESS
64 Fulton Street, New York City.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction of How I Became a Soldier.
Although born in the Old Country, of Scottish descent,
as a minor was brought up in Boston and when a youth
was an apprentice in the Mercantile Marine, sailing out
of Boston for several years.
A few months previous to the Boer War, being
naturally inclined to soldiering, went to Nova Scotia and
owing to there being no permanent forces in Canada
at that time,went across to England. Enlisted for seven
years with the colors (and five more as a reservist).
Arrived in South Africa two months before the com¬
mencement of hostilities. Taking part in the following
principal engagements; Elandslaagte, Defense of Lady-
smith, Laings Nek also called Majuaba Hill, Belfast,
or Bergendale, Orange Free State, also South Africa
1901-1902 for the Guerilla warfare that followed. In
that war I was under fire several hundred times.
But the fighting in South Africa was an easy affair
compared to this great European war, yet food was
rather scarce in the Boer war, the greater part of the
time we were on half rations, owing to being so far away
from a railway, and could not get our supplies as quickly.
The Boers being a very Mobile Army, the long and heavy
marches for the infantry were terrible, and the marching
was long and strenuously heavy.
8
This present war was different in this respect as we
received always full rations, each man would be issued
out with daily: a half pound of bread, half pound crack¬
ers, one pound of preserved (*bully) beef or mutton, at
times fresh meat in lieu of the tinned being given out,
4 oz. of bacon, 4 oz. of cheese, 4 oz. of jam, three-quarter
lbs. of potatoes, tea, coffee, sugar, salt and condiments
daily, and what with the presents coming up to the front
every three or four days we always had plenty to eat,
being a great contrast to the Boer affair or East Indian
Fights.
For this present war I was mobilized on August 4th,
1914, on the first day that the reservists were called to
the colors in Great Britain. Therefore I was one of i 1 The
first One Hundred Thousand" of which the saying goes,
and only an average of 5 in every thousand remain left
alive with most of this ratio being either crippled, or
blind.
Was detailed with the first reenforcements to replace
the casualties on the "Mons" and "Marne" engage¬
ments, but owing to the tremendous requirement of
transportation to ship supplies and ammunition to the
first expeditionary forces of the Allies, we did not ar¬
rive until about the end of the battle of the Marne.
Left St. Nazaire, one of the base reinforcement camps
in France of which there are several, namely Havre,
Rouen, Boulogne-sur-mer, Bordeaux and Saint Nazaire,
etc., after training and route marching twice per day,
also at intervals on other days unloading ships of their
supplies and reloading them on freight trains owing to
the French nation being busy mobilizing they were not
able to lend us any assistance with our unloading our
9
own ships, and reloading of stores and supplies for the
Front.
This occupied us two weeks until we had enough re¬
inforcements at the base reinforcement camp to take
our places.
After the usual jolly rough times which we had in the
large covered freight cars having four long seats on and
between which we laid, sat and stood, sometimes on one
another being cramped for room, but being good soldiers
we did not mind, our sole desire being to get to the front
as quickly as possible thinking it might be over before
we got there, little thinking it would take about four
years at least to do it. There was plenty of fun, singing,
telling of stories, and also other interesting amusements
varying the journey by getting out at different stations
on the way up to stretch ourselves, besides to appreciate
the salutations of the French people, their greetings and
kindness of giving us presents, etc. They being very
thoughtful of us and showed in every manner their joy
at seeing Allies reinforcements.
We eventually arrived where the enemies' Jack John¬
son shells stopped our train and were tearing up the
rails in advance of us. At our point of arrival we found
a very mixed, cosmopolitan force composed of British,
Belgian and French, also some African forces. We all
standing around conversing and looking at the fine
gardens of the French in that district besides avoiding
the enemies shell fire if possible.
Our artillery was unable to answer the German long
range guns as at that time our largest guns were 18-
pounder field pieces while they had guns of all calibres,
and could shell us from a distance several times as that
covered by our own artillery.
10
Therefore we were not prepared for the Huns out¬
classed us then. But two years later the Allies out¬
classed them in everything, including guns of all calibres,
gas, hand grenades, bombs, mines, and after the third
year in MEN also. Therefore it was a foregone con¬
clusion that it was impossible for the enemy to win, they
decreasing in everything, the Allies increasing daily.
After a good deal of trench fighting, sometimes from
dugouts on the side of roadways, owing to not having
time to make proper trenches because of the innumerable
hordes of Germans who would drive us back one day, and
when we got a few reinforcements we would be able to
drive them back the other way, or vice versa, at every
few weeks interval.
Of course when Kitcheners Volunteer army of 3,000,000
men got out to the front, trenches were made properly,
also communication ones, running at right angles from
the front line, in rear back to the headquarters of batal-
lions, brigades and divisions. Then reinforcements could
be brought to the front line under cover, also ration
fatigue parties.
Before that time it was a daily occurrence when we
would be coming over the top ground with the rations for
bullets to go through a tin of crackers or blanket con¬
taining tins of jam or through a bag of bread, and some
times through the men themselves who were carrying
them, as there were no communication trenches then to
help to keep under cover from the Enemies fire.
On several of our advances in the Ypres District we
met the Inhabitants coming towards us like this, driven
on by the German Troops with the bayonet. We had to
let the people pass by, and deploy outwards all the
Allies troops and line the road hedges, etc., for to get in
But there were pleasures more com- And some held out their severed
plete, wrists,
As fiends count pleasure, yet in And cried, "My hands! Give back
store— my hands !"
For here Were convents being sacked, Then Satan with himself communed:
Nuns outraged and the cross "1 travelled but I left not Hell—
they Wore. My envoi; lied, and like a fool-
Still better, as a fiend counts good, jhe mm who planncd this [oVes
Came wild-eyed children, me j^///
piteOUS bands, By princess Troubetzkoy.
12
Defense and put up a resistance, but the Huns did not
hang on long, but retired towards dusk.
MY FIGHTS ON WESTERN FRONT WILL BE
DESCRIBED LATER IN AN EN¬
LARGED EDITION.
CHAPTER II.
Incidents Leading to My Capture
Through Hun Treachery.
On that particular day, it was about three in the after¬
noon, an order was passed along the trenches from the
officer in charge on the left of our battalion, the sixtieth
British Rifles, that we were to cease firing.
In the trenches further to our left were the famous
Coldstream Guards, who have the unique reputation of
never so far having had any of their men taken prisoner
unless he was wounded. On our right, fifty yards to the
rear, was a battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment
entrenched.
The order just mentioned also was given because a
short time previous a German officer with a small escort
of three or four men had come across No Man's Land
with a large White Flag, had declared that he wished
to surrender with two thousand men, also mentioning
several tales of hardship and woe which he claimed had
made further fighting intolerable to them. This occurred
at Zownebeke, about 25 miles northeast of Ypres.
A few minutes after the German officer had retired to
his own lines I saw an orderly of the Quartermaster
Sergeant who had come to inquire whether we had re¬
ceived our rations or not, running past our position along
13
the rear of the trench. On asking him what his hurry
was, he replied that he was going to the Berkshire regi¬
ment to inform them of the enemy's offer, and also he
repeated to me what the German parlementaire (the
officer with the White Flag) had told regarding the hard¬
ships endured by the Germans.
Instantly I, for one, knew that this was not true, for
during the preceding four days of consecutive taking of
the enemies positions with the bayonet, I had acted as a
volunteer dispatch runner on foot for various different
officers to see if they needed reinforcements or whether
the places they had taken were tenable. On these oc¬
casions while running the length of many German tren¬
ches I noticed such things as fancy dancing slippers lined
with silk and fur, bric-a-brac and fancy articles of that
sort, valuable officers' equipment, tins of jellies, jams
and meats. Therefore it was nothing but a bunch of lies
about the hardships, which the German officer who had
the White Flag had told our Senior Officer.
But a soldier must have no personal opinion where it
should conflict with that of his superiors, and besides, I
was not near enough to the officer, nor was I able to leave
my post long enough to communicate my suspicions to
him.
Our officer did not realize that this could possibly be a
ruse on their part, more so as he had only come on duty
the day previous and had therefore not shared the ex¬
perience which the Welsh regiment, relieved by us the
day before, had undergone.
This regiment was nearly annihilated (wiped out). All
the morning previous to this we had been knocking them
down like nine-pins, they being unable to approach nearer
14
than 230 yards, we had such an accurate machine gun
and rifle fire on them.
After we relieved the Welsh regiment on the afternoon
of the previous day when taking over from this regiment
their defenses and dugouts, were demolished beyond
recognition by the heavy German artillery shell fire, and
all around we saw scattered equipment and rifles of men
who had been taken away dead. So I thought to myself,
we are in for a hot time now, others mention the same,
then we decided to dig deeper so as to make good head
cover. I, myself, dug all night long and deepened the
trench, where my rifle embrasure was, which in places
where it still existed was not over four feet deep, to from
6 to 8 feet in depth. I having to put a little mound on
bottom of front inside face of the trench, so as to stand
upon, then I would be able to fire through my rifle em¬
brasure. This meant an actual depth of about 4 ft. 6 in.
and 2 ft. 6 in. more above the earth surface for head
cover, knowing then that we could knock them down while
they would be unable to hit us.
During the morning our officer, who had the French
Legion d'honneur and who had been promoted from the
ranks because of his daring exploit of bringing a brigade
supply transport from the midst of the German lines
safely back to the Allies lines, stood in back of the tren¬
ches of our platoon giving us the range and distance for
our fire assisted by his night glasses. Thus we had a
mighty effective fire and no matter what tactics of attack
the enemy adopted they were mowed down in double
companies, groups, platoons, as they came on, none of
them being able to get within closer range than 230 yards.
At times he remarked "splendid" exchanging the fire
from rapid to slow. This is probably the reason why the
15
commanders on the opposite side of No Man's Land
adopted the abuse of the White Flag, seeing that choose
what variety of attack they adopted could not prevail.
Our senior officer, who was only a captain then in
charge of the battalion, because the remainder of the
officers and hundreds of men had been killed or wounded
in the weeks previous hard fighting, hard indeed, as we
had gone over the top on four consecutive days advanc¬
ing, across the open by taking defense after defense, so
as to straighten the Allies lines, was a most Christian
and humane kind of man and when he heard the hard
luck story of the German officer he felt compassionate,
and told him to come across with his men, to surrender
and lay down their arms, thinking he was a Gentleman,
and was telling the truth.
Twenty minutes later the Germans commenced to come
across in extended order, crouching and were at an in¬
terval of from 5 to 7 paces between each man, with their
rifles and bayonets fixed slung over their shoulders as
though intending to surrender.
If they had been honest, according to the accepted rules
of warfare, knowing that they were in reality going to
fight and NOT surrender, they would have carried their
arms at the trail or slope (shoulder in some cases).
So, to our surprise, and I dare add in the only way
possible to get our defenses, they got the drop on us—
seven of them to one of us.
At the time being we were unarmed owing to the pre¬
vious order to cease fire and await further orders. We
were thus all resting and at ease on the rear face of the
trench, our rifles embedded in firing position through the
rifle embrasures in the front face of the trench, thus
being quite out of our reach.
16
When they had advanced so they were actually on top
of our parapets they changed their attitude from that of
tired and war-weary troops ready to surrender to that
of a force victoriously taking a trench. At the same time
their officers levelled automatics at us, the men pointing
their rifles ready to shoot, or bayonet us as the case may
be, and we were ordered in the typical German "Kom-
mandierstimme" in good English ''hands up! double
this way!," pointing at the same time to our left rear
where, at a distance of from five to six hundred yards, a
large escort of German troops were waiting to take us
in charge.
I may mention that at this stage of the War British
battalions had only two machine guns, whereas, the
enemy had from 8 to 16 per battalion of infantry. One
of our two machine guns had been shifted a distance of
about 200 yards to our left, so as to be used while the
other was hidden under the parapet about twenty paces
to my left, from where I was in close proximity to a bend
or traverse in the trench.
Although I was not a machine gun commander proper,
it happened that at that time I was responsible for its
safety, until it would be needed again by the machine
gunners at night time. And to be responsible for a gun
is no small matter. To the conscientious soldier to lose
a gun is the worst disgrace that can come to him and he
may as well commit suicide for excuses do not count.
The foremost thought, therefore, on my mind was not
my safety but that of the machine gun placed in my care.
I was doing some hard thinking and consequently did
not promptly obey the order to throw up my hands as I
was not thinking of them but of the disgrace and shame
of losing a gun and of ways and means to prevent it.
17
A German officer suddenly addressed me then par¬
ticularly, pointing his gun at me and ordering me again
to throw up my hands, while simultaneously two of the
men menaced me with their bayonets.
CHAPTER HI.
Shot Down by Dum Dums, Being Captured by Hun
Treachery, While Trying to Escape, so as to
Warn our Headquarters of the Affair.
The chaps who were with me, and under my charge
shouted: Go on, Jagger, you will get us all shot! I
remarked: "This is a fine pickle, a rotton shindy we're
in now! Go on, take no notice of me" and while
gradually raising one arm, seeing an opportunity, made
an attempt to dash to the rear, a distance of about
700 yards to our headquarters of the battalion as I
did not like the idea of being captured, and wanted
them to know at the same time in what treacherous
manner, and not for want of bravery of what had hap¬
pened, and how our defenses had been taken.
At the same time a young lieutenant of ours to my
left around the bend of the trench who would not sur¬
render with one or two men was instantly killed. I
myself seizing the opportunity to get away made the
run for it.
Immediately I was followed by a hail of bullets. On
many occasions I had been under heavy fire, both while
attached to mounted forces and infantry, but this time
they were coming faster than I had ever heard them
come before. They were spitting in the ground around
18
me like rain and I felt sure I was going to be bit
sooner or later. These were my exact thoughts as
well remember them: "I'll get hit sure!".
All of a sudden something hit my leg. It felt like as
though I was laid on a hard substance and someone
gave my thigh a powerful blow with a sledge-hammer,
causing my leg to vibrate like a piece of string held
tight. As I found out subsequently two German bullets
of the pernicious and criminal dum-dum variety had
struck my thigh bone close to the hip and shattered it
into atoms and pieces.
Consequently it became impossible to put an ounce
of weight on my leg, as it was no longer one of the
two necessary human supports to continue with my run
for liberty. As I had only one fit leg left I had still
enough will power for awhile to continue hopping on
one leg, calling the while to one of the men of my section
who was a reservist and who had been called to the colors
away from a successful career as a professional foot-ball
player, his name being called Cahill, but we called him
"Tizzie," for a nickname, as it was usual for many
favorites to have a pet name.
This man was running with raised hands—what else
could he do when unarmed—toward the escort of Ger¬
mans awaiting our fellows to take them away to their
lines. "Tizzy" who was by that time some 200 yards
away: "Tizzy, I'm hit!". He turned his head, but of
course that was all he could do, as lowering even his
hands would have meant instant death to him without
being of any use in helping me in my predicament. But
at least I wanted him to know, in case I should die, from
more bullets, so he could tell the tale. After a while a
lot of my blood and with it my energy oozed away until
19
I fell on my back unconscious, but the jar to my head
revived me and I commenced crawling.
In so doing I laid up untold trouble for myself for
the future, but much of this book would not be written
if I had not then tried to crawl away when I could no
longer run, for the contact of my wounds with the
richly fertilized soil of Flanders was the cause of an
infection which made much of my German hospital ex¬
perience as remarkable and interesting as my readers
no doubt will find it in succeeding chapters.
But I was not able to crawl far, for the amount of
bone, sinew and muscle being blown away was very
great.
The hold-up of our trenches by their white flag
treachery had taken place about 3.15, it was by now
4.20 and I had gained a distance of perhaps 250 yards.
In the meantime the Germans had now taken full pos¬
session of our former (trenches) lines including com¬
munication trenches whilst the prisoners, taken from
us had passed meanwhile out of sight into captivity.
I did not intend to lay helpless there, and to perish
without trying my utmost to reach what had now be¬
come the British first line trenches which were still
over five hundred yards away, but every time I raised
my head the Germans would send a hail of bullets from
the communication trenches which extended backwards
for about two hundred yards (see map, next page), I
therefore waited until it got dark which was not long
to wait, it being winter time.
But there was another reason for my lying still, for
the Germans shooting at my head was not the only
activity that was going on.
20
At about 4 p.m., lieavy firing commenced from the
British lines, both from what had been our rear and
from the Coldstream Guards or as much of them as
remained on our left flank in the communication tren¬
ches which they still held owing to their stiff resistance
which prevented the Germans from penetrating into
them.
Also the Coldstream Guards, to whose lines the white
flag treachery did not that far extend were able while be¬
ing attached within their own trenches from our former
position to cover the retreat of a great number of their
men who had consequently managed to reach their
headquarter positions and had caused the alarm to be
given so that a new battalion of the 60th. Rifles and
other small re-inforcements commenced firing prepara¬
tory to retaking the lost positions.
Consequently, expecting that our forces would either
retake our former position whilst it was still day-light
or that I would be able to crawl safely to the rear
under cover of darkness I had good reasons to lie still
waiting for one or the other.
In the meantime I may say right here that the soil
of Flanders is richly fertilized and as I mentioned before
was not only the cause of my infection with lockjaw,
but also in another way saved my life, for if through
my crawling my wounds had not become "caked" with
earth I would have surely bled to death whilst I lay
there.
However, it was not to be as I had intended, for in
the moonlight while our own boys were retaking the
trenches with the bayonet some Germans in a com¬
munication trench to my left rear came out and com¬
menced to drag me back fearing that I would be picked
21
up by some forces of ours who were retaking these
trenches with the bayonet in the moonlight, and thus be
able to tell the tale of the manner in which they wage
war.
Nevertheless I may here say that I have had the satis¬
faction of spoiling this little plan.
The commanding officer of my battalion, General
Northey, at that time Lieutenant-colonel of the First
Battalion, 60th. Rifles, had been wounded and was not
with the regiment when the foregoing took place. He
was again in London on account of wounds received for
the third time and a week after my arrival in London,
while lying in Millbank Hospital I was requested by him
to make out a statement giving full details of the manner
in which the white flag had been used as a decoy for
a surprise attack. The result was an order sent broad¬
cast to all the Allied forces to pay no further attention
to German attempts with White Flag parleys; unless a
laying down of arms and approaching with raised hands
at a considerable distance showed their good faith.
For the time being however, I did not care what hap¬
pened to me as by this time I was fairly well exhausted
as may be imagined. The Germans who had picked me
up could not carry me because my one leg was so badly
shattered, that they commenced to drag me but as the
distance was considerable they could not make much
headway with me in the condition in which I was, they
then fetched an oil sheet and by intervals of rest
eventually landed to one of their trenches.
The first words which came to my ears when I found
myself finally in the hands of the enemy in that trench
were: "Have you any souvenirs?," "There you are,
every one wants souvenirs, not excepting the Germans,''
22
I replied "what kind of souvenirs?", they answered
"Knives preferred" because their officers told them that
we cut the ears off their wounded soldiers when we came
across them, which of course, was only then one of the
many devices to make them fight better. My answer
made some of those Germans what stood nearby scowl
and be a little vexed, for I told them, seeing through
their insinuations: "No we always fight fair."
This little conversation between my captors and my¬
self as well as all those which I shall mention subse¬
quently took place in English. Practically every Ger¬
man non-commissioned officer above the rank of sergeant
and all commissioned officers speak English more or less
fluently. This is partly due to the fact that the non¬
commissioned officers in the German army and espe¬
cially those of the reserve are men of education having
served as "EINJAEHRIGE" to which only high school
graduates are qualified, also they get extra pay, so I
heard, and many speak several languages.
These men which recruit themselves from among the
more well-to-do classes usually in times of peace left the
active army, if they were at all intelligent as non-com¬
missioned officers of the reserve and the larger part of
them became commissioned officers during the early
stages of the war. On the other hand I understand that
non-commissioned officers and men who familiarized
themselves with English and French were given the in¬
ducement of extra pay.
They did take from me as "Souvenirs" everything
they found in my pockets except my handkerchief. This
included an East Indian pocket knife, also a transport
knife such as Allied troops carry at the front which has
blades and different tools attachments, and of which
23
Tommy always uses the spike to open Tins of Bully Beef
or Mutton, also they took what they thought were valua¬
ble papers, but which in reality were only love letters
from my best girl.
Another thing which they took was a pair of opera
glasses which the same lady had sent me for use as
field glasses.
These '' Boches'' certainly had taking ways, but at least
one of them showed that he was made of different stuff.
He was a tall lanky chap, belonging to the 91st Begiment
and was sufficiently of a good Samaritan to realize that
the fellow lying there in agonies of pain was a danger¬
ously wounded fellow-man while his comrades thought
but of loot. He brought me some soup in an aluminum
canteen or mess-tin which they all carry, but owing to my
high temperature and the intense pain resulting from
the wounds not being dressed I had no craving for food
then.
In the meantime the attack of our new brigade took
on more force and the firing became most violent as the
British troops commenced to charge in the distance I
clearly heard their war cry through the night of 11 BAN¬
ZAI," "BANZAI," which is used by all Bifle regiments
when charging an enemies position, each other corps
have different regimental calls when in a final assault.
I could hear the shrieks and groans of the mortally
wounded and dying. Many casualties occurred also among
the German troops in the trenches where I lay, so that
they had to rush reinforcements and they were in such
a hurry to get under cover for fear of being hit that one
tall thin fellow about six foot nothing as the saying goes,
not seeing me in the bottom of the trench jumped down
in a hurry landing on my small ribs, causing me to gasp,
24
mouth wide open, like a frog, for breath; thereby the
Germans on both sides of me grinned like a lot of
monkeys. But a few minutes later it was my turn to have
a little laugh; a German sergeant about four foot to my
left front who was conversing with me and using at the
same time a spade or intrenching tool, which all troops
carry and was making a little head cover so that he
could use a Machine gun on our fellows who were advanc¬
ing, all of a sudden gets a bullet through the lobe of his
right ear causing him to call out: "Gott, Gott, Gott,
Gott!!!," which means God, etc. I may mention here that
owing to the very heavy dew that falls in Belgium I was
thoroughly soaked through, feeling chilled and miserable,
which was intensified by worrying over having been
captured whilst trying to reach our own lines.
CHAPTER IV.
Behind the Enemies Lines.
Next morning, upon their forces being relieved just
before daybreak they carried and half-dragged me to a
Belgian house which was about 250 yards to the right
rear of their front lines of defenses.
In this Belgian house, there occurred a few incidents
which I cannot pass by unrecorded. After a few hours
that I had been there a little German soldier who had
been wounded, and as the saying is, a fellow feeling
makes you wondrous kind, brought me some water and
told me he had an ill omen, that he would be killed the
next fight. The next day there was an engagement and
I never saw him again. Therefore it looks as if his fears
were realized.
Whilst I lay in this ruined Belgian house, which had
the roof and walls all battered down, owing to a battery
25
of German horse artillery and a field battery of ours
trying to silence each others guns, eventually two of the
enemy guns were silenced causing the Major in charge
of the enemy's battery to run in this house, up some
stairs which had nothing to support them, and look
around toward the Allied front, then shout out "NINE
HUNDRED METERS," then one thousand meters,
afterwards down the stairs in a hurry, scowl at me, out¬
side and shoot some of his men down because they could
not stand to their guns, which was an impossibility, be¬
cause two of their guns had been blown out of their
limbers. This serves to illustrate the stern iron Prussian
military discipline which recognizes no obstacles, no
waivering and thinks nothing of the life of an ordinary
private, who is only like a piece of paper and of no con¬
sequence whatever.
The concussion of the air from the shells passing
through this Belgian house made me notice that my left or
good leg was being raised and lowered from the ground,
so I came to the conclusion that if I did not move out
of this spot, I should soon be losing my other leg. I
also took stock of this Belgian house, a thing that struck
me likewise in all French and Belgian houses, and walls
near crossings of public high roads, outside convents
and other principal places, that there were partitions in
the walls with images of Christ on crosses or Crucifixes,
then I crawled round and laid against and under the one
in this house and did not experience any more raising
or lowering of my left leg, due to the concussion of the
air caused by shells coming afterwards, I may also allude
here that the only thing that remains intact in this war,
in spite of shell fire of all calibres, machine gun, rifle fire,
or anything else that can be brought to bear against
26
them are these Crucifixes. I am not religious, yet I can¬
not help remarking that these images seem to be pro¬
tected by Providence. As for instance in two cases which
came under my notice, one was at the town of Ypres
which I had seen before it was destroyed as well as
afterward, it being a fairly sized place and there remains
only of this town above ground just a few feet of debris,
except in one place, a kind of pedestal, a few feet from
the ground which marked the spot where the convent
stood, holding a life-sized marble Christ on a cross; the
next incident was during one of the large French drives,
and any towns or villages that had been occupied by the
Germans and where they had been driven out therefrom.
The cathedrals and churches were found on the ground,
some of which had been beautiful buildings, marvels of
medieval architecture. In one of them all that was left
except for debris, was a large wooden crucifix. This
crucifix bore stains of kerosene and gasoline oils with
which it had apparently been besmeared with the inten¬
tion of setting it on fire. Yet it was miraculously
untouched!.
All that remained in this house were a few broken
pieces of crockery and an old bed. All the chairs and
other wood work had been used by the German troops
for firewood.
The intense pain that I felt from my wounds not being
dressed, caused me to feel a little irritable and desperate
so that I said to those who were knocking about either,
to take me out of this, or "else to do me in" (Shoot me).
Hospital jargon. Then they decided to take me away
in the moonlight; and I may say right here that being
slightly superstitious, moonlight seems to be one of my
lucky times always. First of all, I was removed on a
Showing French Houses in Ruins on the Battle of the Aisne
district. Crucifixes intact in Cemetery on right, also roadway
to the left. The small ones in the Houses are generally taken
away by troops as charms against being hit.
28
stretcher and when going along their trenches, our fellows
in the trenches opposite not knowing that I was one of
their own wounded and that this was a stretcher party
sent a hail of bullets across, one of which pierced the
blanket covering my chest; the others passing between
the Germans helmets as they carried me along. I myself
wondering at times whether I might be hit or not. How¬
ever, my pains being so intense, I became callous as to
this danger, a little of don't care feeling, which comes
at times when you are tired and flagged out on long
marches which comes to all troops sometimes, if they
have not had much sleep so that they feel listless. The
German stretcher-bearers crying out'' Gott, Gott, Gott''.
The one nearest to my left shoulder letting go the handle
of the stretcher owing to being more nervous that his
companion-bearers, thereby nearly tilting me over on
the top of the parapet. After we got clear of their tren¬
ches and communication ones and arriving in the vicinity
of their headquarters, they put me on a bicycle Irish-
jaunting car arrangement which although running for¬
ward, I was laid crosswise, so that over the rough Belgian
cobblestones you had to cling on like a *' rat'' as the saying
goes. Or else over you would go and knock some more
pieces off. After a few miles of that kind of transporta¬
tion I was put into a large ambulance, which was an ex¬
ceptionally ponderous affair containing at least some 50
to 70 patients. We were placed in this ambulance just
like trays in a baker's oven. I noticed particularly that
the space separating me from the patient above and next
to me hardly exceeded an inch and a half; so that many
who were not in a comfortable position, were suffering
the greatest agony of pain before their transfer to an¬
other conveyance. A few of them had in the meantime
bled to death. We reached a town and was there trans-
29
ferred to what appeared to me to be a Canadian covered
freight car, with its doors wide open, but on trolley lines
in the Streets.
Two or three of the slightly wounded Germans who
were in this car went around in quest of souvenirs among
the Allied wounded collecting such items as boots, put¬
tees and even overcoats. One fellow wanted absolutely
to take possession of mine, after he had already got hold
of one of my hoots and puttee; but I resisted his taking
my overcoat and others having intervened in the strug¬
gle, he desisted from his purpose. From this place I was
further transferred to a trolley car which was arranged
to house stretchers and we went along at such a terrific
speed we were jerked and bumped about all over the place,
every one of us groaning. We at last got into the town
of Courtrai, and were eventually lodged in the Lazarette
or First Field Hospital. All the night before being taken
into this field Hospital the wounded which had been
brought from various directions, were left outside on
stretchers, many of us with no blankets to help keep us
warm, the cold being intensified by loss of blood and no
food.
Whilst laying in this position we could see innumerable
regiments of German infantry pass by closely to us all
night long, a few of the men, those most worn out
stumbling gainst the legs of the stretchers. This lasted
throughout all this miserable night when there was a
dense fog, mist or Scotch drizzle making it one of the
coldest nights I have ever experienced. Of course this
I felt more keenly due to the fact that I had been for
close on eight days without any food and the great loss
of blood. This exposure caused the death of a few
wounded Germans who had frozen to death. They were
under an awning which helped to keep off the heavy dew
30
or drizzle. The next morning we were all taken one by
one into a small tent used as a first aid dressing station
and there had our wounds attended to. This happened
eight days after my being wounded.
It is almost unnecessary to say that the operating table
was just a plain wooden contrivance covered with an icy
feeling oil sheet and nothing was administered to help
alleviate the pain, and owing to the intense stiffness caus¬
ed by being so long without my wounds being attended
to, at times I would use a few slight pet slang phrases;
but the only remark that struck and irritated the German
surgeon and his two assistants who were attending me,
was whenever I happened to shout out "Blue Murder,"
or say that he was as gentle as an elephant whenever he
would probe the wounds deeply. He would answer that
I was insulting him by remarking that I called him a
murderer or letting it be inferred that he was killing me.
So that later when I got any more avalanches of pain I
would change my yells to "Blue Blaises" or "Jumping
Jim Cracks" causing him and his two orderlies to look
at me with an interesting peculiar stare; then I would
ejaculate "sorry" and all three would then smile and be
pleased like a box of monkeys.
CHAPTER V.
COURTRAI LAZARETTE HOSPITAL.
After the first aid dressing was over, I was carried into
the Lazarette or Field Hospital building adjoining, up to
the third floor to one of the numerous wards in that flat
as the remainder of the hospital was full, nay, over¬
crowded. This was the case in the majority of their
hospitals as in one of which I was, they put two on each
cot and one on a chair at the foot of the bed. (This
31
refers particularly to men having wounds in their arms
or shoulders), and it would seem that as the Germans
were having to fight on so many fronts simultaneously,
they had at least seven times the number of wounded
that I saw in either the French, British, Canadian or
Belgian Hospitals, that were brought in from the various
engagements.
I may here say that this Lazarette Hospital, like all
other hospitals of Belgium, including their medical estab¬
lishments were taken over at the time by the Germans,
when they overran the country without first issuing a
declaration of war to the Belgians, therefore they
simply proceeded to commandeer all surgeons, doctors,
sisters and nurses to work for them in their hospitals.
On arrival in the ward the stretchers were laid out in
three rows on the floor, as they were bringing in the
wounded on stretchers in three long streams which
seemed to he miles long, they have so many casualties
because the Germans were fighting 5 or 7 powers, there¬
fore, had 7 times as many wounded waiting until cots
were found for them, which took quite some time—as
for example: half a day in my case, there being so many.
When it came to my turn and before being put into
a cot, my trousers had to be cut away from the wounds
with a scissors, owing to the blood having congealed and
clotted making "a mix up of everything," then the re¬
mainder of my military clothing was bundled and
fastened up and taken away, I was then put into hospital
attire which consisted of a long white shirt and one
stocking. After a while I was given some milk which I
may say I did not receive in the other hospitals later,
except where a private of the Scotch Guards who was
also a prisoner in the next hospital where I was trans¬
ferred to and was appointed an orderly, he being slightly
32
wounded, becoming a useful help to the Sisters with the
other patients, got me once a cupful of milk on the sly.
I may mention that the food in this Lazarette or Field
Hospital was better than in the two other hospitals and
one camp where I was in later.
Shortly after 7 p.m. every evening, all the staff of
surgeons, assistant-surgeons, hospital sisters, nurses and
German Medical Corps orderlies, except two orderlies
left to attend to the wants of the patients and to clean
up the wards, would go home for the rest of the night
until the next morning. These two orderlies as soon as
they were left on their own account, would go into an
adjoining room and have a good sleep, leaving the poor
wounded to moan and groan all night for the want of
water, or to be lifted and turned into various positions
so as to alleviate their agonies caused by being in one
position so long, therefore, could not expect to get any
sleep all through the fault of these lazy German Hospi¬
tal orderlies, who were supposed to be on duty all night,
but who on the contrary did not even heed the cries of
their own wounded, let alone those of the Allies.
It was at this hospital that twice a week two Bavarian
surgeons used to attend to operate on the German
wounded who were slightly shattered; they seeming
rather rough in their way, for if any of the sisters were
slow to get anything needed for an operation case. One
day one of their Red Cross volunteer sisters—not the
permanent staff and who was really a refined and well
educated woman, was a little slow owing to being some¬
what lame when fetching something needed on an opera¬
tion, whereby being vexed he gaye her a push causing
her to fall. But I have heard many say, who have been
exchanged from Germany with me, that the Bavarians
33
at times seemed to be brutal to their women folk and
children. I thought to myself that an incident of this
kind would not have occurred in a French, British or
TJ. S. hospital, as the sisters are looked up to and made
a proper fuss of by all. This may have been a "bit of
their KULTUR".
There were certainly some good sisters in this Lazar-
ette hospital two of whom had lived in London previous
to the war and were nice to all, whether friend or foe
among the wounded. Several Allied soldiers were in the
ward where I was, one a Highlander belonging to the
42nd Black Watch of Scotland, with four bullet wounds,
but they not shattering him so as to disable him, had
him sent into Germany; there were also several French¬
men, among them was one whose features were un¬
recognizable owing to his having been buried alive by a
big shell and then dug out afterward. His face includ¬
ing his eyes were lascerated and gashed terribly, he feel¬
ing intense pain and was besides that blind. It was said
then that he being a volunteer over 45 years—so we
heard—the Germans had no sympathy for him, because
he had fought for France, his country, leaving behind a
wife and seven children. But they ignored perhaps that
he "was there" avenging several relatives of his fallen
in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. He was by no
means compelled to fight, of course, hence the anger the
Germans evinced against him. But I did notice that
one of the sisters was at all times kind to him. This con¬
sideration towards him gave me great relief, although I
suffered terribly myself.
A German conscript, but a Frenchman from Alsace,
one of the Provinces taken away from France in 1871,
who had been shot through the right thigh, same as my-
34
self, was wilfully poisoned, so we heard, and saw, when
one day he was taken into a "Tod Kammer" just on my
left, about one and a half yards from my cot, the door
was a little ajar, and several of us saw a "Unter-Offizier"
of their medical staff give him a deadly poisonous tabloid,
whilst two German "privates" orderlies held him down
so as to prevent his struggling. In spite of his struggles
in less than a minute he was no more. Naturally, this
made many feel a peculiar creeping sensation in the
ward, several remarking that he had been murdered in
cold blood. The only reasons that we could surmise, as
we could talk at times when no orderlies or attendants
were about the ward; "That knowing" he would be ex¬
changed, if they amputated his right leg and would be
able to tell the people of Alsace how the Germans sup¬
plies, engines of war, munitions, men and foodstores
were decreasing and deteriorating, they adopted the
pirates' method of that "dead men tell no tales".
The young German assistant surgeon who was left in
charge of the Lazarette Hospital when the senior sur¬
geons were away, used to dress my wounds every two
or three days, this was really an awful ordeal to go
through, I used to dread it, but as the saying is, you can
get used to anything even to being gently butchered.
When my turn came, they would carry me out on a
stretcher from my cot into a small operating theater, the
table was covered with oilcloth, similar to the first aid
Dressing Station one also to the marble ones which are
in the majority of German hospitals, therefore I was a
little frozen before he commenced to cut me up; then
when the bandages were taken off, this young surgeon
would push in a long pen knife, from five to seven inches
in length, then turn it round two or three times and fol¬
low the same routine in the wound on the other side; and
35
I may mention that the dum-dum bullets, two of which
they said went through my right leg high at the thigh
had made a big hole like a mushroom or small saucer
where they came out (the Germans have been using four
kinds of Bullets, which are against the conventions of
war, namely: Glass, with gas inside, wood ones, poisoned,
also explosive and dum-dums), then he would draw a
red rubber tube as thick as a man's thumb, which was
pierced here and there so as to take the discharge away,
therefore, what with the previous eight days starvation
before arriving at this first Field or Lazarette hospital
and loss of blood, also tetanus or lock-jaw just develop¬
ing it always caused me to faint away, "a proper knock¬
out," I noticed on these occasions that there was a Ger¬
man regular hospital Army sister who was a friend in¬
deed, she knowing that I was a regular volunteer soldier,
the same as she a permanent staff operating nurse,
used to say always, "Stick it, it will soon be over".
Had I been in an Allied hospital they would have frozen
round the wounds to help deaden the pain, but I could
hardly expect any honey or jam in an enemy's hospital,
consequently the kind words from that German sister
when I expected no mercy made me think she was the
best I ever came in contact with, although on many oc¬
casions I have been assisted by good kind French, Bel¬
gian, British, and Canadian sisters at times in various
hospitals. I would afterwards be carried back to the
ward, at times my wounds would be cleansed out by
the use of hot water and strong benzine oil before be¬
ing dressed, which being very warm, naturally felt as
though burning, akin to scalding at times. Now as to
the splints. This young German surgeon finding small
pieces of bone to be washed out, commenced to put
splints on, which instead of being a kind of wood creased
36
with slits or crevices along the back, so that they
would yield and bend with the wounds, also that they
should be padded with tow or cotton wool, they were
made of strong wire, thick, a shade thicker than large
rat-trap which when bound tight cut into the flesh and
inflamed it, thus preventing the wound from healing
which I noticed he seemed to do on purpose so that my
leg would have to be amputated at all costs and cripple
me for life. There is no question that many limbs have
been taken off unnecessarily from wounded Allied sol¬
diers to make sure that there would be no more chance
for them to fight again.
I remember on one occasion that he bound a thick
wire splint so tight with bandages that I was compelled
to tear off the dressing forty minutes after they had
been put on. He certainly must have known that he had
bound them too tight for within one hour afterwards he
turned up to have a look. I of course expected to be shot,
or to undergo some other '1 light" punishment after the
Prussian military fashion, so I looked straight to my
front, half seated, half leaning on the cot. He stared
expressing mixed feelings of vexation and viciousness
and then proceeded to bind the splints on again. This
time I so arranged my leg that he could not put them
on too tightly. In the evenings I would loosen them a
few folds at the top of the bandages after he had gone
away for the night, so as to be easy.
Our visitors at this Hospital were two Belgian priests
who were very kind to us all. They would bring us a
pear to eat, which was considered a luxury at that time;
but owing to these priests being so thoughtful their
passes were revoked. A young German artillery lieu¬
tenant would also visit me every other day and besides
being nice would also fetch me a pear on the sly, a thing
37
that astonished me very much, was that he seemed greatly
interested in my conversation, especially about Kitchen¬
er's army and conscription of the British. Kitchener's
volunteer army reached the figure of three million men
as you are perhaps aware. This officer happened to be
a volunteer like myself and this fact made him quite
friendly in my estimation.
LAZARETTE FIELD HOSPITAL. This hospital af¬
ter I left was transferred into an infectious hospital for
enteric or typhoid cases, so that all clothing, which was
put away in small lockers were burnt later, belonging to
the Allied wounded, therefore I lost my uniform which
was my best relic then, and money with a few letters
from my best girl which I used to carry up and down
with me, of which I had been successful in hiding from
the German souvenir parties, therefore, I felt in a kind
of a sweat when I heard that my old love letters had
gone to kingdom come also.
There were no church services in this hospital, except
on one occasion an ordinary private soldier in the Ger¬
man Army, came in and read a Bible out loud, got down
on his knees next and prayed and sung, the sisters
present in the ward joining him where they stood in
various parts of the ward, making use of books that he
had given them but I must say that he was the most
earnest spiritual visitor whom I did see whilst a wounded
prisoner. He acted like a real out-and-out Evangelist,
Billy Sunday style, with great power. Every one seemed
struck by his earnestness, as he appeared to be so sincere.
On the cot behind mine was a wounded German, who
would tell tales to the surgeons about the Allied wounded,
so as to be kept in Hospital longer. On one occasion he
mentioned about my slackening the bandages, which
38
caused my transfer to another Hospital a few miles
away. Whilst on this transfer I noticed that the Bel¬
gians in the streets of Courtrai were in a destitute con¬
dition and would gaze in a sad but gentle smiling way
at me as I was being wheeled along on a stretcher.
CHAPTER VI.
Cotjktrai Municipal Hospital.
Upon arrival I was taken to the Municipal Hospital
which had been a convent, all the wards containing
Statues and Images over the door-ways and on the
sides of the walls. The floors were all of them large
marble tiles, and had marble wainscotting unusually
high. I was put into a Ward with about thirty other
allied wounded, mostly of them limbless which made me
suspicious that I was also booked for " a limbless proposi¬
tion." I spoke to a great number of them who had had
limbs amputated, and in almost every case the bone was
not cut far enough back to allow the flesh to grow over
the end and form a cushion for an artificial limb. A
friend of mine who had lost a leg in this way told me
that he had complained to a German surgeon about this
method of amputation and asked why it was done.
The Germans reply was: "Well, you know that's
what the French and English are doing to our prisoners,
which of course is not true. Any way, the usual talk
when the staff had left and the wards were quiet that
evening was inquiry as to "Where had I been hit" and
"How." (Some of these fellows were exchanged with me
later; they belonging to the Scotch Guards and Gordon
Highlanders), also various other regiments of Regulars,
Territorials, Kitchener's Army and Special Reserve, etc.
39
I may say here that when the troops of General Von
Vluck overran Belgium without first issuing a declara¬
tion of war to them, they seized all the Hospitals and
convents, compelling or commandeering the doctors' ser¬
vices, as well as the surgeons, sisters and nuns to work
in their hospitals for them. In this Municipal Hospital
there were two Belgian doctors and several nuns besides
a few French nuns and one French surgeon, this afforded
us at times plenty of good treatment as regards the
wounds. The wounded would be wheeled in one after
another to have their wounds dressed and attended to
once in every two or three days. I noticed that whilst
my wounds were being cleansed out and washed with
warm water run through a long rubber tube, out of a
large glass holder, that pieces and particles of bone would
arrive in a glass to catch the discharge. After a lapse
of about a fortnight, the elderly Belgian surgeon sent his
younger colleague to talk to me, mentioning that were
he my brother he would advise me to have my leg
amputated, as it would be weak and exceedingly painful
all my life. Inasmuch as my thigh bone had been
smashed by the dum-dum bullets, and he being an Allied
surgeon, although compelled to work for the Germans,
I took heed and asked at what time would the operation
for me take place on the following day. As I knew that
the German wounded would take precedence in opera¬
tions, as against the Allied wounded—as this is natural,
he answering at 3.30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. When the
hour of 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon of the next day arrived,
I felt "in a bit of sweat" as the boys say; but being
now used to their operating tables so often and sick
and tired of the continual pain, I thought that this
would put and end to it. But this was only a delusion,
as I found afterward to my cost, so that if I had the
40
chance again "I would have stuck to my leg because
a gammy or kind of dead one" is better than any wooden
one which is bereft of nerves, arteries or life. It wore
on to nearly four o'clock so that I concluded that they
had forgotten me and was a little pleased. Alas! my
hopes were shortlived, for just a little after, in comes a
stretcher on wheels which made me hold my breath and
solliloquize.—"Now for murder, I am in for it now."
Facsimile of card of the Young Belgian Surgeon, who
was so zealous in his endeavours to help the Various Allied
Prisoners at Courtrai.
Doctor AUG-. PEEL, Junr
lill) DER LANSKAMER
KORTRWK
CHAPTER VII.
German Surgery for Enemies Wounded.
The operating theater was not warmed to a proper
temperature, it felt like "a Goalless day in New York
when the thermometer dropped to 14 below zero this
last winter, 1918." The table I was put on was a marble
one, ice cold, so that I was half frozen before "they
started on their job," I noticed that instead of admin-
41
istering chloroform or anaestetics through a little muslin
cap so that I could inhale the spray like they did in the
Allied hospitals, they rubbed it on my nose and mouth
with a piece of cotton wool, which of course burned, and
before I was off they began cutting, causing intense
smarting and scalding sensations, just like the cutting
of tripe, and I was awake before the operation was
through, feeling the numb sawing of bone mixed with the
cutting of the flesh like the blubber of a fish, they having
so many wounded to operate upon in the German hospi¬
tals, owing to they being at war with five first rate powers
at least, they naturally have seven times as many
wounded as each Allie has.
The surgical instruments instead of having being
sterilized in antiseptic lotions or scalded in boiling water
so as to disinfect them, were left with blood on clotted
from the German wounded's operations, thus giving a
chance for germs to spread to other patients, such as
tetanus, of which there was an epidemic at the time,
and other infectious diseases.
After my operation was over I was wheeled back to
the ward and left unattended without anything to drink
for over thirty six hours. So the other boys told me
later, that I asked for a drink of water many times, but
the attendants took no notice, and the thirst after the
great loss of blood from an operation is terrific; I was
naturally very weak and could not on that account draw
attention. I took no stock of what happened in the ward
for over a week, then as I was coming around, I noticed
that my teeth were beginning to close and my jaws
42
tighten; I could not eat and hardly could drink, but see¬
ing a young Belgian medical student looking toward me
as he was passing along a day or two afterwards down
the ward, I put up my hand and moved it to attract his
attention, then pointed to my mouth indicating that I
was in a serious condition, so he came to me and tried
to open my mouth, and failing in this, fetched two other
doctors who also collectively tried to do so; but with no
better results, I should here state that it was fortunate
for me that he came to me then, for pressure of work
afforded them very little time to take notice of patients
when they were pressed for time.
The next day I was removed to a small room in the
upper floor of this convent to see whether I would pull
through or not. At that time there was raging an epi¬
demic of tetanus in this Hospital, and every night any
number of dead could be seen carried out on large
wooden stretchers to be buried, and during a short period
of three months and eleven days in this one Hospital
only of which there are thousands throughout the Ger¬
man Empire, out of two hundred and thirty seven cases
only two survived, a Cameron Highlander and myself.
He, the other fellow not having lost a limb was sent to
a German prison camp where he is now, therefore he
could not be exchanged. Out of this number of dead two
hundred and twenty eight were Germans, several doctors
British and Canadian said later, remarking that it was
owing to the food and drink which they consumed, there-
43
fore, the antitoxine injected in the side of the body to
counteract this disease, would not act properly.
Now, this little room where I was transferred proved
to be a little heaven for me, because a kind Belgian nun
was put in charge to look after me, whereas in the ward
below, the attendants being mostly Germans would not
trouble or assist you, only if they thought so fit or that
there was some superior near at hand or nearby.
In the previous ward I had an awful time because the
senior sister, who was the "Boss" and in charge of three
wards having as her subordinates one nun and their two
women-servants, also four German hospital orderlies,
and four Belgian hospital orderlies—who had been com¬
mandeered to work in the hospital—was getting to dis¬
like me for several reasons; firstly because the Belgian
doctor would not allow her to do as she wished in my
case, such as giving me what treatment she thought, and
allow her to keep me under her supervision in one par¬
ticular ward, where some of the German wounded would
complain to her about my crawling out of bed at nights,
due to the great agonies of pain brought on by the lock¬
jaw which was aggravated by her not allowing me
the chloral chloroform that was left for me by the Bel¬
gian surgeon, so that I would be able to be in a state of
semi-unconsciousness, that allowing me to withstand the
sufferings that lock-jaw produces, which cannot be ex¬
plained by the deepest concentration of thought, thereby
compelling me on two occasions to ask for poison in an
enemies hospital expecting of course to get it. I did not
in this reckon with human contradiction, for generally
the Germans were quite willing to kill those who did not
desire to die, but in my case would not let me die in order
44
to put an end to my pains. This I shall prove later to
have been the case in several instances. At other times
I wished and prayed to the images placed over the door¬
ways close to my cot that they would fall down and crush
me, also knowing that many German wounded, especially
the Prussian Guards and Bavarians who were in the
same ward as myself, carried small lockets round their
necks containing poison, so that should they ever be
badly mangled or mutilated they could, if they had the
nerve, do away with themselves. Of course you will hear
many say that they are cowards who commit suicide.
Don't believe such stuff, it takes a good nerve to say:—
"Here goes nothing, and not be sure of where you are
going to." Any way, I crawled out of the cot, to go
across the room, and accidentally caught the shattered
arm of my friend a French soldier in the next bed to
mine, which was very close, so that he awoke, causing
him to shout out in a startled manner, thereby waking
up several others who were fortunate enough to be able
to dose off, as very few sleep of a-night time, due to the
wounds becoming more painful after dusk, especially
when the morphine and sleeping draughts had ran out,
and during my scramble as aforesaid which was very
awkward on account of my right leg being gone, to try
and secure one of these lockets carried by the German
soldiers then they commenced calling out and saying that
they would throw big iron coal boxes at me which
weighed from five to six hundred weight, but I did not
mind what they threw at me, as I was glad and fain to
die. Of course, when you enjoy good health, life is sweet,
but in intense agony of pain, death is really a great
relief, especially so in cases of lock-jaw, which is genuine
blue murder, worse than when I was badly wounded and
shattered. One of our fellows belonging to the "Worcester
45
Begiment who was about healed with wounds in his face
caused by shrapnel, picked me up and put me back into
the cot. Naturally the German wounded told the sister
in charge of these three wards next morning, what had
happened. This sister was the one that had withheld
the chloral-chloroform from me that would have helped
to deaden the intense sufferings which lock-jaw produces,
and as regards about my quest for one of these lockets,
she then ordered two orderlies to fasten me down with
big boards all around my cot, and with four big flat iron
bars across the top, so that my climbing out would have
been an impossibility again. After twenty-four hours
of this "straight-jacket" treatment I was properly ex¬
hausted and weak, owing to being held in one position
that prevented me from turning or twisting to get a
little ease, I was properly fagged out and done up. I
noticed however, that the hoards and bars were removed
just before the doctors came around the ward.
Now this sister who was so hitter against me was I
must say, very much liked-nay almost worshipped—by
many German wounded, who used to make a proper fuss
of her at all times, some of whom would get presents
sent in and give her them (she was a very pretty woman
and could speak several languages), and in order to
please and amuse them at times she would come over to
my cot, lift me up, shake me like a rat, then give me a
bang or two in the chest and back, and on one occasion
slung me out of the cot like a doll, as I only weighed then
about 80 pounds, for after my exchange, on my being
weighed by an orderly, within three days after arrival,
showed 84 pounds and 3 odd ounces at the Millbank
Hospital, London. There was an order given at this
British hospital, that I should be weighed weekly. In
46
this connection I may say that every week that I was in
Britain, I gained weight rapidly until reacning twenty-
two pounds increase within a few weeks.
Returning to our senior sister in charge, who slung me
out of the cot, I will say that I naturally fell on the cold
marble floor in a corner, due to weakness and starvation,
she then slung me back again, giving me before so doing
a good shaking and farewell bang, I remarking through
my teeth that did not open properly 4'What are you
getting your own back out of me for?" "What have I
done to you?" she jabbered away in German, throwing
at the same time all the clothes at me in a bundle, as
much as to say: cover yourself up. As she was annoyed,
a state into which she always got whenever I happened
to ask her for anything, any way I was pleased although
the lock-jaw had set in for to be removed out of her way
upstairs to the small ward. After that I always got the
chloral-chloroform so that I used to sleep very well. This
sleep and starvation seemingly helped to kill the germs
of tetanus, so say many doctors, and were partly respon¬
sible for my recovery, also a good constitution assisting.
And this sleep was so sound, for a period of over three
weeks, that I only noticed my wounds being dressed on
two occasions. After the third week I had a relapse, then
they had to knock in a four inch hipodermic needle in my
spine, in the region of the small of the back driven in
with a little metal hammer. This rendered me un¬
conscious (a proper knockout), so as to inject some
antitoxine in the spine, but within three days I came
around and as luck would have it the young Belgian
Doctor came to see me; and after injecting some more
antitoxine in the side by inflating my skin like miniature
bubbles—BOTTLES—or tubes he remarked: "You are
47
alright now, there is no fear of you dying" to which I
answered "Give me some poison please." He stared in
blank astonishment at my remark and left, with a smile.
Shortly after the Belgian nun who had me in charge com¬
menced to give me soup or cocoa in an enamel cup; but
my jaws would not yield and in the meantime had to go
without food. Had I been in an Allied hospital, I would
have been fed through the nose by means of a rubber
tube with Bovril, cocoa, oxo, or milk. This nun was a
ministering angel, and in her spare moments would say
her beads, and not annoy me in any way like the Head
sister in charge, in the wards below did, therefore I
had a glorious time of peace and quietness and recovered
rapidly from the relapse. Whilst in this small ward
with the lock-jaw a young Belgian priest who had been
fetched by this kind nun that was in charge of me, came
each evening to visit and converse with me in English,
for a period of two hours about matters of religion, and
of course about or on the war. These priests French as
well as Belgian, who used to talk to me—all led grand
lives and besides doing many kindnesses also visiting the
unfortunate prisoners of war. This young Belgian priest
and the nun who was the sister in charge of me were
the only persons, excepting the surgeon who came twice
a week or thereabouts to dress my amputation and wound,
that I saw for the five weeks that I was in this small
room. I naturally maintaining that Germany would be
eventually defeated and that everything surely pointed
that way for the Allies. He was certainly amused at my
optimism, yet surprised and delighted at my sure views
concerning the ultimate victory in store for the Allies.
After a period of one month and a few days in the small
room, from the time that I was taken up, I was again
transferred to one of the Wards adjoining the one I had
48
been in previously downstairs. Then on one or two
more occasions later I received the injections of anti-
toxine on the left side of my body, and whilst they were
being absorbed, my right side was the same way so as to
make sure of no re-occurrence of. the tetanus virus.
At times the "Terror" Boss Sister would come round
and cast a sly passing glance at me and would never do
anything for me as she did for the other patients; due to
the medical officer not allowing her to handle my case,
developing spitefulness to such a degree that many a
Bed Cross lady whom I have met in my travels subse¬
quently, could not be induced to believe that any woman
could be unkind to a shattered wounded prisoner just
contracting lock-jaw. I must say that this feeling of hers,
as far as I was concerned, was not fostered by any
stubborness or any wrong doing on my part.
One day she noticed that I could not eat the two small
pieces of brown bread, made up of three parts potatoes
and one part rye flour and to my great astonishment she
kind of sympathized with me, which made me wonder
whether she was kidding or not. I have always been
very cautious of very pretty women since, for they may
have a heart of a serpent like hers; still there are ex¬
ceptions. To me, the homely ones always show a kinder
heart than the average beauty.
In this, the Courtrai Municipal Hospital the daily rou¬
tine would begin at about 5.30 a.m., when an elderly Bel¬
gian orderly (he commandeered by the Hun authorities),
would come in and light up a large oblong, chimney-
variety stove, until the time when the coals ran out;
then at about 6 a.m. a sister or a nun, with two assistants,
one an Allied soldier who had recovered, and was fit
enough to do a little light work, would come around with
49
a large basket containing pieces of brown bread cut into
very small half-slices; sometimes there was a little fat
on it, other times none. A dirty-water looking coffee was
next served round by another assistant, this was one
of our two meals daily; afterwards one of the Allies
patients who was good enough to bring us a metal bowl
containing water and a little enamel cup containing soft
brown soap with a fishy smell with which we could treat
ourselves to "a kind of wash" for our faces and hands;
he would then bring us a towel which had served for
seven or a dozen of the other patients previously and
which looked like a piece of wet tripe, with this we had
to dry ourselves, excepting those of the patients who had
no arms, then one of the orderlies or a nun would wash
their faces and necks. The metal basins would be placed
on the bed clothes therefore would be very awkward to
use whilst we were so weak and lying on the cots and
easily turn over. One day a humorous incident occurred,
my chum who was minus both two arms was having a
wash by the other Belgian nun who was in this hospital.
She was known to be the kindest human being in the
whole place; she unfortunately had weak eyes and she
accidentally tipped the basin of icy water all over my
chum Frankie's back and into the bed, of course causing
him to shout and the whole Ward to be up in merriment.
This was indeed a change from the dreary monotonous
time that we had been having. Nothing to look forward
to but just the end of the war. Never dreaming of such
a thing as being exchanged later.
At 9.30 a.m. cot-making would commence; this was a
glorious relief as we were in one position for hours on
end, with the pieces of wood and shavings of which the
mattresses were made up of sticking into our bodies. At
50
11 o'clock every other day patients would be taken in
turns to the operating theatre to have their wounds
dressed or for minor operations every other day. The
four or five tables made of marble were all terribly cold
and icy, therefore we would be about froze to death he-
fore they started to cut us up.
At 12 noon or thereabouts, the temperatures would be
taken of the whole ward by using thermometers which
were very poor, their quicksilver would not work and it
was a question of woe betide the patient who could not
bring their temperature below normal, for he would not
receive anything more to eat until he did. Some of us
used to keep the thermometer outside of the bed clothes
for a while to get it cold and then would put it under
one of our arms quickly just before the sister came out
of the adjoining Ward to look at each thermometer. By
1.30 p.m. the second meal was served—if you happened
to get it—as very few did owing to the thermometers
that would not work. In the afternoons we would all
try to sleep our empty stomachs away which was an old
stick of mine because during the Siege or Defence of
Ladysmith, South African Affair, whilst there during the
120 days that we were besieged I used to always sleep
my noontime away, if I was not on any duty, as the
easiest way to kill time if you are hungry and starving
is to sleep it off. I mentioned this to the other limbless
in this Ward to do the same, so as to help take away
their pangs of hunger also. I may as well mention that
there, we on the majority of days received only one and
one-quarter soda crackers and 2 ozs. of horse or mule
flesh per day, and when they ran out, four ozs. of Indian
melee bread, the color truly being of various hues, black,
puce of yellow with the 2 ozs. of Cheveil thrown in which
51
made our ribs show like a washboard in short time, be¬
cause on those small rations we had to do our Outpost
Duty with very little sleep, keep the enemy at bay and
build stone Sangers, therefore we were so weak that we
could not cheer the incoming Scouts of the Advanced
Mounted Brigade (Lord Dumdonald's Cavalry), who
were relieving us. Now back to the German Hospital
just when we would be dozing off for a snooze various
ones including myself would wake up startled, shout or
shriek with Nerve pains, or may be dreaming of some
fight that they had gone through. Later whilst the
Hospital staff were at Tea or Supper, we would have a
little singing, those who could or telling stories, card
playing and smoking, by those who were lucky enough
to get a smoke '1 given them." Towards 8 p.m. the whole
of the Ward would have their wounds rebandaged, and
then the sleeping or morphine drafts would be given
until there was none left, or the stock ran out. Of
course, in my case, and due to this bitterness felt by this
chief sister in charge towards me, my wounds were
never rebandaged same as other patients nor was I
given the dose of chloral-chloroform which was left
for me by the Belgian surgeon; this meant number¬
less sleepless nights that have told terribly on me. Noth¬
ing seems to injure the nerve system more than the lack
of sleep which they say is nature's best balm restorer.
I may mention here that all sleeping drafts and many
medicines have run out in the Enemies Hospitals owing
to the innumerable number of cases using them up.
After that, the whole Hospital staff would retire until
next morning excepting those who happened to be on
night duty who would come around every two hours;
consisting in the majority of cases of a sister, a German
and Belgian orderly. Sometimes they would come ac-
52
companied by a sisters servant to look after the needs
of the patients throughout the night.
Every evening at about 8.30 p.m. in this Hospital, when
the lights were turned low and all was quiet we would
commence telling stories and talk. The chief topic was
naturally Food and the different tales from the various
Allied Countrymen about what they like to have, would
make our mouths water like the juice of a rhubarb pie.
Each patient tried to outdo each other as to what each
would have and fancy best, if they were at home.
Our best friend visitor to this Courtrai Municipal
Hospital was an ex-captain of the Belgian Army, who
was looked upon, I hear, by the people of this district as
a millionaire. As a matter of fact, he did look to be
really a wealthy man, he was more than kind to the
Allied wounded and on purpose to gain admittance to us
he would bring presents for us all, friend or foe. "When¬
ever his pass was stopped, or if he should go away on a
visit to one of his brothers—one of them lived in Brussels
and the other in Holland—we fared very badly, espe¬
cially as regards food, because in this, the second hospi¬
tal if we received two meals per day, we were fortunate
indeed. One of the greatest kindnesses he did for us was
to smuggle our letters out. In this hospital we were not
allowed to write or send letters home, which is all
changed now, because the German Hospital authorities
have brought out an Official post card, similar to the
Active Service post card used at the front with places
to be filled in for such expressions as: I am well—slightly
wounded—I am sick, etc.—Improving—Wounded or not
Wounded, or other short sentences of this kind or con¬
densed news notes. Any way, many months later, when
in the Sailors' and Soldiers' Limbless Hospital, another
53
batch of exchanged prisoners arrived, and one of them
whom we had known previously at the Courtrai Hospital
told us that he, the Belgian gentleman, had been caught
carrying letters for the Allied wounded prisoners and
had been sent to a German fortress. His wife who was a
London lady, had offered a ransom of Two Hundred
Thousand Francs, then later one Quarter of a Million.
He was still being kept as a prisoner. We all, naturally
who had known him felt awfully sad to hear that news
about the best friend we had had in the Hospital. This
poor gentleman may have been shot since, as the Huns
were rather harsh with the Belgians of that district.
Our next visitor was a Belgian peasant woman. (All
her conversations being passed on the sly and with care).
Her husband was a wounded prisoner of war in the Ward
where I was at the time. Her eight sons had been to
the front, seven of them had been killed and the eighth
was now badly wounded. Whilst fighting with the Bel¬
gian forces; she used to bring an apple once a week
to every patient in the ward. Another visitor was a
German Baron and his wife. He would sometimes bring
each a cigar; his wife, the Baroness, once brought some
grapes for the German wounded who belonged to the
Ward I was in; but it happened that they had all been
sent out to the front again, the same day whilst still
lame and limping, I must here say that the Germans
anyhow do not send their wounded to Convalesc ent
Hospitals after leaving operation hospitals, same as the
Allies do, so that they can recuperate from their wounds
and get their nerves strong again like the Allies, who
have all their wounded transferred from their operation
hospitals to Convalescent Homes or hospitals to get the
benefit of the fresh air, good food and fine treatment, so
54
that they are able to return to the trenches again in the
pink of condition—she, the Baroness, then remarked "di¬
vide the grapes amongst the other wounded," knowing
that we all were Allied or their enemies wounded, which
showed that she had a kind and thorough good heart,
whether friend or foe.
CHAPTER VIII.
Incidents to Vary the Monotony op our Existence
that Occurred in the Various Hospitals and
Camp that I Sojourned in.
CONCERTS: These were not allowed in the second
Hospital where I was until we were transferred to he
passed by a board of exchange for "BLIGHTY" (home).
The concerts we had at times would commence at
about seven in the evenings, which would be of course
after the Hospital staff had gone to their rooms for the
night, every one taking his turn to sing something or
recite. I, of course, could not sing on account of my
face and mouth which would not open properly after the
lock-jaw, and for months afterwards my face would ache
if I talked for a short while. These singing affairs
would last until 8 p.m., each one singing his own favorite
air. A sergeant named Gordon of the Gordon High¬
landers would always give us a little ditty in this strain:
In his life he being a roamer,
Spent free his money when on the beer,
Now he is a wooden legged old warrior,
He'll never spree nor roam no more.
This would be done with a great feeling and sighing,
which made us all think that we could never roam again;
55
but I am roaming yet. The next best singer would sing
love songs, which all soldiers like, as there is a saying
"strong in war, means to be strong in love." Others
would sing humorous ditties, which helped to cheer up
our dreary time. One fellow, a cockney or who was born
within the sound of London's Big Bow Bells, who had
his leg in plaster of paris would always sing comical
songs, except meal times, but when on occasions they
would be dressing his wounds, he would have varied ex¬
pressions of wit—yells and strong language and shouts
all intermingled, which would help to lift us out of our
sad dreary hours, especially when a bug would bite him,
which would bivouac in the plaster casing, owing to the
intense warmth of it. His ditty would be like this. Some¬
thing to do with beer. He would commence with:
Oh! Dennis dear and did you hear
the latest news that's come,
They tell us Prohibition
Put the Kibosh on the Rum.
For no more we'll take our cheerful smile,
No more the flash is seen,
For they're hunting night and morning
For the beer shop and Shebeen (Saloon).
Oh! it's mighty hard on Dennis,
For to stand this fearful strain
To say a chap can't get a root
A man can't get his beer.
The teapot must work overtime
To satisfy the craze,
Now he's lost his old time ginger
Since the whiskey said 4' Good-bye.''
On one occasion we all joined in singing a national
anthem, "My Country T'is of Thee," a Canadian one,
56
but the German attendants bnrsted in mistaking it for
"God Save the King," nsed strong language in German
and told their surgeons next morning so that we were
not allowed to sing for two weeks and even then if we
did sing any of the national anthems, Canadian, French
or British, we would be stopped altogether. At times a
young Belgian girl who was one of the servants to one
of the sisters, also commandeered like a prisoner used
to sing to us when the German attendants would have
gone to their rooms, after a deal of coaxing. Hers was
a voice extremely delicate and beautiful, fit to be a Prima
Donna. It was really a pity, as there are many managers
or agents on Broadway who could have put her voice to
a successful and profitable career, if she had been in
New York City. Her best piece was La Brabanconne,
Belgium's national Hymn; but this was also stopped
after a while, it did not please the Germans. Her next
best was like "Chantons, Beiges, Chantons." I may men¬
tion that this one was sung and recited by Mme. Vander-
velde, the Wife of the Belgium State Minister at the
London Coliseum, to assist the Belgian soldiers at the
front. It being translated was:
Sing, Belgians, sing,
Although our wounds may bleed, although our
voices break,
Louder than the storm, louder than the guns,
Sing the pride of our defeats,
Beneath the autumn sun,
And sing the joy of honour
When cowardice might be sweet.
To the sound of the bugle, the sound of the drum,
On the ruins of Aerschot, Dinant and Termonde,
57
Dance, Belgians, dance,
And our glory sing,
Although, our eyes may burn,
Although our brain may turn, Join in the ring!
* * #
With branches of flaming beech,
To the sound of the drum,
We'll cover the graves of our children.
* * #
On such a day as this,
When the poplars tremble softly
In the breeze,
And all the woods are scented
VvTth the smell of dying leaves,
That they may bear with them beyond
The perfume of our land.
* * *
We'll ask the earth they loved so dear
To rock them in her arms,
To warm them on her mighty breast,
And make them dream of other fights,
Of taking Liege, Malines,
Brussels, Louvain and Namur,
And of their triumphant entry, at last
In Berlin!
Sing, Belgians, sing,
Although our wounds may bleed, although our
voices break,
Louder than the storm, louder than the guns,
Although our wounds may bleed, although our
hearts may break,
58
Sing of hope and fiercest hate,
Beneath the antunm sun,
Sing of the pride of charity
When vengeance would he so sweet.
Emile Cammaerts.
We could always on Sunday mornings hear the enemies
military bands play and the troops sing, then there
would be a big fight or engagement follow on such oc¬
casions. About the time of the Kaiser's birthday, the
German Medical corps staff had concerts for about a
week, singing, playing and dancing in fine style, and also
gave us easy times during that period, and may be a
present of tobacco, pipe or an apple. In the other hospi¬
tals concerts were not allowed until the fellows had
passed a board of officers so as to be exchanged for
*1 Home".
SMOKING: No smoking was allowed at nights in the
Hospitals or after 7 p.m., in any of the wards; but 90 per
cent cannot resist the temptation of a (FAG) or cigarette
—if they can get one; some having gone right into the
habit would smoke grass, tea leaves or any weed avail¬
able, the craving for a cigarette being so powerful; at
times some of the German Staff would rush into a ward
all of a sudden to see if any one was smoking, by sud¬
denly turning up the gas light, so that in order to catch
an "offender"; but they would always have them out of
sight under the cot-covers or hold them in a locker which
all patients have alongside their bed. Some of the
fellows would feign to be asleep and may be burning a
hole in the bed clothes at the same time, but would not
let on or know anything about it, and look as innocent
as a duck, if found out and questioned over the burnt
holes in the sheets a few days later, when changing of
59
the bed linen occurred. When a prisoner, you often think
of the long miserable and dreary time you will have to
stay in a hospital or camp until the war is over, as they
never tell you that they may exchange you; and I have
seen one or two go insane from thoughts of the gloomy
future before them, lasting until the war's end. Many
fellows who were well enough to read would peruse any¬
thing over and over again; there happened to be a few
magazines brought in by some favored visitor and the
fellows would shout out NEXT, SO AND SO, and all at
the same time if they saw another patient with a fresh
book or paper, but in the majority of cases they had
read them before. I tried to read once or twice, but my
pains were too severe, therefore I would listen to the con¬
versation of the various patients about what they would
eat when they got out of it. Which caused our mouths
to water like the juice of a Rhubarb pie any time that
some fellow hit on something that we would also like.
The same topic every night, after 8 p.m. when the lights
were turned low and the hospital staffs had departed,
what they would eat—the most thing needed FOOD,
FOOD. It seemed to be the most interesting subject of
all. In my case I must have weighed only about 80 lbs.
after my lock-jaw, because in the German Hospitals they
do not feed you through the nose by means of a rubber
tube to give you milk, Bovril, or anything, like they would
in an Allies hospital, but simply leave you to live or die.
When thoughts came to me about having to wait until
the end of the war before getting out of this monotonous
life, it was just like the thoughts when on the Moonlight
attacks by the Huns on the River Aisne, where the Ger¬
man legions, like big clouds of mist seemed endless that
made you harbor a sinking feeling that could hardly be
buoyed up, except desperateness.
60
NEWS: With regards to news, any Belgian or Ger¬
man fonnd with an English newspaper was fined from
20,000 Marks or Francs np. When the Germans read
their newspapers to ns everything in them was mislead¬
ing, the lies were monnmental especially ahont their
troops being in London and Paris, also half of these
cities buildings down, and glaring reports of how the
British had suffered a heavy and bloody defeat (blutige
Schlag), anything victorious for the Allies was never
printed, never anything bright for us but for themselves
they had always captured inumerable prisoners, and
guns, besides a lot more of bluff. On many occasions an
elderly Nun, who was an assistant to the Mother
Superior, would come into the ward in a startling man¬
ner, gesticulating, telling us in Flemish all about the
latest German news, she being more than delighted when
we would say it was all moonshine and nothing of the
kind. Of course, when any of our own Allied wounded
were brought in (new prisoner arrivals), we got the
real truth, the same evening when the Hospital staffs
had gone home for the night.
A few fellows who were improving and able to walk
about would go and play cards on the end of a cot of
one or two others that could not get out of bed, but
otherwise recovering when they could get a sister to
fetch some from another ward, there being only two
packs to about each dozen wards, therefore they natu¬
rally were a mixed, sticky and greasy kind of dog-eared
cards. The games were generally Euchre, Banker,
Forty-fives, Brag-and-Bridge by the British, Poker,
Whist, etc., by the Canadians ; the French and Belgian
having games of their own besides card playing. In two
of the Hospitals no letters were allowed, but in the last
61
one and also a camp where I was they were grudgingly
permitted. When letters did arrive for the Allies
wounded, we would nearly go off our heads, excited, pant,
and forget where we were, I myself receiving two in the
third Hospital I was in, not having received any before
or after. One was from my aunt and it made me long
to be at her home on a visit again, as she always would
be remarking, when I used to go see her during these
visits that I looked white, even when I did not, and would
make me tea and brandy about three or four cups for
herself and me, but allowing so that each cup would have
less tea and more brandy, therefore the last one was all
brandy, she forgetting to put tea by then, so that by
the time she thought that I looked better and not so white,
the floor of her kitchen seemed to come up and meet me
instead of my meeting the floor; but I did not mind it
then because I had two legs, now I have no chance in the
same condition on one real leg and a wooden one.
PARCELS: Very scarce, owing to many being stolen,
as out of every 40 which were sent to the prisoners of
war either in camps or hospitals up to ten months ago,
only 11 on the average arrived at their destination for
whom they were intended. But according to the Head¬
quarters' Fund for prisoners of War since last June,
1917, they have proof, and are glad to say that the Food
Parcels are at last arriving safe.
I often longed for the large Parcel containing cake,
that my aunt used to send me when on the Western front.
At times these presents came in particles and crumbs
from the knocking about they received coming across and
in the freight cars, through not being packed strong
and properly, so that I have thrown them away; but
62
here in these Hospitals, I would have been glad to have
eaten the crumbs and even the bag containers.
RELIGIOUS SERVICE: Religious services none,
except for the Roman Catholics when having confession,
then the priests would talk to them quietly with a screen
around their cots. And on one or two occasions a priest
would come to see a dying man, a few hours before
his death of whatever faith or denomination he belonged
to. Deaths being frequent, occurring almost every night
in all the wards and hospitals that I was in, they would
be carrying them out about 2 or 3 a.m. on large strong
wooden frames, just when a fellow would be commencing
to doze off after a sleepless night from pain which would
not help to induce further sleep; it was a common oc¬
curence for to take over a cot when being changed or
transferred from one ward to another after some poor
fellow had died in it about twenty minutes previous; I
myself have had that experience three or four times dur¬
ing different periods when wounded.
The German troops, also the Medical Staff corps' would
hold theirs on Sunday mornings; which in the majority
of cases would be just before a big fight; and a strange
thing to mention is that the biggest engagements seemed
to occur on Sundays, both in this and the Boer affair.
VISITORS: From time to time there were new ar¬
rivals of French and British prisoners including officers;
and one officer, in particular a Lieutenant of the Wor¬
cestershire Regiment, who was very kind and thought¬
ful, he would visit all of us to see how we were getting
on, he being a brave man indeed, so we heard by the
Tommies (Private Soldiers), who were with him, because
he would not surrender and that the German officer in
command of the party of Huns by whom he was captured,
63
would not shoot him nor allow him to be shot when he
was being captured by the others who surrendered, they
being overwhelmed and overpowered.
The German sergeant-major of this hospital, a smart,
big looking fellow, with a military mustache like a pair
or horns, but otherwise a big bully, used to persistently
walk with big ammunition-field service boots like a
Flanders draft horse, up and down the Ward smoking
a big fat cigar, and continually shouting aloud with a
voice like a rasp, or rusty saw, in sergeant-major style
as though he was talking to a battalion of men. All the
time that many of the fellows in the cots would be in
great agony of pain and groaning.
One night this sergeant-major went to the cot of the
Worcester officer (Lieutenant), just mentioned, and cut
the commission stars from off his shoulder straps for
souvenir purposes, fortunately he did not get away with
it this time for the British Lieutenant complained the
next morning to the German surgeon-in-charge and the
bullying sergeant-major was transferred some where
else, to our great relief. At times he would abuse the
German subordinates both by tongue, hand and foot,
they not daring to say a word back. When leaving he
said Goodbye to all as he left the Wards, but I noticed
that very few would answer him as he had been such a
bully to every one. We heard he was being sent to the
front, then of course it began to dawn upon him that he
may get badly wounded himself.
On one occasion I remember some University students
came around about that time, they belonging to a special
volunteer University Corps, and were very kind also re¬
fined and treated us like real "guys," gentlemen. Some
of them had their scars from the after effects of their
64
duels which they used to have of evenings in their Uni¬
versities. They were about the best we had of visitors
from the German troops, also on several occasions two
convalescents who hailed from Lorraine, being of French
descent but in the German army came round our ward,
naturally their hearts were with France and never fought
as they should do, so they said. They were coming to
talk to us often, but were stopped later and ordered not
to visit the Allies wounded again. A few days later they
were sent back to the trenches, whilst still weak and
limp, they not having recovered from their wounds
properly. I here noticed that in the three various Ger¬
man Hospitals where I was that none of their wounded
were sent to Convalescent homes so as to recuperate after
their operations like the Allied wounded are when leav¬
ing their operation hospitals, so as thereby to get strong
in nerve and body, then of course fit to face the music
again. It may be running short of men the reason of
that.
We all had small lockers adjoining each cot and natu¬
rally if we received anything in the shape of a bun or a
cigarette from a visitor, we used to hide it, for later use
at the first opportunity, also anything to read in English.
In one ward there was a Bible and it was read more than
if it had been any where else outside of a German Hospi¬
tal or camp. Owing to the dreary monotonous times,
thoughts about fellows who were able to walk about and
may have been shot in the head yet looked alright,
and lucky and did not seem badly wounded but in the
majority of cases it was just the opposite because they
may have been shot in the head yet looking alright,
but a few days later they would be dead or insane, al¬
though laughing and talking the week previous, "the
same old story—never go by looks."
65
Several fellows who had recovered and were fit to do
light work were pnt assisting the sisters when they were
giving out the food, what there was of it, which was a
kind of diversion for them, also fetch washing water,
soft soap and small cloths nsed for towels by the cot
patients, to have a "cat-wash" with whilst in bed of
mornings before the Doctors round the wards, also any
articles needed, if no Hospital orderlies were around at
the time.
When any one received money remittances from home
it would always be dwindled down to about three-quarters
of the original amount of what it was at first when for¬
warded by the remitter, owing to the big discounts that
the Germans put on their rates of exchange. Whoever
of us who was lucky enough to have any money hidden or
sent to them, would get a Belgian orderly to fetch some
Candy or any thing to eat which was at exhorbitant
prices owing to the circumstances and times. As we
were in such a state of starvation it was more than a
pleasure to have the chance to purchase something to
eat, not forgetting to reward the messengers, besides the
grateful feeling of pleasure.
COTS: In their Hospitals these were terrible, the bed
ticks being filled with deal and other shavings which
would stick into you like comb-teeth, also when you had
been in for about one hour you would sink and have a
struggle to get a chance to breathe and turn about the
bed which was "blue murder," with newly amputated
leg wounds about the hip joints. We all longed for the
spring mattress or up-to-date style of bed, but we heard
that those shaving beds were used by the Nuns, so of
course we could not complain. It must have added more
misery to their awful dreary and monotonous lives.
66
One of the diversions we had whilst in the Conrtrai
Municipal Hospital was at times when a British air
raiding party came over from the Allies lines and let
fall many Bombs on the large railway junction at Cour-
trai, a railway center for many lines where the Germans
were receiving and storing up innumerable supplies for
their Western defenses; but two of the Bombs acci¬
dentally fell just outside our Hospital killing several
Belgian people which naturally made us look cheap by
the way that our aviators had made such a '1 Box-up"
of their manouvering as for to go and kill some Allied
civilians and knock a piece of one of the Hospital walls
in where a lot of their own wounded were; I thought
a few strong words from a weak stomach when I heard
the bombs shaking the Hospital buildings, whereas they
should have fell on the enemy railroad junction instead.
On another Allies Air Raid that came later, they found
the Railway sheds, supplies and rails true, no bad mark-
manship like the time before. At intermittent periods
we would hear the whirr of propellors going over oc¬
casionally the Hospitals and wondered whether they
were German Zeppelins, or a French or British aero¬
plane. When it made a monstrous buzzing noise with
its propellors we would be disgusted, as we knew it was
one of the enemies, which when we looked through the
windows, we generally saw silouhetted against the sky,
and if nearby we would be able to distinguish a German
eagle painted on the body of it. The Allied aeroplanes
obviously always having their national flags painted in
colors underneath their machines.
Now for a strange diversion that would be, was to see
double sentries armed who would patrol around our
wards outside, even where blind and limbless patients
67
were and sometimes peep in the doorways to see if we
were all there. One Sunday, my chum, who had both
arms off and a French soldier who was badly shattered
besides having lost one arm were allowed to go to a
Eoman Catholic church within the hospital grounds and
when returning were shouted at by the German sentries
"LOOSE"—get out—or move quickly—one of these
sentries presenting his rifle at them to hurry them along
and fired a bullet in their direction, these two running
inside immediately after, and saying they would not go
to church again.
One day, there were a party of 150 German boy re¬
cruits sent to the battalion of Infantry which were
doing guard on the Hospital where I was and you could
hear them drilling daily and learning trench work part
of the nights. When these boy-recruits whom we heard,
were only sixteen years of age on the average, that
had been called up to get them ready for later, were
being put through their drills by an Unter-offizier, this
German N.C.O., whenever he wished to emphasize any
command, on their young minds, would stand close to
them and in front of the one he was annoyed at, would
shout out at the top of his voice; then when he or any
other of these recruits made a mistake after this shout¬
ing hint, this Unter-offizier would cuff and beat the boy
brutally.
In the German army, so we heard, it is like this
throughout the service, the private soldiers are more
than terrified of their N.C.Os., and would only fight as
long as they are under their orders, in the majority of
cases, but as soon as their leaders get killed or wounded,
then they surrender and up go their hands like a lot of
wings.
68
When these youths were on trench warfare practice
or digging at night times they nsed to cry, so the Belgian
orderlies and nnns told ns, and wanted to go back home,
they therefore, were very poor soldier material with
which to face veterans, and at nights we would hear rifle
shots often when there was no one to fire at. This was
evidently nervousness.
During my stay I noticed that every week or so, the
German Doctors would go round each ward and look each
patient over thoroughly and then decide to send him to
some other Hospital or a Camp, then the following after¬
noon we would miss one or two fellows out of each ward,
and never hear of them again, one day they decided to
send me away thinking that I might recover enough to
be able to work at something, but owing to having had
Tetanus they decided that I would not be sent to any
place for work, as I heard their Principal Medical Officer
whisper to his Chief Officer Clerk on one of his fort¬
nightly inspections and visits to the wards, when I asked
for my clothes so that I could use them.
After a stay of about eleven weeks at the Courtrai
hospitals, several of us was removed to one in Germany,
which was near the border, seemed to be Duren camp,
but we were never allowed to know the exact name of
this district.
CHAPTER IX.
Transferred to a Camp District.
In this Hospital adjoining a camp we very seldom re¬
ceived the bread in proper condition, although it was
very hard and dry. Whenever we got bread of the
Swiss kind which had been in Wahan—where the mail
69
authorized post cards only—at present from U. S.
prisoners of war are forwarded, and censored, it may
have been left a few weeks before being sent on, it would
have been eaten into by rats, and on one occasion I
noticed bits of downy stuff adhering to it, part of a
rodent's nest, and showed plenty signs of green mould
attached. Some times we received a little ice cold potted
meat which was a luxury but nearly froze in your mouth,
it being some kind of jelly without the meat in, there¬
fore it was meatless days, and other times one-half oz.
of Dutch (Holland Cheese), just a taste (or an eye full
as the boys call it).
The worst wounded cases here, were one fellow belong¬
ing to the Warwickshires who had been hit on the side
of the face by a piece of spent jagged shell and I hap¬
pened to be in the operating theater the same time that
he was brought in, I was terribly surprised when I saw
the surgeons open his face back, just like a clock and
commenced looking at the back inside of his neck and
head. I looked across from where I was, being on an¬
other cold icy table waiting my turn to face the agony
of probing, etc., under the various processes, forgetting
where I was, for the time being and wondering how he
lived; later in the ward I saw them making him a new
nose with long strings of silk stuff, also fixing his face
with little pieces like Vulcanite. In the same ward was
a small fellow who was a Territorial and had been shot
through the small of the back, on the edge of his spine,
having a hole as big as a small saucer, which caused him
to scream day and night, he could not straighten him¬
self out, nor lay, sit or stand and had to have dry hot
cloths wrapped around him about every hour which soon
became saturated with blood, matter and other dis-
70
charges. When he was in the operating theater, the
surgeons used to drive in three long hypodermic needles
attached to a surgical instrument with a small metal
hammer right into his spine all at the same time, so as
to draw foreign substances away, it properly unnerved
me, he was too weak to bear anaesthetics, thereby the
intense pain caused him to scream, so heart-rendering,
until he would faint away after a few minutes, owing to
the pains being so intense; but they were anxious to cure
his remarkable case, the same as they were mine of
Tetanus. The next bad cases were in the ward where I
was in, there being twenty-one limbless with one or more
limbs off, besides other wounds; they were all Allied
soldiers, French, Belgian and British.
During the night time about every two hours, a Nun,
Belgian or French sister who had been commandeered
by the Huns assisted with an orderly, would come round
the wards perchance any dressing had come off the
wounds of any patient, so as to refix them again or to
fetch a drink of water which would be some times a drink
of aerated soda water, this being the finest drink of
water that we could get of and at night time, the fellows
used to keep awake on purpose to make sure of a drink
and whenever they ran out, it was ordinary water, or
what lions drink! You know! Owing to the after effects
of the lock-jaw and the pains dying out, which seemed
to cause convulsions, very often they would pick me off
the floor, as I could not stay in the cot on account of
the severe cramps and the reaction of the nerves due to
their revival after the Tetanus paralysis. On one oc¬
casion, an assistant had to put two screens—big ones—
to keep me in the cot so that I should not get out. The
71
weight thereby fastening me down, although I was in.
great agony.
The French wounded in the wards of this Hospital had
their crimson trousers and blue cut-away swallow tailed
kind of coats, also shakos on, with fancy balls or pom
poms on top, when they could walk about making them
look very neat and nice, and they were allowed to
visit the other wards on Sundays. My next cot-mate
on my right was a tall Frenchman, who had been shot
badly through the left elbow and would have to steam it
in hot water in a kind of shallow tin trough for two
hours, or thereabouts daily; but it never came to heal
properly as none of the other fellows wounds would
either, because of insufficient nutrition at times. He
would assist the orderlies and sisters by pulling the
blinds down or putting them up, fetching some dressings
or any articles needed, also get those who could not get
any water, some to wash with, therefore, he was allowed
many privileges such as could go and get extra things
for reading or eating. Anyway, one day the doctors
noticing him dodging about in the ward, had him sent
to a camp to work, gave him one hour to get ready in
and pack up, wash and everything, he was in an awful
sweat when he had to go, hardly time to say good-bye to
us in the ward and I could see that he was in a great
stress of nerves, wondering how the Germans would
treat him in their camps.
He must be having hard times now poor fellow, work¬
ing for nothing, also brutal treatment, and starving until
the war is over, that is if he lives.
The wards here were very long like large subways,
the cots facing each other, there being two or three
hundred in long rows; some wards had three rows; but
72
mostly there being two, one on each side of these long
rooms.
There were wounded men of all corps here, mixed
troops of the German Prussian guards, Uhlans, Ba¬
varians, etc. The Uhlans—Germany's crack cavalry,
looked the most striking, with fancy double-breasted kind
of cut-away-coat with double buttons, as tall as the Prus¬
sian guards and big padded chests, although they were
found to be no match for the Allied cavalry at the Mons
and Marne affairs, also recently. One of these Uhlans,
a big gruff fellow in a cot opposite to me, but who was
only slightly wounded himself was always scolding and
abusing every one else in the ward, if they groaned
or made a noise, who were badly wounded, which of
course they could not help and he struck several of the
Allies native troops, belonging to the Turcos who were
badly shattered, one of them dying a few days later, he
was so badly wounded. These Uhlans seemed to be bul¬
lies, may be owing to being favorite troops of the German
army as 125,000 of them always act as an escort to the
Kaiser; therefore they must consider themselves the
best of the whole lot. But we Allies soldiers think the
Prussian guards are about the best fighters throughout
the German forces.
One thing I noticed about the native Allied wounded
prisoners were those of the Mahomedan faith among
the Senegalese Turcos or East Indians who happened to
be in the German hospitals or a camp, they thinking they
would break their caste if they ate what was offered
to them, so naturally a few of them died from starvation.
There were also some Zouaves, belonging to the crack
French Infantry corps. One fellow who was very cheery,
used to do all he could for any one who needed any kind-
73
ness or assistance done; but I observed the German at¬
tendants were always harsh to men of crack regimentsr
either whites or natives who had the misfortune to be
prisoners in their hospitals or camps, maybe knowing of
course, because they naturally tried to uphold their repu¬
tation when fighting, thereby doing a lot of damage to
the Huns themselves.
The French native troops, especially the Senegalese
and Turcos have done some splendid fighting on the
Marne and battle of the Aisne affairs. I have seen
several regiments of them go out one day, when we
were billeted on the Soissons road, when in the Aisne
district, and only 11 and 34 respectively came back out
of two Battalions, in one of the usual daily engagements
then in counter attacks on the Germans to keep them
from advancing further on French soil in the Aisne
district. There does not seem to be many French native
troops now left, on account of their having done so much
good fighting, and therefore lost more than heavily.
I was able to observe that the German wounded .re¬
ceived far more food than the Allied wounded did, also
many received presents from their local friends and rela¬
tives,, which was pretty tough for us who were starving
in the camps adjoining. The fellow prisoners who had
recovered from their wounds, were either working in
quarries or doing various war supply work of one kind
or another and were knocked about for small offenses
against the German prison camps rules, some although,
weak from starvation were ordered to face the wall for
hours on end, with nothing to eat and for grave offenses
would be tied to posts and beaten with either rifle slings,
or a rubber whip; then if they turned on any attendant
or Hun guard who had provoked them they would be
74
hit between the shoulders or back with the bntt end of
a rifle, so that often they fell unconscious, and on some oc¬
casions they were even bayoneted. And besides this them
all being in great neglect. Their sleeping quarters were
worse than stables, everywhere there was vermin about,
dirty straw to lie on, no change of clean clothes which
was the same in all camps, so I heard from other fellows
who were exchanged with me and had been in other
and various camps.
If one of the men in a hut had committed a trivial
crime, such as smoking indoors, and the Germans were
unable to find out who was the culprit, every man in that
hut would be stood at attention all day, in bitter weather,
with only a single bowl of soup as nourishment. The
punishment would be repeated day after day until the
man confessed in order to save his comrades.
The death rate was high, and I would like to say more
about this subject, but owing to so many U. S. boys being
prisoners of war, therefore for their relatives and
friends sake, I'll pass on to my transfer back to Cour-
trai, awaiting my exchange for home. Owing to it be¬
ginning to dawn on the Germans that they are beaten,
also knowing that this Country with its vast resources
of men and money will be sure to finish the war and
polish them off, this in my estimation in some places ac¬
counts for the slightly better treatment accorded to U. S.
prisoners compared to what they give to some other
Allied prisoners, another reason may be pressure. It
just depends which Camp they are sent to, some being
better than others. When any distinguished visitors of a
Neutral Power visited any Hospitals or Camps where
Prisoners were in Germany, everything was made to look
nice, better food arranged, so that the truth was kept
75
ac a out what was really happening. The same in all
p aces, a lot of Camouflage, every thing was cleaned up
7* sPlck and span, so as to hoodwink the visitors,
then they, or he, of course would have a good report
to send to his Government.
This place where I was, we could never get the name
of, but seemed to be Duren, about 20 miles from the Bel¬
gian border, they kept it secret from us, but it was near
the German frontier. The only diversion for the boys in
this camp was when some German athletic (1 guys"
mostly wrestlers and gymnastic instructors brought some
boxing gloves out, but after two or three of our boys,
who had been boxers and happened to be prisoners there,
although weak and smaller, pounded and outclassed the
German boxers several times so that one or two of them
were knocked out, they never brought the gloves out
again (Was kept about one month only at this place).
I may as well say here that the boys who were captured
during the "White flag treachery affair" where I was
shot down by "dum-dum bullets," whilst trying to es¬
cape were taken under escort to Dreifild camp, very few
if any, remain out of the 470 some odd alive now, owing
to the neglect, starvation, and tortures or punishments
they have undergone; and out of the five officers there
are only two left, so I have heard, they of course having
a little better time of it than the Non-commissioned Offi¬
cers and men have who are prisoners in the enemy's
camps.
CHAPTER X.
Back to Cotjrtbai Again.
Whilst at Courtrai for the second time, one noon time
a party of Northamptons and West Kent Regiments,
eleven in number were brought in with frost bitten feet
76
from exposure in the trenches whilst trying to hide
away and avoid capture; they had been cut off from a
main body when in an advanced listening post; and they
told us that they had been for over two weeks without
food. Several of them had to have their feet amputated;
and I may mention that there are dozens who have to get
their limbs taken off owing to the after effects of ex¬
posure in frosty trenches during the Winter time. The
Italian troops have hundreds who have lost limbs in
the Alps during this campaign, so we hear.
There was a great shortage of dressings, especially
lint, which ran out before I left, and all bandages had to
be washed over and over again. This at times would
cause wounds to be infected with septic poisoning, in¬
flammation, and even erysipelas, because these bandages
were not properly sterilized, as they should have been.
Afteb a Few Days at the Municipal Hospital I Was
Taken With Two Othebs to a Convent to be
Used as a Convalescent Home fob us.
To get sent to a convalescent abode from here or from
any of the Enemies Hospitals that gave such a privilege,
a fellow had to be recommended by a Board of German
doctors and as luck would have it I was one of the three
selected on this occasion, chiefly I suppose because the
German principal medical officer was very pleased of my
remarkable cure of lock-jaw, and also due to the fact that
I only weighed about some eighty pounds. My recovery
being so rapid after three operations in one week decided
things in my favor. The first of these was that they cut
all around the wounds to see how the bones were
smashed, secondly in long deep ridges nearly through
my leg over doing it; therefore they had to amputate
77
about the hip-joint, now! if they had had X-Rays my
leg might have been saved; later when they commenced
our being exchanged there was an X-Ray affair on the
way, but it was too late then. Anyway my chum little
Frankie Chapman, who had both of his arms amputated
which had been blown off by the enemies shells when his
battalion belonging to the Welsh Fusiliers went into a
counter-attack on German positions to help stay the tide
of the innumerable hordes of the enemy's on-rush, so
as to give time to their division to get entrenched and
out of his Battalion only eleven came back, the remainder
being dead or wounded prisoners. (This same experience
was gone through by all the original first expeditionary
forces of the Allies; on the average there are only seven
out of every thousand that remains, the majority of that
small ratio being crippled like myself, with their bat¬
talions which went out in August 1914, so it is said by
the authorities). Also a French Cavalryman who had
lost his left arm by a saber cut from an Uhlan in one of
the few Cavalry melees which had occurred so far. We
were sent to a Convent where there was a lot of Nuns
and Sisters who spoke Flemish, French and German and
sorry to say we were only there 5 or 6 days when we
were told to get ready to be exchanged within half an
hour, a thing we did not believe, or at all realized, as we
knew what perverters of the truth the Germans were
getting to be, as lying had become quite a virtue with
them. Whilst in this Convent we had a glorious time.
It was like a New World, and I knowing a bit of Flemish
or High Dutch, which I had learnt in South Africa, dur¬
ing the Boer War, was a proper pet amongst the Nuns,
the Mother Superior treating me like a son, allowing me
several privileges to get up and have a walk around the
78
large fruit Garden on crutches as long as I could, (be¬
longing to the Convent), so that I gained rapidly with
the exercise and fresh air, Churches and Chapels there
were all around in the large walled enclosure. Of a morn¬
ing two Sisters would fetch us some coffee, a little pastry
and some fancy brown bread and some times fruit for
breakfast, which after the starvation previous I was in
no hurry to leave. The Mother Superior would come and
see for herself that we got a good breakfast and also
attend to the dressings of our wounds if they should fall
off or get loose, and gave me several fine bandages to
take with me, one of which I keep yet as a souvenir.
Before breakfast I would wash Frankie's face and
hands, also help to wash the French soldier who had
only one hand. They of course would do things for me
in return, push a chair to my cot so that I could have a
rest after a little practice with the crutches as they had
been fit for months and when out for a walk in the
garden, wait until I could catch up to them. If they
wanted to have a little fun they would always run ahead
and leave me, then laugh when I had got back to the
room alloted to me. I being alone with a cot and a small
room to myself. I am sorry at times when I think of the
quiet life that the Convent people have, it seemed to be
all praying, chanting and a little household duties, year
in and year out to them, an awful monotonous dreary
life.
Dinner was more than a feast, there would be some
kind of pie, fruit, nice potatoes, a proper blow-out for
us three, after innumerable days without dinners, I had
just previously experienced. Of course naturally not
being used to getting much we were not large eaters
owing to our stomachs having decreased a lot.
79
a^ernoons a French priest, who happened to
be m the town, detained of course, used to visit us and
we had many quiet and secret conversations, about who
would win the war. He was delighted when I mentioned
that as soon as the Allies got their improvements in every
branch of warlike Stores and Machines of War, Ger¬
many would begin to fade away gradually, of which
they are doing now and according to calculations of the
German casualties only, should be over in 4 years time,
or about this August or November, 1918, and sooner, if
the Russians had not become divided against or among
themselves.
The day that we had to leave the convent Convalescent
Hospital Home a Belgian Cabinet Minister and two
or three ladies were allowed to visit us and they
gave me about 70 Francs, Belgian and French also a
few German Marcks, so that I could buy a few groceries
for our Chums who were being exchanged with us when
we were traveling later on the German Red Cross Train
through either Belgium and Germany, etc., of which
when we stayed at Bruxelles, Louvain, Liege, Aux la
Chapelle, Duren, Cologne, Dusseldorf, I did get all I
could for the party of 118 of us as far as possible. (I
may mention that these kind people were all prisoners
kind of on parole, who were not allowed to leave the
town). One Lady belonging to Manchester, England, the
German authorities would not allow her to go home to
her husband who had a business in England. She had
me measured for a Shoe for my left foot; the second
time she visited us, but I was gone when she brought me
it, of which I was in great need of, in fact the Germans
had to give me one of their Infantry boots when at Liege,
I being only in my stocking foot. She never told me her
name or I would have gone to see her husband and told
80
him all, after I got exchanged. She was not allowed to
send letters, conld not get any news to her husband. Our
supper would be nice brown bread, sometimes tea (a
little French wine which the Priest gave us), and a little
fruit, a proper glorious feed (meal); after that my two
Chums would read a bit from books which were brought
in by the Manchester lady or the priest until bedtime
8.30 or 9. The French soldier would put the lights low,
then at about 9 o'clock the Mother Superior would come
and see If I was alright (my wounds were not properly
healed then), on two occasions a French Doctor would
come from a German Hospital to cleanse and dress them.
The Mother Superior or some Nun assisting the Doctor.
She always admonishing me to be good, also saying in
good Flemish as a finale to the Good Night, Good Slape
(or sleep) when leaving.
This being a duplicate of the card he, the Belgian
Cabinet Minister gave me:
ERNEST REYNAERT
de la ^iolamlr* de& tenfo.
81
Anyway, when the time came I was put on a stretcher,
the other two being able to walk. Previous to being sent
to the Convalescent Home, there was a rumor that we
were to go home also, but we did not believe it, anyway
it seemed to be true after all. To be picked out for
exchange, first of all you had to be recommended by the
Doctors of your own hospital so as to be sent home, then
a fellow had to be either blind, lost a limb, or paralized
so bad that there was no chance of recovery, or else
shot through the edge of his spine, or otherwise so in¬
capacitated that he would not be able to fight again if
possible, then on one of these accounts there would be a
board held on all such cases, therefore, all who were
not properly crippled will have to stay until the war is
over, until they are released by the Allies when on their
drive through Germany shortly, so as to thoroughly
stamp out Prussian militarism, and in their place put
local German Police to keep law and order in the coun¬
try so doing away with their standing Army, which is
one of the Clauses in the Agreements by the Allies at
one of the Conferences, so I once saw published after the
conclusion of one of these affairs. We went to the Mu¬
nicipal Hospital a few miles away and joined after
changing our Hospital clothing, Oh! how we were dolled
up, some twenty others who were going with us to meet
other parties who were being exchanged, also so that by
-the time we arrived in Holland there were 118 of us
-after having gone along the Western frontier of Ger¬
many. And for hundreds of miles there were Hun troops
belonging to the Landsturm all along the Railway routes,,
fhey seeming to have millions of men.
82
CHAPTER XI.
Incidents on the German Red Cross Tbain
also
Journey Through Belgium and West of Germany up
to Crossing the Holland Border.
Transfer for Exchange.
After five days only in the Convalescent abode, about
noon time just when we were going to get something to
eat, a Belgian orderly came across from the local Hospi¬
tal with a stretcher on wheels to say that we had two
hours only to get ready for being exchanged to go home
or "BLIGHTY" anEast Indian (Hindoo) name for home
—we took no notice of him, thinking that he was kidding,
but it turned out true, although we were doubtful owing
to hearing and getting used to so many lies. This was
very short notice as we had to go about four miles to the
main Municipal Hospital which was hard going over
rough cobble stones or granite sets, for the Belgian
orderly to push the stretcher with me on, the other two
walked, as they had the use of their legs. The town was
filled with German soldiers, standing about at the street
corners, some on duty others gossiping, the stores and
shops seemed to be about empty, as every thing had
been commandeered by the military authorities. On
arriving at this Hospital the Nuns helped us to change
our things, especially those who were without arms or
paralized.
Oh! How we were dolled-up to be exchanged. "We were
given Belgian shirts in place of the long white Hospital
ones that we had, and cast off clothing. I received a coat
that once belonged to a parson, therefore, I was a fraud,
the trousers were not sewn where the amputation was, I
83
looking like a broken down swell without a wife to mend
his clothes, no boot to my one foot, a big red pocket
handkerchief round my neck, one in my pocket, and a
rube hat, which made me look like a comedian. All our
small parcels were searched and all diary notes, also
letters were confiscated; we eventually were all put into
large auto-ambulances and were run to the Station at
full speed like greased lightning, one ambulance over¬
turning; it seemed as though the chauffeurs were swank¬
ing, to show how they could make the fellows groan, be¬
fore they left to be exchanged. Our first railway convey¬
ance was like a lot of freight cars with bunks in and one
blanket for each man. We nearly froze at nights and as
we went along at various stations, other parties for ex¬
change were put in with us, so we learnt how they had
been faring; they certainly had had a rough time of it
too, especially those from camps, many had been beaten
and kicked whilst there besides being starved.
However, there was one party, among the various ones,
from the Duchy of Brunswick that had met with good
and kind treatment, this was due to the Duke of Cumber¬
land who had married the Kaiser's Daughter, thus ac¬
counting for the Allied wounded in the Hospitals and
camps of Brunswick Duchy they being used so well and
fine; the Duke himself used to come round the Hospitals
almost daily and do all he could for the Allied prisoners.
So they said. The next morning we were transferred to
a proper Red Cross Train which I noticed were not so
nice and elegantly furnished as our own. We were all
put on stretchers like bunks, three tiers high, about seven
rows in length, and two opposite each other, the width
of the carriages. The orderlies seemed more refined
than the ones in the Hospitals or camps, but even they
84
would call us "Schwein" or some other pet names, and
not above spitting at you when things did not suit them.
The food was far better, nice hot soup containing clean
good vegetables, carrots, turnips and greens cut into
little squares with some brown bread far better quality
brought from the kitchen car in white enamelled dinner
pans—one above the other. We thought that they were
fattening us up, so that we would look better and not
show the German Government up, of their starvation
tricks that they had meted out to us. After we had been
in this Red Cross Train about ten hours they took out
two sergeants who were paralized and thinking that they
might recover and be able to fight again sent them back
to Germany.
One belonged to the 7th Royal London Fusiliers Regi¬
ment and was in the same hospitals where I had been;
he had an awful bad arm, which turned all colours and
he would not have it taken off, choose how it mortified,
and it is a wonder that they did not take his arm off in
spite of his protests, as was done in other cases. As
he happened to give the German doctors quite some trou¬
ble, they must have sent a report to take him out when
nearing a German camp. We heard it was at Cologne;
we staying one night only. This is a beautiful city with
fine buildings and churches and numerous clocks. We
did not sleep much at night owing to the various tales
and stories told by the different fellows of their ex¬
periences and vissicitudes when in captivity; we would
also now and then gaze through the windows in the
moonlight and look up at the beautiful landscape and
towns as we went by. And strange to say we travelled
at night and stopped of a day time, so that we
could not see and later report things that we had seen,
85
all this way until we got to Holland. We noticed that
there were big ancient castles, fine rivers and churches
all along the route. About every day or so a medical
officer o± high rank with several staff officers assisting
would board the train and look at each man individually
to see if any were fit to be turned back to Germany, and
there was some crafty manoeuvering and acting so as to
pass these medical tests, I always passed with my right
leg gone. We eventually were brought round about to
Liege, the great Belgian fortress that put up such a
great resistance at the early stages of the war, and was
detrained for a few days. From the station we were
taken in ambulances to some large Belgian barracks
which was then used as a Hospital. The rooms in this
barracks were an exact model of the East Indian style
of barracks, arched roofs, with shelvings and cots just
the same; why the very sheets and cots reminded me of
India. The first evening a young German surgeon who
was going round the ward, took a fancy to me and com¬
menced a conversation. He asked me during his talk
the same old story about when did I think the war would
be over, about which all the Huns were asking. I of
course remarking "when they were beaten," as it is no
good to camouflage things, to try to please. I mentioned
that, although the British had only half a million at first,
to assist the French with, including regulars, militia,
special reserves, territorials and East Indian troops, yet
with Kitchener's Army, Canadians, Australians and
other colonials then conscription to follow in Great Bri¬
tain, there would be seven millions and that strength
could be kept up indefinitely if needed, exclusive of Zulus,
Basoutos and other colored tribes. He fell into a deep
thought with mixed feelings, gave a peculiar smile and
went on with another subject about his hobby of violin
86
playing and asked me if I had been to Portsmouth,
England. I remarked "Yes" he then said that previous
to the war for two years, he had been secretary to the
President of the British Collieries Syndicate Company,
Ltd., there with a good position, and with it a good
salary, saying that he expected to go back when the war
was over. I thought to myself "You never will" but did
not say anything to him, as it was not policy to do so.
On one occasion when coming to converse with me as
he said before that he liked to talk with me, he was
under the influence of wine, as they could take it from
the Belgian cellars at that time, and he let the cat out of
the bag as the saying goes in three things—Firstly:
That they had had an order that month to put three parts
potatoes with the Bye flour to make it last out the dura¬
tion of the war; secondly: They had an order to collect
all the metals throughout Belgium and Germany, includ¬
ing lead sheeting, chandeliers, brass door knobs, and all
metal fixtures that they could lay their hands on, with
which to make new munitions, because a lot of their
ammunition which had been laying in their arsenals and
magazines; some of it since 1871, was beginning to de¬
teriorate, the fuses and detonators of some of their shells
would not ignite, as is the case with their largest shells
17 inch ones, which weigh about a ton, and very rarely
have exploded for the last twenty months; therefore, if
there is nothing in the line of fire, they will do no
damage. Of course, if anyone was in the way of a ton
shell coming at the rate of so many miles a minute it
would shift them; and the third thing he mentioned was
that instead of their army being five and a half millions,
of which the Allies Intelligence Department thought at
first, it was really fourteen and a quarter millions, ex-
87
elusive of Austrians, Bulgarians and Turks. This in¬
cluded men who were lads of 16 to elderly men of 60
in the Landsturm. Therefore, just as they, the Huns are
clever at Espionage they are just as smart at keeping
secrets about their forces, war stores, etc.
The food here was mostly cheese and bread, making
it look as though they were trying to fatten us up before
we arrived home. With the money given to me by the
Belgian Cabinet Minister, and the few ladies in the
Monastery, a few hours previous to our departure for
exchange, I purchased Apples, Pears, Cigars, etc., for
all the boys who were in the same room and that were
being exchanged together with me. The second morning
whilst at Liege, I went outside on some crutches that
had been given me by a Belgian, and whilst going up a
few stairs which took all my nerve and strength there
were several Belgian women sweeping and charing (the
women were working for no pay according to what I
heard some of them say), I was asked by one who was
dusting the bannisters leading to the wards above on the
sly, who did I think would win the war; my reply was
that if they had only patience to wait long enough,
positively the Allies would, even if it took three or four
more years to do so. Her eyes glistened, she being more
than pleased and overjoyed, and told her near-by friend
who was scrubbing, the glad tidings that I conveyed to
her- these women seemed awfully afraid of being de¬
tected at gathering information as the Germans thought
nothing of shooting a Belgian woman. In the wards I
also noticed that Belgian soldier prisoners working in
the Hospitals were intensely nervous and frightened of
their captors, as they were treated very harshly.
Outside of each ward, there were double sentries sup¬
plied with ball cartridges to make sure that none es-
88
caped, a thing that was physically impossible, owing to
our condition. Just before our departure, a German
general accompanied by his staff made his appearance
to inquire from us whether we had any complaints. Sev¬
eral of us had—including myself—the majority of cases
relating to money matters, which had been taken away
from us by orderlies, but it was not policy to mention any
grievance, for we might have been kept back for in¬
quiries, and might not have ever got home to tell the
story. They gave us a few pieces of wearing apparel,
those who were deficient of any, I myself received a
German Infantry marching shoe, which I still retain as
a souvenir, the others getting various articles such as
pocket handerchiefs, shirts, socks, etc., which had been
commandeered from the local stores to be paid for by
the Prussian war office after the war, a thing which
most likely will not happen.
When entrained, we travelled out of Belgium, staying
in Brussels one hour on our journey towards Cologne,
Germany, which has splendid buildings with towers and
clocks all over the city; there, we were transferred from
one Red Cross train to another and were taken by Red
Cross stretcher bearers into a large restaurant adjoin¬
ing the station platform. We were treated exceedingly
kind, they getting us small tin pots of hot coffee, good
stuff not the old dish water variety we had been pre¬
viously used to. The two lady waiters in charge gave
us some sweet crackers. This was a great surprise to
us who expected nothing; when after laying on our
stretchers a few hours looking at the pictures and small
toy glass balloons ornaments with dolls attached to the
baskets that were suspended from the chandeliers, also
a little conversation which was very brief and short, sev-
89
eral expecting being sent to a German Hospital or Camp,
they of course acting the "Old Soldier" or making out
that they were more crippled that they were really We
were carried into a large Guard shed, like a barrack
room; I was put on a form and several of the German
guard and Red Cross orderlies conversed with the few
of us who were taken in to get warm in front of the fire
in this shed, they telling us the same old yarn or story
about London being blown down and half the buildings
in ruins, also the Yorkshire coast due to bombs dropped
from their Zeppelins. That was what their papers told
them, and their newspapers have been deceiving the
German masses since the war commenced, as they are
controlled and supervised by strict military Hun cen¬
sorship. Also late at about dusk these people gave us
some big pieces of brown bread, a little sour, with some
pork and fat on, as much as we needed which properly
"flabergasted us" (intensely astounded), many thinking
it was on purpose to give us the impression that they had
more than enough in Germany and not starving after all,
but plenty to go on with. Here we only stayed a few
hours until dark; we then received some more coffee
which was pretty good, excepting that there was no milk,
nor sugar in it; also some very bad sour brown bread,
the sourest I ever had, that made our faces wrinkle and
eyes close a little, it being so acidy and although many
of the fellows were starving, yet they did not eat much
of it. At dusk we continued our journey along the Ger¬
man' Border until arriving at Lucerne, Switzerland.
There we came across sympathy when we arrived be¬
cause here also we were met by officers, Red Cross
ladies stretcher bearers etc., who took us into the sta¬
tion where we had a fine time, a good square meal, al-
90
though we could not eat much, because our stomachs
seemed small, having faded away in size during our fast¬
ing time in the German hospitals and camps. The ladies
waiting on us were tender and kind to the highest degree.
Some of the very young fellows, about 17 to 19 years of
age had tears in their eyes when being treated so kind
and unexpectedly. (Before leaving Cologne, many had
been asked by the Germans if they had been satisfied
with the treatment they had recieved at their hands,
and they were obliged to answer in the affirmative, for
they knew of one person who had nearly been prevented
from returning, (through replying in the negative), after
they had been at Fredericksfield, Dusseldorf, Rheulen,
Whestfalia and other camps where they had been beaten
with butt ends of rifles, rubber whips and slings on oc¬
casions by Guards for the least trivial offense. These
were fellows that had contracted paralysis from neglect
and unsanitary conditions, who were being exchanged.
They said that they had been tied with their hands be¬
hind their backs to a pillar or post, their toes just touch¬
ing the ground and left in that position for hours on
end, as punishment for refusing to work at things that
would be against the Allies, such as making munitions,
or other war stores. Some of their comrades now de¬
ceased had been bayoneted for refusing.
One fellow I noticed, he hated all who came near him,
even those who tried to be friendly with him. He had
got to mistrust humanity, he had been so knocked about
and ill treated. I would smile and say a friendly greet¬
ing when passing him, toddling on my Belgian Crutches,
for days, but got no response, only a distrustful look, so
I kept up my friendliness for several weeks until we
were settled down in Millbank Hospital and eventually
he came out of his shell, but would not smile or speak
91
to anyone else, not even a smile to the Sisters or Doctors
who were trying to help and pull him round.
And I must say that of the five officers and the four
hundred and some odd men who were captured in the
Hun white flag treachery affair, on which I tried to pre¬
vent being captured and was shot by dum-dums, and who
were taken away to camps under escort, to either Sen-
nalaager, Driefield and other places are nearly all dead
from brutality and starvation. The officer in charge
of our battalion, a Captain Lyons at the time, died a
few months ago from their inhuman treatment, but it
will all come out when inquiries are held at the conclu¬
sion of the war, and woe betide any Hun authorities or
commanders who may be living when found out to have
ordered the many fiendish and horrible punishments also
unnecessary taking off of limbs of Allied wounded who
have had the misfortune to have been taken prisoners.
I have known several fellows go melancholy for months
through being deprived of limbs, which need not have
been amputated. They would never speak, but seemed
to be dead in their cots, one fellow went crazy, the next
bed on my left in one ward, and would look at the door¬
way and shout out that they, the Huns were coming and
shriek unearthly yells. He died (may be they poisoned
him), because many have been poisoned; there being
about 5 000 British prisoners, who were sent to Switzer¬
land that were wilfully inocculated with tuberculosis
germs, so as to gradually Mug on "consumption •' then
mating sure that they would never he able to fight
again.
The French and British Governments know that all
n Viave been exchanged are in an awful wrecked
^^'tion therefore, the tremendous suffering endured
92
by the Allies Men who are Prisoners in Germany, so
that thousands have died of tuberculosis, skin diseases
from dirty surroundings, also starvation, is true. Al¬
though the Allies treat German Prisoners splendid, so
as to do justice and be humane to them.
CHAPTER XIII.
Through Holland to Flushing.
After leaving Cologne, we eventually crossed into Hol¬
land and were transferred into a better Red Cross train
than what we had been in, we feeling a lot easier in our
minds, although not sure yet of getting home. Two or
three Holland regular Army officers, mostly doctors,
boarded the train with medical orderlies to see if we
were comfortable and alright, they speaking to all of us
and asking if we needed anything, giving us all cigars
and cigarettes, whether we smoked or not; I not smoking
cigarettes gave them to the man just underneath me in
a stretcher below, he being a very sad case, having nine
bayonet wounds in his back, which had been inflicted
after laying badly wounded on the field. He belonged to
the Scotch Greys, that crack Scotch Cavalry Regiment.
The German medical people had to lift him up and turn
him in water-proof sheets, also, cover his back with oil
and cotton. He was in such a state, his back seemed to
be all gone, kind of wasted away with holes like saucers
and he used to scream when they would move him. I
felt in a great way for him, and after our exchange, he
was one of the eleven who died, the first two weeks after
our arrival. There were 118 of us being exchanged, in¬
cluding seven officers. We all felt kind of happy, but
were in doubts and fears still of getting home. All along
the route in Holland the Dutch troops were manoeuver-
93
mg and drilling in the streets, and roads of the towns in
many places because the land was all "dyked" outside
being unfit for Cavalry and artillery; the country is so
level that it reminded me of the banks of the Suez
Canal on the way to the East Indies, it also being level
"veldt" or prairie land, all along the journey. Several
large stations on the line, Holland ladies boarded the
trains and gave us presents of Cake, sandwiches, choco¬
lates, cigarettes and fancy packages, so that we had a
proper "tuck in" it was as though we were in a new
world, and the houses dotted here and there, along the
railway track, their occupants would waive their hands,
pocket hankerchiefs and shout to us in happiness, we
would smile back and those who could, would waive back
and cheer. We could not believe that we were free in a
neutral country. This welcome, cheering and kindness
continued until we got to Flushing, the seaport in Hol¬
land where we were detrained, for to embark, whilst the
German blind, limbless and paralized who were being
exchanged in our places entrained for Germany. When
we arrived at the station of Flushing it was crowded
with people, policemen and soldiers who were more than
kind to us. I commenced to try to walk on some Belgian
crutches which had been given to me, but could not go
far, being too weak, and the broad long steel platform
on the way to the embarkation shed was slippery, so I
rested and whilst doing so some Holland blue jackets
put me on a stretcher and carried me and my little bun¬
dle to the shed, it being the first time I properly realized
what it was to he minus a leg. I felt "blue" and de¬
pressed especially when I saw all thepeople of Flushing
running up and down so quickly. We were taken into
a shed and after a short while, we all had our wounds
94
dressed by experienced operation sisters from England,
also of the Holland regular Army. Many of us were
in great pain, we not in the majority of cases having
had our wounds dressed for from five to seven days. It
was a fine relief, we were laying about on boards and
blankets, like the nsual immigration sheds are like, and
were given tea, buns and pastries. It was glorious,
could not be explained after our starvation treatment.
About 7 p.m. only special people were allowed in the
sheds by the giant Dutch policemen of Flushing who
carry a sword instead of revolver and a baton. At
night there was a concert given by the exchanged and
one or two sisters. I myself had no chance to sing ow¬
ing to my face being painful from the after effects of
lock-jaw. It was a great concert, the most thrilling I
have ever seen, the talent being all blind and crippled
soldiers, except for the few sisters who assisted; there
being great earnestness and feeling in every turn, made
you smile, mixed with sadness and thoughtfulness.
This concert lasted until mid-night; many of us could
not sleep, thinking that we would be embarking on the
morrow, with feelings as queer as they were strange, in¬
asmuch as we could then realize that we were no longer
captives but free on the morrow—save and except for
the goodwill and pleasure of the submarines. In the
morning we were visited by many of the Dutch local
inhabitants, a few English people and Belgian refugees.
There we saw the Herman wounded prisoners who were
being exchanged in our places, get into their Bed Cross
Train that the British had left. The Germans exchanged
seemed as if they had had a far better treatment in Great
Britain than we had had at the Germans hands. So great
was this contrast that they were very stout, new suits
95
of clothes on like billionaires, and kit bags full of new
clothes besides. Some of them had even artificial limbs.
I was about a distance of forty paces from this train
when they were all ready for the start. A lot of our fel¬
lows gathered round in front of the carriages to converse
with the German wounded, one of them who could speak
very good English said he did not want to go back to
Germany as he had been well treated in England and
was afraid he would not get the same treatment in his
own country. Another young fellow of about 19 who
had an arm and one eye out expressed a similar desire
to go back to England, and was crying at the same time.
We of course rather did not mind him having tears
"for we knew" that he was a wise man, a third one re¬
marked he was ashamed of his country for having sent
the British wounded back in the state they had done.
At least thirty or forty of our fellows returned were
attired in French and Belgium uniforms, as for myself,
the trousers of my right leg where the amputation was,
was all torn open right across there, so that the cold
wind felt very keen and chilly being nothing covering
the wounds except a big bandage and some cotton wool,
no lint. The remainder of us were in rags and tatters,
of which clothing may have been looted probably during
the German advance. My chum had a cap on him which
had been given him by a Leeds' man who was a civilian
prisoner in Germany. So great was this contrast be¬
tween their men and ours that one of the Bed Cross
train medical orderlies, who had been pretty harsh to ns
whilst we were helpless on stretchers in their Bed Cross
Train and who thought nothing of calling ns swine or
f ' ther pet names and would even spit at us, came
a tew o gtook kands, saying in an emphatic manner, "I
96
am disgusted with the way my country has turned you
out like this, such wrecks of humanity, like skeletons," we
being also dirty, but naturally he dared not mention
this when returning to his own country.
We commenced to embark as soon as all the German
wounded were entrained, on this ship, I think called the
"Orion" which was flying the colors of Holland, a neutral
power, and after we all had been put in Cabins, enroute
for Folkestone, and we knowing then, at last that we were
sure to be exchanged.
Now for several weeks previous to our exchange we
heard some rumors that there were some to be sent home,
according to an arrangement carried out between all
the Belligerents at the suggestion of the Pope of Rome,
but as there were such a lot of wounded, who were
paralyzed as well in one limb or another, that had been
sent to various camps in Germany we did not believe it,
for when the notice for exchange did come, several were
kept back, partly to be experimented on for the benefits
of surgery, also for having caused trouble or disobedi¬
ence in trivial matters; therefore, we were not so very
hopeful; but made the best of things and circumstances.
When we were taken away by their Auto transportation
cars, did not even believe it then and yet later on the
journey we were not very easy in our minds until we
were embarked on board, at Flushing, Holland.
Then when we were finally installed on board and had
the British Red Cross sisters and orderlies attend to us,
we were that overjoyed that those who could, went on
deck and sang all day and late into the night; and you
would see here and there two chums hugging and em¬
bracing each other affectionately like a love sick swain.
Those who were weak and limbless were put into special
97
cabins with two bunks, and bad fine times except for
°f S°me U-Boat making a mistake, now
that the Germans were all off. I myself, was put in a
cabin with a fellow^ who had belonged to the Liverpool
police and he was in a bad state having seven various
bullet wounds which had severed the nerves, and at the
least turn or heavy roll of the ship, would cause him to
shout out, I naturally attended to him during the night
time when he was sea-sick. This part of the voyage was
not lacking in humor to me, as this man kept me busy
climbing up and down a little cabin ladder from the
top bunk to the lower one giving him whatever he needed,
rather awkward with one leg and the vessel rolling.
On this ship the Red Cross orderlies served us with
good meals of eggs and bacon, a return to other periods
of normal life and on reaching Folkestone the majority
of us were carried on stretchers, others were assisted
by special attendants detailed for that duty to the fine
equipped British Red Cross Train awaiting our arrival.
CHAPTER XIV.
Before our departure from Folkestone for Millbank
Hospital, London, several ladies and gentlemen brought
us little paper bags containing cake, chocolates, buns,
and all kinds of delicacies, also gave us milk in small
stone iars besides bags of Peanuts, termed "Monkey
nuts " This Red Cross Train was fitted up with all the
latest appliances; we seemed to be in a trance or some-
thinff of that kind after such a change. The windows
nf the carriages had dulled glass panes with designs on,
th t lthough they were lightsome, yet we could not
so that a windows nor could outsiders see us.
look throUfc, rearing Cross, there were awaiting us
On arrival at ^ &
98
hundreds of the most luxurious Limousines to convey us
to the Millbank Hospital; the crowd at the station, we
overheard remarking what an awful sight we were.
When going through London to the Hospital, in the
Southwest, we looked hard at the various buildings, to
see if the Germans had blown half of it down, but "old
Lonnon" was just in the same place where we had left
it; business running as usual and other evidences of the
bad habits of the Hun authorities lies.
At the Hospital, a young fellow of sixteen, belonging
to the R. A. M. C., carried me up three flights of stairs
on one arm like a doll; I remarking to him on several
occasions "don't let me fall," thinking that I had gained
a lot of weight, owing to the fine way that we had been
treated in Holland, also on the boat, and in the British
Red Cross Train by the presents given to us by ladies of
the Red Cross, etc. He smiled, and within two days of
our arrival, I was taken down to be weighed to the Medi¬
cal Sergeant-Major's and Quarter Masters' Office, was
84 pounds and a few odd ounces. But since that time
I have gained over 47 pounds in weight. Every week
for about five consecutive weeks I was taken down to be
weighed again and managed to gain during that short
period of five weeks 22 pounds. When once there, we
were all taken to a large dining hall where there was a
kind of a banquet awaiting us; however, our stomachs
having shrunk from the gradual starvation previous, we
could not eat much of this impromptu festival, as we all
felt like bloated Tadpoles, which was very provoking
and aggravating to think that although we could have
eaten our heads off, feeling so hungry, yet we were full
before we had hardly commenced. If I had been alone,
I would have kicked myself with one leg to think that I
09
wtf >i° ^Gave so many nice fancy tastie things and jellies
le, ^as a great contrast to the kind of food or rations
a received whilst in the enemy's Hospitals and
camps, because if we received two meals per day, we
°ug t our lucky star was at its zenith. The first one
a ou 6 a.m. would consist of two very small pieces of
brown bread, composed of three parts potatoes and one
part rye flour, about half a Hollar thick flat, not edge¬
ways, being about four inches by three inches, nothing
on, when we got fat on, of which butter we never saw,
except when a U. S. Consul in one of the Districts sent
ns in some oatmeal and Butter, we thought that it was
Christmas time once again. Coffee with no milk or sugar
in, which was very poor nutriment to those who had been
badly shattered, lost limbs, and in my case lock-jaw to
boot. The second meal, that is, when we got it, we
thought something had gone wrong with the works, would
he Potatoes, the only kind of food that Germany seems
to have plenty of. In the majority of cases the i'Seed
ones" with "Culls" on and a little Sauerkraut which
seemed to be adulterated, not like the good stuff that
you get here. I looked at times to see what it was com¬
posed of. It appeared to be Cabbage, Grass, Dandelions
and Turnip tops chopped up, with a little grayy, called
by the Army slang "GYPO"; but the chief thing about
this gravy or "GYPO" was, and which is no exaggera¬
tion but the truth—that on several occasions we had
to be very skilfull with the manipulation of our tin or
metal spoons to keep clear of the pink maggots that
were floating about. The humorous fellows would call
out: "Fresh Meat!—I don't think!". Naturally the
chief topic during our stay in their hospitals would be
food vou would hear the Irish soldiers say, who had the
m-lfnrtune to be there, that were badly shattered, that
100
when they got out of it they would have some pigs head,
cabbage and spare ribs; the Scotch and North of Eng¬
land men would remark "Scones with butter on, por¬
ridge, haver cake, fried onions and pudding; but the
Canadians and Americans of which there were a small
sprinkling that when they got out of it, and we used to
talk about this every night, would be biscuits, doughnuts,
pumpkin pie, clam chowder and Boston Baked beans and
brown bread, which was all a delusion, because owing to
our stomachs having shrivelled down from the gradual
starvation so that our voices had gone down to a whisper;
we, according to the Doctor's orders, so as to give a new
lining to our stomachs, which was a similar case to the
conclusion of the Siege of Ladysmith, where I was also
in the South African war, that after we had eaten two
or three small pieces of white bread which we put on the
end of a fork and twirled around in a tin of Swiss milk
like a Lolly pop or Sucker, we were swollen out like
poisoned pups or boiled Lobsters. And I must say that
whilst in this Millbank Hospital, during the first two
weeks, of this batch of 118 to which I belonged, 11 died
owing to our being in such an emaciated and exhausted
condition. Of course, there were a few exceptions, some
of them saying that on occasions they would get a small
bit of Dutch cheese and half an inch of Sausage, that was
those who had been taken prisoners earlier in the war.
This Cheese they said was a very soft stuff with an
awful smell; and with their second meal would receive
with their potatoes some Oats with the husks mixed in.
The Cots in the Wards of this Queen Alexandra Hospital
or Millbank, were so nice and soft that we did not like
to leave them, especially when some of us remembered
the "Cattle-trucks" with stretchers converted into beds
and tied to poles across the Truck with pieces of strings.
101
ool?6 We on^y one bl^ket to cover us with in a very
Ho ^ntry- Huring the usual daily routine at this
spi a we would tell stories about our various times
Ti eP*[any> a few of which I may here as well recall:
e e low on my left told me that when he was at
1ri® kfeld known by the British troops as the Alder-
sno„ of Germany, that two German Regiments that had
set out for Liege in Belgium had never reached the
place, the trains having been blown up due to an Allied
raid. He" also heard from a British R. A. M. C. man, who
was a prisoner, and had become very friendly with the
German of the Hun I. A. M. C., that there were over
ten thousand German widows in a small place called
Wesel, which was only a few miles from Dusseldorf. And
it is a known fact that one of the German scientists over
eleven months ago mentioned that there were about 33
women to one man in Germany; this surplus of women
is noticeable throughout the whole of Europe.
CHAPTER XV.
Incidents coming across to Folkestone, Kent, my times
in several Hospitals, Millbank, Roihampton House, etc.,
including my reamputation owing to the one done in
a German Hospital being badly performed, also my
Various Engagements, and episodes whilst with the 1st
Hundred Thousand, along the Western Front, up to the
time of my capture by Hun Treachery through their
abuse of the White Flag, I can tell in an Enlarged Edi¬
tion later.
Was eventually put on an invaliding board at Mill-
bank, Military Hospital, passed for Home, and embarked
on fhe Hired Transport "Pretorian" for Canada, where
I first enlisted from, enronte for West, St. John, N. B.
102
Hospital for Discharged Wounded and Invalids. The
Passengers consisted mostly of Wounded, Invalids, also
several hundred Naval men (Bluejackets and Marines),
who were going out to the West Indies to pass out in
Big Gun drill and firing, as Instructors; some of these
Naval men, told us that whilst cruising about in the
South Atlantic a short time previous, looking out for
German Men of War and Submarines, that they had
called into St. Helena on several occasions, and they
noticed that the abode, where Cronje and Cetewaya had
been exiled that it was being repaired and renovated up
for 11 Old Bill's" reception, which proves the confidence
that the Allies have of winning this War. It is ready
for him now as his future Besidence, if he survives to
land there.
Except for calling into Londonderry, North of Ire¬
land, for about 16 or 17 hours on our way across from
Liverpool, owing to German Submarines chasing our
boat, after some torpedo boat destroyers and other craft
were sent out after them, also we getting an escort con¬
tinued on our way to Canada, it being one of the finest
sights of our lives, when we saw the shores of the West¬
ern Hemisphere. Many would like to have got out, but
although near, was yet far. Every one wanted to get
home as soon as they arrived at the Discharge Depot,
and several being too impatient to await the final Medi¬
cal board, went straight home, but had to come back
later, or go without a pension.
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