CAPTIVITY AND ESCAPE [Illustration: M. JEAN MARTIN _Frontispiece._] CAPTIVITY AND ESCAPE BY M. JEAN MARTIN A FRENCH SERGEANT-MAJOR TRANSLATED BY MISS V. A. RANDELL WITH ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON JOHN MURRAY ALBEMARLE STREET, W TO HER THE THOUGHT OF WHOM BROUGHT CONSOLATION TO ME IN HOURS OF SUFFERING, MOURNING AND SADNESS TO HER WHO PROVED MY STRENGTH AND SAFEGUARD THROUGHOUT DAYS OF TRIAL AND DANGER TO MY FIANCÉE I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME _All rights reserved_ PREFACE We have hitherto had many volumes of the doings of British soldiers at the front and in captivity, but few of our French Allies. The experiences of Monsieur J. Martin, written originally in French, give such a vivid picture of prison life in Germany, that they have an interest far beyond the mere personal one which his friends and countrymen attach to his name. Brought up in France, amidst all the charm and culture of the best French-Protestant traditions, he was educated at Rouen, and he finally took his degree in 1912. During his studies he spent much time in England, where his charm of manner and chivalrous spirit made him many friends. Moreover, his love for games brought him in close touch with our people, and he won great credit for himself in the football field. Before the outbreak of war, while staying with friends in a country village, near one of the garrison towns in Ireland, he made acquaintance with some of our Irish soldiers quartered there at the time; little thinking how soon he would meet them again in very different circumstances, for, by a strange coincidence, he not only found them sharing his captivity in the first prison camp in which he was interned in Germany, but also, owing to his knowledge of the language, he was appointed as interpreter to the British soldiers. His first thoughts were to help them, by informing their friends of their terrible condition. In this he succeeded, and it was through his post cards that the British public first heard of their most pressing needs. Many long months elapsed in the prison camp which he so graphically describes, and the intimate details which he gives of the life must prove of intense interest to all who have relations and those dear to them still suffering in captivity. The reader may imagine the joy of his friends when his telegram reached them one day in July 1915--“Escaped, safe in Holland.” Arrangements were hastily made to enable the escaped captive to travel to London without a moment’s delay.