France. Armée. Légion étrangère; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
At Gomery a temporary, first aid hospital was captured. A Boche sergeant
and a group of soldiers rushed in, assaulted the doctor in charge and
burned the building. The wounded men, some of whom had had amputations
that same morning, maddened by the flames, jumped out of the windows
into the garden, where they were bayonetted by the waiting fiends. Dr.
De Charette, Lieutenant Jeanin and about one hundred and twenty wounded
French officers and men were butchered. This hospital was under command
of Dr. Sedillat.
“The Russians were treated like beasts, but among those emaciated,
ragged creatures, the most miserable of all, the most cruelly used of
all are the British. They were always the last and the worst served. If
ill, they were always the worst cared for. When they had no more
clothing to sell to buy food, they came to the hospital utterly
exhausted, stark naked, and died of hunger. It was a sight to pierce the
heart.” Report of Dr. Monsaingeon, of the French Medical Service, on
conditions at Gustrout in 1914 and 1915. Confirmation furnished the
French Foreign Officers and printed in “Treatment of French Prisoners in
Germany.”
The following letter, written by Officer Klent, 1st Company, 154th
German Infantry Regiment, was published in the “Jauersches Tageblatt,”
Harmonville, September 24, 1914: “We reached a little hollow in the
ground, where many red breeches, killed and wounded, were lying. We
bayonetted some of the wounded and smashed in the skulls of others.
Nearby I heard a singular crushing sound. It was caused by the blows one
of our 154th men was raining on the bald skull of a Frenchman. Our
adversaries had fought bravely, but, whether slightly or severely
wounded, our brave Fusiliers spared our country the expense of having to
nurse so many enemies.”
[Illustration]
[Illustration:
FRENCH FURLOUGH
This furlough, in spite of its “sans prolongation,” has been
]
CHAPTER XXI
THEIR CRIMES
We must make it absolutely impossible for the wild beast to break out
again. Our living ought to know the crimes committed in the name of
Kultur, in order to take the necessary precautions against their
recurrence. To our martyred dead, we have a sacred duty, that of
Remembrance.
A little book was published at Nancy under the patronage of the Prefect
of Meurthe, G. Simon, Mayor of Nancy, and G. Keller of Luneville, aided
by the Mayors of the following towns, located at or near the battle
front: Belfort, Epinal, Nancy, Bar-le-Duc, Chalons, Chateau-Thierry,
Nelien, Beauvais, Baccarat, Luneville, Gerbiveller, Momemy,
Pont-a-Mousson, Verdun, Clermont, Semaise, Rheims, Senlis, Albert.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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