The Better Germany in War Time: Being Some Facts Towards FellowshipPicton, Harold W. (Harold Williams)
History
The Better Germany in War Time: Being Some Facts Towards Fellowship
Picton, Harold W. (Harold Williams)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc.; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
M. de Marval reports well of the feeding of prisoners in France. There
is the usual difficulty about vermin. The officer prisoners seem, in
many ways, to have the worst time. “Their lodging is in general too
crowded, badly ventilated, and badly lighted ... and lacking in
elementary comforts. They can ... buy ... chairs, tables, blankets,
etc.”[6] There was in France, as elsewhere, considerable complaint in
the earlier days as to the delivery of parcels. The parcels arrived
broken and partly or wholly emptied of their contents. So it was, we may
remember, with parcels intended for English prisoners in Germany. The
probability is that in both cases imperfect packing was responsible for
the damage. (Cf. pp. 6, 8.) In the report just cited, De Marval states
that, in general, there has been great improvement in the lodging of the
prisoners, and that some bad camps (Vitré, Lorient, Belle-Ile) have been
broken up (January, 1915). Here again the reports coincide with those
made upon German camps. In all countries the prisoners of war presented
at first a problem not readily solved, and great hardships resulted.
“Some of the hospitals,” writes M. de Marval, “lack comforts, are not
sufficiently roomy, or do not possess the necessary medicaments.” He
goes on: “I shall not delay over the retrospective complaints often
formulated by prisoners.... Officers who had been injured by the
populace or bound during transport and soldiers who had told me of bad
treatment were alike pleased to declare that all such things were
past.” Here again the report is exactly paralleled by the American
report on the German Camps. (Cf. p. 16). “Religious services are in
general arranged for the Catholics; it is very difficult to secure
ministrations for the Protestants.” “If the officers are often meanly
lodged, the same is true of the soldiers. The bedding sometimes leaves
much to be desired, the straw in many of the camps is scanty, damp, and
pretty often full of lice. The litter is actually being replaced
everywhere by straw palliasses. As a support for these an open wooden
framework is placed on the beaten ground which is often wet. Those who
sleep under tents are subject to bronchitis and rheumatism, those who
are in forts or old convents sometimes lack the proper allowance of
air.... Though the quality of the water leaves something to be desired,
it is supplied filtered and boiled, and in amount generally
sufficient.... In some camps there is not enough water for washing
either the person or clothing.... In general each man has a blanket, but
it is very small and often much worn; some are still needed in some of
the camps.... If I have not referred to certain regrettable incidents of
which I have been told, it is because they appear isolated, and one must
guard against generalising from them. Besides, these incidents are
bygones and few in number.” At Fougères (Brittany) “the beds are
touching each other.” Cassabianda was a bad camp. So much has been made
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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