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
Bishop Bury has seen something on both sides, and his impressions are
for that reason all the more important. We must not forget, too, that he
lived a week with the prisoners at Ruhleben. It is also only fair to
remember that no one has been invited to spend a week in any camp on
this side. Bishop Bury also tells us “that when, a little time ago, the
authorities proposed to relieve the overcrowding and construct another
camp at Havilburg which could accommodate 600 men, the men at once
petitioned that this idea might not be carried out, as they preferred,
after this length of time to stay where they are.” (l.c., p. 40.)
One caution must, however, be given to the readers of Bishop Bury’s
book. The conditions of the camp during the excitement and interest of
his visit could not be the normal conditions. The frightful monotony of
the long confinement does not obtrude itself in his book. Yet there is
no doubt, I fear, that internment everywhere (at Ruhleben, as elsewhere)
is becoming “intolerable.” To live, as at Alexandra Palace, day and
night, for _years_ in a great hall with more than a thousand others must
become almost destructive to any sensitive nature. But (to quote Dr.
Siegmund Schulze once more) “We ought not to conclude from this that we
are justified in making reproaches.... in respect of the treatment of
prisoners, but rather conclude that we should work energetically towards
the termination of the war.”
Dr. Cimino, very, and very naturally, anti-German as he is, writes:
The only real suffering we experienced at Ruhleben was from the
cold.... The fact is that he (Count Schwerin) was as
kind-hearted an old soldier as ever fondled an English wife, and
loved his English prisoners.... He used to take part in our
daily life as much as possible.... As to the concerts, he was
always present, _et pour cause_; he was passionately fond of
music.... at the end of the concert he would make his little
speech, and we filed out. But one night we gave him a rousing
cheer, and the whole crowd struck up, “For he’s a jolly good
fellow.” (“Behind the Prison Bars in Germany,” p. 95).[26]
As to the food question, we must not forget that the blockade against
Germany and the pressure upon neutrals have been continually increased
in stringency. Up to October, 1915, Mr. Gerard could write as follows of
Ruhleben:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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