The British Interned in SwitzerlandPicot, Henry Philip
History
The British Interned in Switzerland
Picot, Henry Philip
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, Swiss
At Leysin Church of England services were conducted by the resident
Chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Tisdale, who also rendered valuable assistance in
his relations with the British Catholics, when as yet no English-speaking
priest visited the place.
As regards his military flock, the Abbé Bullet was much handicapped by
his imperfect knowledge of English, and I found it necessary, therefore,
to make other arrangements, and sought for assistance elsewhere. At this
juncture I was brought into touch with the Rev. Father D. V. Rowan,
Professor of Exegesis at the University of Fribourg. This town is well
known throughout the Catholic world as a seat of learning, and a centre
for theological study. For decades past British students have been
attracted to its schools, and British professors have long been engaged
there at the university and religious institutions. Father Rowan,
hearing of my difficulties, at once came forward with the suggestion
that he and his British confrères of Fribourg should take it in turn to
visit the camps, and thus supplement the work of the local priests. This
system was at once adopted and pursued until the winter of 1916-17, when
two Fribourg priests, Fathers W. J. Neville and D. Fahey, were allocated
duties at Château d'Oex and Mürren as resident Incumbents, a change
which gave much satisfaction to them, as they had found the weekly
journeys to and from Fribourg extremely trying during the winter months.
It was also equally pleasurable to the men to have their spiritual
advisers with them at all times.
The arrangements thus inaugurated continued without further adjustment
till early in 1917, when, owing to increased numbers of British
Interned, it was thought desirable to transfer part of the duties to
trained Army Chaplains. The Rev. A. H. Sewell, Army Chaplain 2nd Class,
of the Church of England, was appointed to Château d'Oex in January,
1917; and in the course of that year four additional Army Chaplains,—two
Church of England, two Presbyterian,—were sent out from England to the
various camps, but it was not till early in 1918 that a Roman Catholic
Army Chaplain, Dom Chapman, replaced the Rev. Father Neville at Château
d'Oex, on the latter receiving his commission and proceeding to France.
Apart from this change, the arrangements for the Roman Catholics
remained as before. With the arrival in Switzerland of the Rev. A. H.
Sewell, who was entrusted with the duty of co-ordinating spiritual
effort, the pastoral work gradually assumed the aspect to which the men
were accustomed, thereby greatly adding to the comfort of the camps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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