The Escape of a Princess Pat: Being the full account of the capture and fifteen months' imprisonment of Corporal Edwards, of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and his final escape from Germany into Holland — John Shaqi
The Escape of a Princess Pat: Being the full account of the capture and fifteen months' imprisonment of Corporal Edwards, of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and his final escape from Germany into HollandPearson, George
History
The Escape of a Princess Pat: Being the full account of the capture and fifteen months' imprisonment of Corporal Edwards, of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and his final escape from Germany into Holland
Pearson, George
Prisoner-of-war escapes; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Canadian; World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
As I have said, Giessen was the best camp of all, barring the
starvation. But the discipline there was merciless. The laager was
inclosed by a high wire fence which we were forbidden to approach
within four feet of. A Russian sergeant overstepped that mark one day
to shout something to a friend in an adjoining laager. The sentry
shouted at him. He either failed to hear or did not understand. The
sentry killed him without hesitation.
A Belgian started over one day with some leftover soup which he
purposed giving to the Russians. The sentry would not let him pass. He
went back and told his mate. The latter, a kindly little fellow,
thinking that the sentry had not understood the nature of the mission,
decided to try himself. The sentry stopped him. He attempted to argue.
The sentry pushed him roughly back. He struck the German. The latter
dropped him with a blow on the head, and while he lay unconscious
shoved the bayonet into him. It was done quite coolly and
methodically, without heat. He was promoted for it. We were told that
he had done a good thing and that we should get the same if we did not
behave.
A Canadian who was forced to work in a munitions plant and whose task
included the replacing of waste in the wheel boxes of cars enjoyed
himself for a while, lifting the greasy waste out and replacing it
with sand. He got ten years for that.
The German in charge of our laager hated the _verdamnt Englaender_ and
lost no opportunity of bulldozing and threatening us. One of the
Canadians who had been in the American Navy was unusually truculent.
The German purposely bunted him one day. "Don't do that again!" The
German repeated the act. The sailor jolted him in the jaw so that he
went to dreamland for fifteen minutes. The prisoner was taken to the
guardroom and we never heard his ultimate fate, but at the ruling rate
he was lucky if he got off with ten years.
It is men like this to whom our Government and people owe such a debt
as may be paid only in a small degree by our insistence after the war
that they be given their liberty. A greater glory is theirs than that
of the soldier. They wrought amongst a world of foes, knowing their
certain punishment, but daring it rather than assist that foe's
efforts against their country.
One day we were told that we must be inoculated in the arm against
typhoid. We thought nothing of that. But the next day men began to
gather in groups so that the guards shouted roughly at them, bidding
them not to mutter and whisper so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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