12 PAGES ' Beads -- NO. 186 YEAR 86. Co. yy yy b p p p 3 : By Hou. Henri S. Beland, MD, M.P. Arar drab "My Three Years in a German Prison" WR aad Lh a hl Copyright 1919 | CHAPTER XVIL Meals a Ia Carte. The manner in which war prison- ers and interned civilians were fed and treated in Germany gave rise, as we all know, to bitter complaints and more bitter controversies in the news- paper press of the Allied countries 'The repeated complaints of the pris- oners themselves, in their letters to friends in Great Britain, and through the United States Embassy is a mat- ter of record. i.6t me relate an in- cident which is not lacking in inter- est: Among the Englishmen who were interned at the Stadtvogtel was a Mr. F. T. Moore, civil engineer,who was in Luxemburg when war was de- clared. He was captured when that principality was overrun hy the Ger- man troops, and subsequently sent to "Treve . After several months' soli- -tary confinement he was court-mar- tigled on a charge of espionage. He wis condemned to the prison at Ber- lin, and hére we met and became friends. At the outset Mr. Moore wrote a post-card to his wife in Eng- dand telling her the condition of his health, and incidentally referring to the kind of food that was supplied to ws. His description was some- thing of a masterplece. "The food we are getting here," he wrote, "is unspeakable. ° It is enough to keep a man from @ying, but it is not suf- ficient to keep a man alive." It- required, one may readily im- ugine, a certain courage to send such a statement through the mail. On the following day the censor himself called at the jail, and carried the card in question direet to Mr. Moore's cell. It was represented that Mr. Moore had committed a grave impru- dence in writing to England in this manner, and when Mr. Moore submit- ted that there was no exaggeration, that it was the truth and nothing but the truth, the censor retorted that if Garmany did not provide more substantial and better food for her prisoners it was due solely to tha British blockade. The jail's menu as I knew it dur- ing the three years I was interned varied véry little. It consisted of one piece of black bread weighing eight ounces distributed each morn- ing at eight o'clock. At eleven a.m. we were served with what was ridi- culously termed the "'mittag essen," that to say, "the mid-day mea)." It isted of what thay were pleas- od to call 'porridge or soup. At five o'clock in the afternoon the acting- officer would return, this time ac- companied by two Poles, who would distribute another Wriety of soup. There is soup "and' soup. . The li- quid which they served to us did not belong to the category of real soup. The ingredients were varied, general- ly they consisted o fturnips, cabbage, and sometimes n few beans. It was never good, but sometimes it was worse than others. Generally it was bad in the morning and always worse at the afternbon serving. "Appar ently the Poles suffered more than we did On many an occasion one of these unfortunate men has come and begged a biscuit or a piece of bread from me. "The soup we get," he would say, "is nothing but colored water." 1 myself never ventured jo taste the afternoon soup. The color and odor were alike too repulsive i believe it was rejected by all the Eng- lishmen interned here. In 1915 the economic conditions of Germany continued relatively favor- able. There was, apparently, noth- ing alarming in the situation. Pris. oners were permitted to give orders once each glay for provisions of all kinds, and the orders would be filled to the extent the prisoner had money » AA n ~ Everyone, old and young, can drink to pay for the same But @arly in 1916 a significant change took place. The citizens were then placed upon strict rations, and in March notices were posted in the corridors of the jail to the effect that efforts to ob- tain victuals from outside were for- bidden. The menu I have described thenceforward became inevitable for each and every one of us. . I at once communicated with the authorities in England--more par- ticularly with Sir George Perley, Ca- nadian High Commissioner in Lon- don, telling them of the situation to which we were reduced as regarded food But we were restricted to such abbreviated formula that it was impossible to represent the situation as it actually existed----the situation, that is to say, of relative famine. Ex- ceeding care had to be taken, or our letters would never have passed the censor, We each adopted what seem- ed to be the best measures in the cir- cumstances to obtain relief from the painfully meagre prison fare. The postal service was, not unnaturally, very uncertain and irregular be- tween the two countries. We enter- tained the-hope, however, at the end of three weeks, at the "latest, foodstuffs-weuld reach us from Eng- land. But it was three months ere the welcome parcels containing the much needed provisions were deliv- ered at the jail. During that period of waiting we were able to realize something of the hunger the poor Poles suffered at all times, for with very few exteptions they were de- prived. of outside relief. It would require many volumes to faithfully relate the tortures of hunger these interned Poles went through. Many times I saw one of their number delve into a garbage can and extract there- from potato peelings that had been cast there, The Poles would put salt upon the peelings and devour them with avidity. Then, at about this time, a notice was posted on the wall in the little triangular yard notifying all whom it might concern that henceforth pota- to pelings must be deposited in a re- ceptable placed at the end of the cor- ridor. The peelings, we were in- formed, now had a special value, and they were to be guarded as feed for the cattle, more particularly the cows. On the day this notice appeared, five or six of us--ajl British psisoners-- were engaged in the kitchen cell pre- Paring a stew. Suddenly 'the ser geant-major appeared in our midst, He was a quick-moving, nervous man; he invariably talked in a loud voice and gesticulated vehemently. "Have you read the notice that has just been posted up?' he demanded. "From now on you w'll nat be allow- ed to throw away the potato peel- ings .as you hav¢ been in the habit of-doing. Fodder for the cattle has become very scarce and you must guard the potato peelings, all of you, and deposit them in the receptacle you will find placed for that purpose at the end of the corridor." The sergeant-major waited for a reply to, or a comment upon, the new order, but we kept our interest con- centrated on the dishes in front of us and remained mute, He glared at the group and said? "Understand me, gentlemen; understand me well, for I hope you will not force me to inflict punishment upon you through dis- obedience of the new rule." Another period of silence followed, and then one of the company stepped forward. He certainly had a keen sense of humor, and was not devoid of courage. "Mr. Sergeaunt-Major," he said, I beg your pardon, but I eat the peelings from all the potatoes 1 receive.' IYI VS ~ We choked back the laughter the I IP IIIIIIIII IN) | The 'mess 'every day of the never-failing 3 ES -- incident provoked, and the sergeant- major, at a loss'tu interpret the man's observation, looked first at one and then another But we maintained our" gravity, and, apparently unde- cided whether to laugh himself at the foke or to give vent to wrath, the sergeant-major turned on his and walked from the cell der---did he understand? From June, 1916, to the date of my liberation, I received, in quanti- ties just sufficient, provisions ¥hich were regularly forwarded to me from England, and sometimes from Can- ada I have frequently been asked it the parcels which were directed to me from time to time arrived at their destination? To this I am abled to reply, 'Yes, in a general way." it has been proved that the postal em- ployees of Germany committed fewer thefts than were committed on the railways 1 would sometimes re- ceive a parcel which had been opened, and from which some of the contents had been extracted. Some parcels that I know were sent never reached me. It was easy for us to check the delivery of parcels as each contained a number ; Individual prisoners sometimes ge- ceived parcels that had been sent ex- press by rallway As a rule they were larger than could be sent through the postal service, and only very rarely did these parcels reach their destination whole. Almost ev- ery time they had been broken open and four, five or six pounds of the contents were missing Invariably it was a case of theft. ~ It may not be inopportune to state here that in 1917 some of the German newspapers reported that claims against the Ger- man 'express cothpanies for loss ag- gregated thirty-five" million marks, whilst in the preceding year these claims amounted to only four or five million marks. This is evidence that there was an enormous increase in the number and extent of the robber- fes in .1917. In' 3918 we obtained permission from the inspeetor of prisons to place a gas stove in one of the cells, and here between eleven o'clock and noon one might see the prisoners of British national{ty gather for the purpose of cooking their midday meal. The management of this kitchen was con- fided to lone man of our choice, and? each prigoner making use of the stove col buted a small sum of money towards) the cost of the gas. There was an overseer named to guard against the waste of gas. He kept a quantity of hot water con- stantly on hand for the use of the prisoners. The water was sold at the rate of ome pfennig per quart. The Polish prisoners, in the winter months especially, would- frequently come to buy hot water, . The poor fellows had: to resort to drinking hot water to stimulate circulation in their empty stomachs. Every British pris- oner was besieged in his cell every day by beggars. . The Poles in turn besought bread to eat. 1 was a wit- I won- generosity of British captives, and there must be to-day thousands of Poles who, after passing through this jail, retain an imperishable memory of the charity and compassion of men who, fortunate in receiving victuals from outside, cheerfully shared them with fellow prisoners less fortunate. Thes Poles, especially, now that they are free to return to their own de- vastated country, must have nothing but 'words of praise for those who did all they possibly' could in very dire circumstances to alleviate thgir suf- ferings and hardships. . Naturally, it was impossible to at- tend to more than the most urgent needs of any one. There were, on an average, from ten to fifteen Brit- ish subjects confined at one time in this cell, while at no time were there ever' fewer than one hundred and fifty Poles. - The British authorities at Ruhleben camp deserve a fal word 'of praise for the never-failing interest they showed towards not only the prisoners of British nationality in Stadtvogtei jail, but also towards the Poles, and the deported Belgians particularly. During the time I was at the head of the relief committee of the jail I received on many an oc- casion very large cases of biscuits and other provisions for distribution heel | | + Let us state the case quite plainly. They will have a gre citizen soldiers. aily British Whig | KINGSTON. ONTARIO, MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 1919 PAGES 9-12 ------------------------ SECOND SECTION = EE HERE will our men in uniform--Over There and Over Here --go in their spare time, if the doors of the Salvation Army Hostels are closed for lack of funds? WHERE? This week decides. Consider carefully, for if THOSE doors sham in the faces of our soldiers, the echo will go ringing through the years to come. Canada will regret. You hold the KEY! he next twelve months are critical ones in 'the careers of our t deal of time on their hands and it is for you to make it help- ful and enjoyable. They have come to krrow the Salvation Arm i i 0 y over there, and realize w means. Give him a chance, and the soldier will turn to the Hostel, and all will be well! aX "FIRST TO SERVE" Soldiers Home Salvation Army THIS WEEK for the Million Dollar Fund "LAST TO APPEAL" , Coming Campaign R¢ The Salvation Army has rendered service to millions of fighters for the Allies. It started work in the war twelve days after Germany invaded Belgium. It has 197 Huts at Soldiers' Camps; thousands of Beds in Hostels close to the stations and landings used by the soldiers; it has distributed tens of thousands of parcels of food and clothing among the forces and it has carried tens of thousands of wounded in its ambulances. The need is still great for Hostels Is and other forms of help OVER HERE, to take _ over there, and for "gare of our "demobilization. The Salvation Army serves hot coffee, cocoa and sandwiches to soldiers : cooks, and entertainment, safeguards the home ties, and mends, furnishes music labors for the Master. Its services are endorsed by public and military authorities, and, best of all, Ask any réturned man what he thinks of the Salva- by the men themselves! tion Army. - need? amongst the most needy of all sub- jects under wonfinement. 1 had as an assistant in this work Mr. Hinter- man, & Swiss, to whom 1 shall have occasion to refer subsequently. ~ WITH THE RETURNED MEN - The G.W.V.A. To Send a Represen- : tative Overseas. The Great War Veterans' Associa- tion have definitely decided to send overseas a representative whose dut- ies will be to disseminate the aims and objects of the association, with a view to securing added member- ship, and in order that the returning soldiers may become thoroughly con- versant with the work of the organt- sation as it affects them and their in- terests, The date of the next Dominion Convention 'of the Great War Veter- ans' Associption bag been set . for Monday, June 9th. The cogvention will be held in Vancouver, B.C. Shall the doors be kept open, and the good work continue as long as there is The KEY is in your pocket! ""God Loveth a Cheerful Giver" THE SALVATION ARMY MILLION DOLLAR FUND COMMITTEE WAR PUZZLES] PEACE STRIKE » Help Her to Help Canadian Government and Municipal Bonds Solr dd ed Se sins be tied vq fuemish 2 Yist of investment tent Wood, Gundy & Company Toronto abatonn "