VERY GOLD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 75, 8 July 1942, Page 6

VERY GOLD

■ ■ -■ — ■ WINTER IX GERMANY DR. HIvrHKKiXCTOX W'KITKS ;V l'cw sidelights hitu> the life of an officer prisoner of war in Germany are given in the following extracts from letters written in January by Captain O. S. Hetherington, formerly of Thames, who stayed behind with the men taken prisoner in Greece: — "It is very cold indeed. It has been snowing steadily for three days, but the snow is frozen as soon as it falls. Kven the oil in the sardine tins is frozen solid, although they

are kept inside. "I am sitting in my bunk trying to keep warm while I write this. It was 24 degrees below zero two days ago and has become colder. Ice is formed permanently inside the windows and is two inches thick at the bottom. Outside, your breath freezes on the coat collar and eyebrows. Yesterday in the washroom I put the top of my razor on the ledge while I dried the blade. When I turned to pick it up again it was frozen solidly to the ledge. "It is a good thing we have stoves to cook good, warm meals. "We all wear clogs about inside and even outside wherever possible. They are warmer than boots. "I had another Avalk during the week and did about six miles. It is always enjoyable, seeing the people in the streets —the children playing on little' sledges and mothers dragging their babies along on sledges instead of prams. '"I June been studying German and can spealr and write it quite well now. "The boy Roberts is my batman, and yesterday received 11 letters. He was able to give me news of many Thames folk I know. "I am now on the surgical staff of a hospital (Berlin) five times the size of the Thames Hospital. Do all the surgery for 100 beds. We have Russian, Serb, French and English patients."''