BACK FROM GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2717, 11 March 1916, Page 14

BACK FROM GERMANY

- THE- JOURNEY HOME (By a Returned Prisoner, in the London "Times.") ... "Wake. up I. The Commandant wants you!",, I was.ft,prisoner of war in Germany, and the order fell, unheeded. "Aufsteheri!" At tho sound. of those odious syllables I awoke. The day before I had achieved a torm of solitary confinement awarded me for: failing to' salute a German corporal. - And now, they probably wanted-to imprison mo again or tie irie'.up to a. tree. Nevertheless, I sang "Kppcrary" as I splashed in tho horso-trough which did duty for a bath, hard-by the stable" where I had my bed of straw. Hurriedly dressing, I made iny way to the Commandant's office,.' "You liaf ten minutes to get ready," he said gruffly. "You now go back to England." ;,\'«;llm;'Ooing Home!" "I'm going home," I told all and sundry in tho camp. "We've hoard that story before," they said. But tho truth of my statement was forced on them when I gave my spare shirts away. They then crowded round me, each with a message for those they loved best. .Good-byes were said, and. "Let then; know at homo" they hurriedly "Tell them everything."; Two sentries marched me out of the camp, and the way to the- station seemed endless. There I mot three crippled Canadians, lying pale and emaciated on stretchers. "We're going home," I said. They looked sadly at;; their-;, shattered limbs, but smiled hopefulljvATh'eA'train'Soon rumbled in, fl]id;'tS?.iny.'siiin"d,\tlie.wheels reiterated • ftoirie! You're going homo! ■ Room. was made for us in a aid aS the train , fojerp ; a number of . .Ger-. I'^ns^jvjio^liad''gathered.'there at tha sight of our^khaki:.uniforms -shook their fists at us. But"wo only laughed, at this helpless exhibition of rage. 'Then the sentries said fiercely, "Mund Hal-.ten,'„.'at,-wlhicli- we .-laughed the more. : . l Aa<lie!n.„came . next in the itinerary, where a number of R.A.M.C. men and wounded--in- an--- improvised hospital waited to pass a. medical board for tho final, test. ; This., was tho saddest' part i of-, all. 7 An officer of the Irish Rifles (Captain George) was assured that ha was eligible for exchange. But on tlio oyo-of,, departure Jie was taken away, arid we-never saw this officer again. A party of 30 were treated likewise. Scmo,could barely use their limbs arid others .had lost an eye, yet they were all returned-to their respective camps, Theirs -must have been a heart-break-, rag journey.- The treatment of the wounded at Aachen was the best ever. 6nown them since .their capture. Most of the Germans in tho' hospital could speak English fluently, and had lived in England before, the war. At the hour of leaving Aachen f and certain other R.'A.M.C. men were given a document to sign, in order, the, Ger-mans-said, to assure them that we had no , complaint -to make against their administration; during our captivity. Failing--pur signatures we were to be detained- for the purpose of detailing complaints.-We adopted the sensiblo •.WBjr;:.ahd .signed.', The cars then arJto convey us to the station. - On -leaving the hospital 'the Germans.,'appeared-' quite friendly and , which wo pre-tended-uot.-tp,; see;,- Once in the ambulance .traiiij- - there were many deep signs , of.; relief, foiv none, actually knew, unt ; , !--;:%ii', whether' we were to be ex^ng^or-returned to the camps. T-i T 1 ? ; j°uniey before crossing tho Dutch frontier was punctuated by burned glimpses of horrors that trod'upon one another's heels in ghastly procession—wrecked homes, totally destroyed .ullages; and battle-scarred fields. Incidentally, Belgium supplies the best .momipqufc to.Hua cruelty. Round and we-saw-great stretches pt barbed wire entanglements. Entire rorests had been cut down to make way lor this form cf defence, the short stumps cf tha trees being plainly visible Original-names of Belgian,towns have .been done away with, German names taking their place. This is especially noticeable on station platforms, where large white signboards aggressively flaunt some new German appellation, irom the carriage windows one could ?ee ,inen in that hafeful grey uniform swaggering into cafes and disporting themselves generally like nouveaux nciies. . ; HoHand, at. last,!. That, buffer State iir -3WS.'. ..Dutch nurses boarded the train ; a .t Rosenthal. Thev biought us tea, cakes, and fruits, llien cigars, .cigarettes, and more tea V e appreciated the Dutch. Theirs were the first friendly voices we had heard since, our capture by the Germans,V -At Flushing wo boarded the Dutoh boat whioh was, to Carry us back to England. We were homeward bound! i For the-past" i 2 months I had 1 repeatedly heard the phrase in my dreams I™!!! 'rti Va - s l i eal ' Til ° bri e ,lt "won ioso ghttenngly. over tho receding wi^, 1 s l loro . a ? w ® turned our faces Westward, A hundred ex-pris'oners of ■ war -•homeward . bound! The. thought was._exquisito... AH w ore silent. All . PW; and all were smoking' Dutch cigars. Ihen one of our ■ number san"an old song, tremblingly- and out ol tune. But it was too eventful a moment in our lives to be wasted in imperfect sympathy,-so we all joined in the chorus just a little huskily. Journey's End. •; :;Most of US wore; 1 cripples; some wero going to die. But these appeared the 'i'nJP+i °r i y onlj ' loll Scd now and then lor the power to move, and in spite of dying lor gains never shared, the thought ct having done their duty, and that they would seo once more the -sweot, old tamiliar home tliincs Joy was everywhere. Many smiled unconsciously.;; The thought of what the morrow would bring mado out hearts leap. Ingh.. . With a last look at tho-horizon;-beyond which lay the land '9yW. r , fl cs !i'es, we retired for tlio uHit, At dawn we wero .up and about. The cripples /stumped along the decks, loot jng.. far..'.all the. world like bold, bad pirates. "'One.' cheerful Cockney with a crutch _ under either arm entered into tho. spirit of. the thing and sang about men on a dead man's :w^.urto|li° ! and a bottle of '?"} -~ T H° then fiercely demanded why tho Jolly Roger" was not "aflyin« and laid aLout .him with his crutch. f c very "beautiful, and we Jived I'l. ?: -? f , 9 ,n ' own. I sat on tho rhe throb of tho engines had mo "•-rts grip, and the promises of tho ruture lapped my ears as tho wave's lapped the vessel's sides. The salt sea ■ y l ®"S?', s as 1 thought of th'e_ briglitly-siriilirig faces awaiting us. I thought, too, of tho lovers'' mcetiivs at tho journey's end. But one could not help wondering how many faiths had died in tho meanwhile. -Th,ofeßt:->fpre;i had tossed walccfully on*-my "bed, that, pageant ever boforo _me.-r;---Now I sat on deck,, con"v.incect*that",life* is indeed a great orivitowards the end of the" voyage -'shadow was cast over us all- at the'stories of Hun atrocities, related-by Belgians seeking refuge in know what it is," they said, ;"to; be exiled in your own homes." Try as wn would ,it was impossible to forget, or even forgive. 'I ho beat glided in, caressing, a quayside ..alive..yif.li . alj,.. the siiiiits and sounds ■nnd.sniolls; which-nieant- so much to us. Wo "heard I 'cries of coinninnd in only -one dear language—our native tongueTlion, Tilbury—London—HOME.