GERMAN GRUELTY TO PRISONERS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 October 1918, Page 1

GERMAN GRUELTY TO PRISONERS

NEW ZEALAND SOLDIER’S

EXPERIENCE,

BARBAROUS TREATMENT RE-

COUNTED,

Auckland, October 22 Among the soldiers who liave just returned to Auckland was one whose experiences have been unique and thrilling 1 beyond the average. ITe was shot through the lungs just outside Flers in September, 191(5. Private J. 11. Poole, of Gisborne, woke up to find himself in a German military hospital at Cambrai. Here he remained for a month, and was then taken by a lied Cross (rain to Parchin. in Mccklenberg, where he gradually won back to life and some degree of health. Since then, up to December 23, 1917, he was a prisoner |of war in Germany, and was moved Jat various times from place to place, working alternately as a prisoner of war on land or in factories Of his treatment in hospital he had not much to say, but the manner in which it was said conveyed more than trie mere words. “ There were 40 ot ns on the train that took me to Parcbin. The journey occupied from 1 o’clock on 'Monday till 9 o’clock on Wednesday morning, and during the whole of the trip we received little attention. Arrived there, we were carried by Russian prisoners to a laager about two miles away, and placed in hospital there. Our treatment there was not too good. The doctor only came to see us twice a week, and there was very little food.- During tho first week five out of the 50 who came with mo died of starvation. The only fond that was offered us was a little coarse bread, a small piece of sausage, or a piece of pickled lisli half raw. One of the men was offered this piece of fish, and he was unable to eat it. It was taken away. Next day it was offeied to him again. Still he could not eat it. It was taken away again. This continued for a number of days, and the seventh day lie died from starvation ”

$ Con tinning, Private Poole said that after a month he had recovered sufficiently to go out, and was sent to a laager - a place capable of holding about 4500 persona He was put to work immediately, and the day alter coming out of hospital was made to work a snow plough to clear the snow away between the barracks. He had a whole suit and wooden shoes, with rags round his feet for socks, He worked from 7.30 a.m. till 5 p.m , with au hour off at noon. The meals consisted of boiled turnips, with perhaps a little maize at midday, and in the evening a little tine peameal. soup. At night he and the others there had two thin blankets and a bale of bay. There was not enough food, and the weather was cold. On December 2S he was sent to work on a tarm near a place called Sehwichtenbe'rg, where he was. kept for 10 months. His papers showed that he came from New Zealand, and the people at first thought he was a cannibal, the children fleeing from him in fear when they saw Kim. As the weeks passed, however, and lie began to speak a little German, his treatment by the civilians improved. He was billeted with the farmer. “After a time,” he said, “ the old lady treated me like a son. She gave me a good bed, washed my clothes, arid mended them for mo. 1 was not doing so badly.” During the day he was working’ on the farm, sentries being posted at various points to see that prisoners did not escape. The treatment by the military people was quite different from that of the civilians. They were cruel and harsh. •* In the German army,” the speaker went on, 1 “ non-commissioned officers are sainted as well as officers. We had to do the same. That was all right; it was their system, and we had to fall in with it. Then one of the sentries who was not a non-commissioned officer wanted me to salute him. 1 refused. For punishment ” —and here

his voice took ou a grim note—“lie hung me up by the wrists, with my feet off the ground, and placed a howl of soup at my feet with a view to adding something to the torture. T was left hanging there from 9.30 in the mon ing till 5 o'clock in the evening, and was then taken down and placed in barracks for the night. Isext morning i was again strung up, though ou this occasion my feet Wire just able to touch the gronnd. At midday I fainted, and they took me down. I was placed in bar. acks till next morning, when [ was again strung up, and a bowl of soup placed on the ground in front, of me. At about three o'clock that afternoon they took me down. All the food I laid during that time was a bowl of soup, which was placed within sight of me each day. This was given to me in the evenings, when .1. was placed in barracks. Had it, not been for the parcels we received from the Central War Committee, under the Order of St John,” he said. “ we could never have lived through it,. These parcels came to us fairly regularly after we had been in any particular place for some time.”

Poole owed his deliverance to a Belgian Con tit, who was also a prisoner, and suffered from his lungs. This man was so bad that he was sent to Switzerland, where he at, once interested the Geneva Red Cross Society in the speaker, and as a result the latter was sent, to Mannheim, where he was examined by a doctor and also sent to Switzerland. “ For three weeks,” he said, “1 and a number of others who were ill watted to be sent away- We were

nothing. I don’t like to think of those three weeks; they are like a bad dream.,’ Finally, however, orders came that they were to be sent away.