IN A GERMAN PRISONERS' COMPOUND.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 235, 15 December 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

IN A GERMAN PRISONERS' COMPOUND.

INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS. "Somewhere in Scotland" nearly 5000 Germans are interned. An air of mystery surrounds the camp, entrance to which is difficult to obtain. It is, in leality, a small German town, alien in customs, in sympathies, and in thought. Our first impression is that our enemies are men of excellent physique, tall and heavy and strong, but stolid, (slow of movement, and ungainly. There an' no women in the compound, but both prisoners of war and interned civilians are here. There are sailors from the Bhicher and the Mainz, Saxons, Bavarians, and men of the Prussian Guard, all wearing their uniforms with arrogant defiance, some with bovine indifference, others with that friendly, humorous twinkle in their eyes that we used to expect from simple Hans and Fritz.

WILLING GUESTS.^ "Do the prisoners evvr try to escape?" wo ask a guard. "Escape!"' He laughed outright. "Man. they weep when they have to leave here!"

No wonder. The long rows of wooden huts r.ro comfortable and spacious, heated and lit by electricity. Food i.; good nnd plentiful, and the cleverest chefs (interned) attend to the cooking. The two dry canteens draw several hundred pounds per week for ihe sale of luxuries and odds and ends'. Ther are no hardships here, such ns •our brave fellows have to endure in the Fatherland.

How are the prisoners employed? Many, of course, are engaged in work necessary for the compound and for the - comfort of their fellows. Some bake bread, not only for themselves, but also for our own troops in the district. A comparatively simall number are employed in making roadls, and leave the camp in small squads during the daytime, guarded by sentries with fixed bayonets.

On the north side of the compound we see on two structures the familiar sign of the Y.M.C.A. In this instance the management of this great international institution is undertaken by the prisoners themselves. A miniature theatre has been constructed, with stage, footlights, etc.

STRONG IN MUSIC. It is not to be wondered at that the entertainments given are of a very high order, especially from a _ musical standpoint. There ate men interned whose names are household words, men who "topped 1 the bill" in our theatres and music-halls. Again, there are many members of theatrical orchestras and players from famous bands. E'-on ■as we pass, the rhythmic sweJljiig of many voices sounds in our ears'. We wonder if they sing tho " Hy.nn of Hate."

And music is by no means the only recreation of the prisoners. On the ufoothaill field to the eastern side a match is at present in progress, and the large crowd of onlookers seem to have no care in the world. A tennis court is near by, and the players are clad in white flannels. Adjoining there io a skittle alley, while all indoor games are provided in other quarters. There are millionaires in the compound, and we lea<rn that they ar© rather exclusive and do not mix with the other prisoners if they can avoid it. No doubt they would buy their freedom if they could. We wonder what sort of communications tho prisoners receive from their friends and relatives in the Fatherland, andi a member of the guard, who liias been connected with the compound since its formation, is willing to enlighten us. His statement has the merit of strict acuracy, and it is both interesting and usggestive.

THE PIXCH IN THE FATHERLAND. "It's the letters from home that icause the trouble. One or two have been dri'ven out of their minds by learning of the misery tftieir own folks have to endure." "Then there is no doubt that Germany is feeling the pinch?" " N.o doubt at all. Ipto a few months ago even, you would have been surprised at the number of parcels of food and stuffs that were sent to the prisoners. But all that has stopped now." "And what," we ask, "of the new prisoners—those who have arrived since the great offensive!-'" "They cannot be compared with the earlier ones. Many are mere boys; others are well up in years. "And their physique?" "Xot a patch on the first lots." " And they are glad to get away from it all?" '• Undoubtedly. I don't think there's one of them but wishes with ill! his he.\it that the war were over

A MENTAL CONTRAST. It. is now time to leave the compound. for the bugle sounds to suninion the inmates indoors. We walk past the well-equipped hospital, the up-to-date cooking and wash houses, and come again to the outer gates. Round the outside of the harhed wire boundaries the sentri'es are posted n n their boxes. Soon, with the darkness. Ihe electric lights will send forth a blaze of light, so that a clear view can be obtained all round from the sentries' po.it*. As we leave the compound we are ] louder titan ever to be British. We tfl'nk of the horrors of the camps in Germany, arid of the cowardice and cruelty of the German guards, lhat is not the British way. "We may be too h nient, too generous, too soft. But giving due weight to all that is <zooil in GVrmanv, and to the wonderltt! talents of the great nation which has been led into dishonour, we ask oursolvo '' Who would choose to be a German now?" H.C.W •