PRISONERS OF WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1917, Page 2

PRISONERS OF WAR.

LETTERS /TO HIS KELATIVES. Private 'A. Stephens, Mth Australian nfantry, was one of the colonials unfortunate enough to fall into German hands last July. Since then he has written some h.tters concerning his captivity to »* relative, ami a Xcws- representative has been .permitted to make the following' extracts:— Krie-gsgufangenonlagcr Langendalza, T , ~ J™, 4/11/16. Just a line to let you know I am still, alive and well, also being treated very well. Have not heard from Pat (Ins brother). He may have fell to the Bame joke (made a prisoner) as myself. Perhaps if I am lucky I may have'some good news shortly, as I have a good chance of getting to Switzerland with my wounds, but anyway I have spirit enough left yet to keep me going for the time necessary. Konstanz, Germany, 11/12/lfl I have passed file doctor for exchange to Switzerland and am now waiting at Constance for the exchange to take place. (This is on a German post-card pn which is written by a German official 1 .British, prisoner of war.") Murren, Switzerland, 7/1/17. Am getting on fine and putting on the condition I lost in Germany. I wrote several cards in pencil; we were not allowed ink as there had ibeen some invisible ink used and this was found out. In losing my eye I was glad, as I could not help the, Germans. Have no news of Pat. The British Red Cross Society sent jrn inquiry form to our camp for a Stephens, but the Stephens the Germans had in another camp turned out -to-be a Koyal Scots." (A couple of sketches heads of German soldier*, on the margin follows). "These animals are commonly seen in the trenches in either front." Murren, Switzerland (no date). My soldiering up-to-date ha* not been all. beer and skittles. Have had some rough times, but summing up the trip has been well worth having. lam now out of danger and we have'the best time to come yet. The pologney-wallers are in a sad plight. They are sending boy? 16 to 18 to the front now, and our 13-inch shells will put the wind out of a division of them at once. I saw a lot of them' training whilst at Constance. They had to.jump on to a wall, fift high, and nine out of ten had to have two or three tries at it and some had to bo helped up. Most of this is due to our blockade, which only allows them a sick man's rations, and one of these rations soon make a man sick. I wan glad Pat was not with we on July 3. He had been shifted to .a sniping post that morning. Of course, lie would wonder next morning when he found me gone, but it. would mean the same, fate to him bad he heeu there. Pat was never afraid. I saw him mount the parapet to get the lid of a tin he wanted to make a wheel to put on a "cancon* he had made. Hope to go to Berne shortly, and will forward you a photograph, but I am pleased you will not notice ■much difference in liie. Onn feels more than lie shows. My nerves are not so good. The first month after being wounded I was like a big jelly through the shell exploding so close. r ' YOUTHFUL HUA'S. ■'!";- Another hrnthor, writing to his sister, anil shining himself "The Squib," writes from France, S/2/lfi : —Received a letter the ot'her day from dim (also ft prisoner of war). 110 said the food was scarce in Germany, and they were training boys down to the age of If, years. They took everything from dim as souvenirs', leaving him a purse 1 gave him rahen together in Egypt. It was very cold here. The snow has been lying on the ground since January 17. We have to cut through two feet of ice to get water from a shell-hole. The temperature averages about 25 degress all day.