THE MOST DARING MAN IN HATED SENNELAGER.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1918, Page 7

THE MOST DARING MAN IN HATED SENNELAGER.

WHAT I SAW AND DID IN HUNLAND. (By Corporal George- Mutch, Gordon Highlanders). London, Dec. 29. A short time ago Corporal Mutch was doing punishment in the cells of Sennelager for his third unsuccessful attempt to escape. At his forth attempt ho succeeded in reaching Holland, and is now safe and sound at his home in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire. In the following narrative this gallant soldier relates some of the amazing experiences that befell him during his three years in Germany. "There is no doubt that you are the most daring man in Sennalagpr," said the Commandant of that infamous German prison camp to Corporal Mutch when handing him over for trial by court-martial for "insulting" a German sentry. His words were not new to the Gordon Highlander. He had long been recognised by his comrades and captors as the most adventurous spirit in the camp. J "Its no use fighting any longer, men. It is only a useless sacrifice of life. We'd be better to put down our arms and surrender."

That day v in September 1014, when Colonel Gordon, of the Gordon Highlanders, gave us the above order, was, 1 believe, the most eventful of my life, crowded with excitement though it has been during the past three years. It was just after our famous retreat from Moris. Having been a regular soldier at the outbreak of war, I had been drafted with my regiment to the front nt ihrj very beginning of the war, and took part in the battle which ended in the historic retreat. Our battalion, or rather what remained of it, consisting of Rome 600 men, under Colonel Gordon and Colonel Neish, found itself separated from the main forces, then retreating. We knew that the enemy must be closo on our heels) but we never guessed that thev had actually cut 113 off. We sent out two scouts to see how the land lay, and they returned with the report that the road seemed all clear in the direction of the village of Audencourt. Here lay our chance of slipping through to our own lines. For five kilometres we marched down that hot and dusty road. We were all very footsore and weary, and had had practically nothing to eat for three days.

Dusk was beginning to fall as our long, weary line straggled into Audencourt, when suddenly a few rifle shots rang out ahead of us. The first thought that jumped to my mind was that some Frenchmen had mistaken us for the enemy, and were opening fire on us. The fusilade increased, and men began to fall on both sides. In the van shouts were raised to show that we were British, but the firing continued. In the dusk we could see figures in the fields on each side of the road, and a young officer went out to investigate. He returned with the report that the Germans had completely surrounded us. About the sarao time a German officer, evidently under the impression that we were surrendering, came right down to our ranks. We quickly him know by making him a prisoner that we were not giving in so readily,

CAPTURED. Then we opened fire on the enemy. As we were a splendid target for them, however, and they were almost invisible to us, it was plain that very soon we would be completely wiped out. U''e could neither advance nor retire, and gradually the. Germans closed in about us. After about 20 minutes, Colonel Gordon ordered us to throw down our arms, and the fight was over. "Foriu up in fours, you English swine!" ordered a German officer in gutteral English "and deliver up everything you have with you."

We lined up, and the Germans at once proceeded to search and rob us methodically. Everything in our pockets was turned out on the road, our greatcoats and haversacks were taken from us, and we were left with only our tunics, kilts, and boots. and many of the others managed, however, to conceal little articles in our kilts, and completely bafflled the Huns. They couldn't understand the kilt, and we felt inclined to laugh at their vain efforts to find the pockets. Men were (lien detailed off to bury the dead, after which we were inarched into a school in Bertrai.

There were some French prisoners there already, and altogether we amounted to about a thousand men. There was scarcely room for five hundred in the place, but the Germans didn't pay much attention to that. Shouting, pushing, and cursing us, they forced us all into the building until we were packed so close that we were compelled to stand all night.

Before locking us in that hole a big Hun officer mounted ati old box, anif shouted out a few warnings to us. "Anybody trying to escape will be shooted on the spot,'' he bawled, "and nobody is to be allowed out." Somebody told him to "shut up,' and lie went white with rage, but; in the dim light he could not see who the culprit was. and had to content himself with hurling filthy epithets at those nearest him. He retired with the rest of the German sentries to the other rooms, and we were locked in this one big hall.

DRUNKEN GERMANS. The night was a warm one, and very soon the atmosphere became almost unbearable. Weary and tired men fainted on all sides, but at last some of us managed to break the windows with forms in a desperate endeavor to get a breath of fresh air. Tn the meantime we heard a terrific row going 011 in the rooms where our Gr-rian guards were. Men who managed to get a glance out told me that the Huns had got hold of a lot of wine, and were rolling drunk. Towards the middle of the night, when all of us were trying in vain to get a little sleep, the big German officer entered, n.nd shouted out that men would be allowed to cross the courtyard to the latrine, one at a time. The first man to leave the building was a member of the Royal Irish. When he came hack it was nlam that the German's announcement was simply meant to give themselves good sport.

As the Irishman was eronsiiur tin. courtvnrd he was submitted to bullying and kicks from every German he met. One big Hun had secured a dogwhip, and as the Britisher passed he drew it with all his force across his face. The great red weal on the Irishman's cheek filled us with rage, but there was nothing we could do. In fact, we expected to be taken out and shot ourselves.

On the following morning the Germans gave us what was intended to be a stew of meat, and water, but the meat was more raw than cooked, and there was so little of it that many of us had to do without. We were, however, allowed out

into the court-yard, and there we saw outside the gates many piteous sights amongst the poor civilian population of Bertrai. . FRENCH WOMEN MALTREATED. Many of the French women endeavored .to help us by supplying coffee and buna to those nearest them. For a time the Germans paid but little heed to them, then an oftieious German under-ofTicer ordered them away. One French woman who had a basket full of cakes persisted in handing them to the soldiers, however, whereupon the brutal German (ore her basket from her, and hurled the cakes across the street. Then with a cruel blow he sent the woman reeling back into the crowd of watchers. We raised shouts of anger and indignation at this brutal sight, but we were ■powerless to do anything, and only brongiit down on our heads fierce German oaths and curses. A few minutes later w 7 e were formed up in fives )n the street. I don't know yet why the Germans formed us in fives, but I think it was simply out of perversity, as, when ordered to form up, we naturally formed fours. Then started the long, weary march through Belgium. As we tramped along the road we were constantly passing fresh bodies of German troops on their way to the front, and these never failed to. deliver us cruel kicks and blows as we plodded onwards. We marched until mid-day, when a halt was called near a farmhouse. Some of our guards entered a meadow, an<r, seizing a bullock which was grazing there, killed and skinned it. Then dragging the carcase to the side of the road, they told us to eat our dinner off it. As the Germans had taken all our knives and sharp instruments from us, we weris. unable to cut the carcase up, and the result was that the starving men simply tore at the bleeding carcase with their fingers and with whatever pieces of old tin and glass they could find.

It was a terrible sight to see these hungry men fighting for a scrap of the raw flesh, but the Germans seemed to enjoy it immensely, and treated it as good sport. Some of us had managed, however, to steal a few potatoes from fields near by, and, having picked up old tins and sticks on the road, we lit a fire and made a rough stew. Many of the men, however, got absolutely nothing to eat.

After two hours we were ordered on the march again, and continued until nightfall, when we dragged our weary limbs into another village. We had walked about 25 miles that day. and were in a terribly weak and exhausted condition. ,

We wore locked up in a church that night, without getting any more food, and here we witnessed another exhibition of German brutality.

GORDON REBELS. As on the previous night, a German officer warned us against attempts to escape from the school we were in. He had evidently been drinking, and every second word he spoke was a vile curse. One of our fellows, a Gordon, happened to shuffle his feet while the German was talking, whereupon the latter turnad upon him with a torrent of abuse, finishing up with the popular German term, "English swine."

This was more than (he Gordon could stand, and he foolishly lost his temper and sent the German's curse hack in his teeth. « "German swine!" he shouted.

Scarcely able to believe his ears, the officer seemed stunned for a moment, then, pulling out his revolver, ho pusht i it against the breast of the Britisher. "Strafe him!" ho shouted :n German to two sentries, and they immediately commenced to beat our poor comrade mercilessly with their fists, while the officer kept his revolver ready for any sign of retaliation. Luckily for him, the Gordon was able to refrain from striking back, or there is no doubt he would have been shot o"n the spot. He was a pith-hie object when the Germans were finished with him.

We passed the night under much th» same conditions as before, only we were all weaker and more desperately in need of food. Men who left the school were brutally beaten, and when morning came we had had practically no sleep whatever.

Before setting out on our dreary march again we were given one French loaf between every ten men, the ration working out at about one thin slice each, and, as this was the first bread we had had for fully a week, it can be imagined that it didn't go very far. Wo walked about ten kilometres in the for ..-noon, and at mid-day the same sort of a scene took place ar, on the previous day. The Germans killed a bullock as before, but this time we had prepared ourselves by picking up old tins off the roadside at great risk of getting a stunning blow from a sentry's rifle.

MY NARROW ESCAPE. That night we reached Mons, and there saw many of our own guns and waggons which had been captured by the enemy. The Belgians crowded round us as we marched through the town, and many of the kindly souls thrust scraps of food into our hands. As I passed one old woman she held out her hand to me. In it was a small bag of sweets, and. desperately hungry as I was, T grasped it eagerly --id thrust it into a pocket it my kilt. i.ow it so happened that a German medical officer standing amongst thje crowd saw the incident, and with typical Hun officiousness he rushed at me.

"Swine Englishman," he howled, "give me that bag."

"I don't have anything," T replied. His face went purple with rase, and, drawing his revolver, he thrust the 111117.zlc right into my mouth, breaking one of my teeth. "Hand it over or I'll blow your brains out,'' he shouted. Knowing that he would never he able to find tliu sweets in my l.ilt, T decided to adhere to my first statement. The Hun stared, shouted, and swore, but stiil I wouldn't tell him, and at last even our own sentries were forced to smile at hi? chagrin. Just then the German officer who was in charge of us arrived and, brute though he was, he ordered the medical maniac to stand back while I walked onwards towards the big goods shed at the station, where we were to put up for the night. . In the shed some of our fellows came across a sack of tobacco, and without asking permission tore it open, an(\ shouted to their comrades to come and have a smoke, In a few seconds (here was a great uproar. None of ns had had a smoke for over a week, and next to food that was what we wanted most. A regular fight for the stuff took place, men drugging bunches of it from each other like wild cats. For a time the Germans seemed to enjoy the sight, but we n.e.o.'s decided that matters were going 100 far. and promptly put an end to the affair.

BREAD. On leaving Moils we were marched for four or five days from 30 to 40 kilometres a day to the town of Halle, which we reached in a state of desperate en*

i'liauslion about six o'clock in the evening. Our billet here was a low arched building, where the Germans had at some time or other stabled their horses, ;»\d which was in a terrible state of filth.' Nevertheless we were only too glad to throw ourselves down anions the muck, and try to get a few hours' rest. "Bread, yon fellows; here's bread!" This was the excited cry which awoke me from my troubled doze about three hours lnler.' J sprang eagerly to my feet, and u,glance told me that the men were being marched out of the goods yard. At the gate was a big waggon loaded with bread', and my comrades were marcheo j,aat it in threes, one loaf being handed to every' three men. Though each of us felt fit to eat that whole waggonful, we were yet only too glad to get that small portion, and it was as much as we n.c.o.'s could do to restrain those men in Hie rear, who, thinking perhaps the bread would go down before their time came, were pressing and fighting to get through the gate.

Luckily, however, there was enough to go round the whole company, though I can safely say that in three minutes not one man had a crumb out of his ration left.

We continued our march outside the gate until we came to Halle Station, where we gathered from on'- guards, along with unnecessary cursing, that wo were to entrain for Germany. A big train of third class carriages was standing at the platform, and we pictured to ourselves a fairly comfortable journey. Alas! our hopes were speedily dispelled. "Pile in!" was the order, and pile in it was. Seventeen men and two sentries to each compartment. Men were lying on racks, under the seats, on the floor, across the others' knees, and in every conceivable position. Not one was comfortable and many were well-nigh Buffocated before the train at last pulled out of the station. And in this manner did we travel for two full days and one night, without once neing allowed out of the carriages or being given food or water.

HUNS FIRE INTO MOB. . The train moved very slowly, and as we passed through the ruined Belgian towns, I was able to secure a good'fight of the destruction wrought by the invading Huns. Louvain I noted parlicularly as one of the worst of these hoartrending sights. The beautiful' town had been completely burned to the ground, and hardly one stone stood upon another. The poor, homeless Belgian people stood utterly wearied and dejected gazing at the smouldering ruins. When our train crawled into the station and came to a halt they roused themselves from their apathetic state, and crowded as near as the German sentries would allow them, shouting words of encouragement to us. Several bolder than the rest tried to throw pieces of bread through the carriage windows, whereupon the Germans, without tho slightest compassion, raised their rifles and fired point blank into the mob. Of course, being mostly women, children, and old men they scattered, but gathered auaiu a little, further off to watch our departure. '

At this same station several German Red Cross nurses distributed cigarettes amongst our sentries and a chum of mine, gasping for a smoke, rather foolishly held out his hand, at the same time smiling cheerfully. He had been wounded in (he thumb of the hand he extended, and the bandage was drenched with blood. Perhaps he thought that tin sight would rouse sufficient sympathy to secure a "fag'' for him, but if so. he was sadly mistaken. lam convinced that Huns—men, women, and children—do not know what pity is. With a sneering laugh this German nurse raised a long Hack cane which she carried and with a cruel "swish" brought it down right upon my comrade's wound. A huge laugh rose from the German sentries, hut the poor Britisher made, no sound. An instant before he had been smiling. Ilif face never moved—lhere was no sign of the pain which the blow had brought him, but as the German laughter died away, he fell back amongst us unconscious. He had fainted with the pain. T witnessed many similar scenes at the' various Belgian towns we passed through, and always we amused the sympathy of the Belgians, themselves such pitiable objects.

TARGET FOR BRICKS. On entering Germany, however, we were very differently received. Huge crowd- of curious civilians gathered at the stations to see us go b>, but they seemed like wild beasts eager to get at us and destroy us. Held back by our guards, they howled curses and vile epithets, and when we turned our.Attention from them an occasional brick would criish against a. carriage, reminding us of their presence. Every now and then a troop train containing Gorman soldiers would pass'us on its way to the front, and on these occasions any of our fellows who put their heads out of the windows for a breath of fresh air usually had their oapswiatehed from their their heads by the German soldiers eager for souvenirs. On two occpnions however, the laugh was on our side. The first was when a train of cattle trucks laden with soldiers moved slowly past us. T had pushed my head oi,t of the window an instant before, :md I noticed p. big German soldier sjttiiie on a bar on the side of n truck As he passed me, he made a grab at my cap. but I drew back swiftly, and he lurched forward. For n. moment he wavered on his precarious perch, then to my horror he fell headlong to the ground right underneath the wheels of our train.

Immediately there was a great vriix>ai\ Both trains were stopped, and the Germans came dashing down the line, shouting out, that "a 'British swine" had pulled a German sokljer from the train. As none of the sentries ir. our carriage had' seen Hie occurrence. T was safe euou/h, and (he affair fizzled out Willi much cursing and swearing, but T verily'believe that if I had been recognised I would have been shot on the spot,

The second incident took v;lace at Lip. stadt, when a German railway worker paid too much retention to swearing at us to look about him. with the result that another train ran him down, and he died with curses on his lips Then at last, on the evening of the 2nd September, wo i>rrived at Sennelao'er, and with ankles and feet swelled with sitting t;o that we could lnrdly walk we were marched to the , r ; ni"tu'-e desert which was to be our abode for veara.