PRISONERS IN GERMANY.
brutal treatment. MANY BLOWS AND LITTLE FOOD. A New Zealand who was a prisoner of war in Germany, Mr. W. J. Byrne, of Ellerslie, writes as follows to the Auckland Herald 011 the subject of Germany's treatment of prisoners:—Referring to the treatment of New Zealand prisoners of war in Germany, General Richardson is reported to have said that out prisoners were treated "normally." "From conversations with prisoners repatriated from Germany, he has elicited the 'facts' that theyliad not been illtreated, but that they received too little food. Tha, of course, could not be helped, as the Germans went hungry themselves." As a prisoner of war for 22 months in Germany, I had exceptional opportunities of observing the treatment meted out to their captives by the Huns. Thousands of fine young men in the prime of youth and vigor were reduced to little more than living skeletons by the harsh treatment they received. More than 700 died in Dulmen in 10 months, and I do not hesitate to say that DO per cent, of the deaths could have been avoided. Does the general expect ub to accept the German definition of "normally" of the British standard? The normal treatment meted out to German prisoners of war was of a very high standard in regard to food, clothing, boots, sanitation, health; etc., whilst too great stress cannot lie laid on the abominable treatment that some, at least, of the New Zealanders received.
DEATHS IN CAPTIVITY. I prefer to deal with the matter from a British point of view, as the New Zealanders in captivity were very small numerically, and, probajbly owing to their hardier physique, they withstood the hardships a little better than soma of the British troops. At a dinner given to repatriated prisoners of War in London on January 8, Colonel Fitzfterbert stated that nine New Zealand officers and 43? other ranks had bech prisoners of war in Germany, Of. these two officers and 37 other ranks had died in captivity. The percentage of New Zealand prisoners was smaller than that of any other division in France.
Our comrades who died in captivity can no longer speak for themselves, and, as others have died in captivity since the above figures were published, it would be interesting to know the causes of death. They were certainly abnormal. Perhaps General Kichardson would make 4 statement regarding the percentage of German prisoners of war who died in captivity. The New Zealanders who were incarcerated in the "Black Hole of Lille".tell a very different story to that put forward by General Bichardson. The treatment they received beggars description. Ctther New Zealanders were beaten with Broomsticks and struck with clenched fists. An Auckland man who had to work in a basement was knocked down the stairs every morning when proceeding to work. As a result of this treatment his health suffered, and ' e underwent two operations soon after arrival in England, and is still under treatment. One received five sentences of 28 days each in solitary, darkened, confinement. He received a ladle-full of soup every fourth day. That was the only .warm food he received during his 140 days' detention. A German threw a partly smoked cigarette through a wire fence, and when a British soldier picked it up | Hie German shot him dead. A New I Zaelander witnessed this atrocity.
LOOTING OF PARCELS. These by no means exhaust the unpublished evidence in my possession, and I merely mention them in order to refute a statement which is calculated to create a wrong impression of facts as they existed. Regarding the food supplies, Germany was very short of some necessities, but the food received by the prisoners was much poorer and scantier than that given to the German troops. One could hardly expect otherwise. The Germans not only failed to feed us as well as they were able to do', but they frequently confiscated food parcels and Red Cross supplies sent from England for newly-captured prisoners. Overcoats, boots underclothing, leather jackets, soap, pepper, tooth-powder, and cigarettes were also frequently confiscated. In one camp alone 400,000 food parcels were stolen by the Germans, and the British authorities sent them an account for £200,000 for these parcels. How many lives would the delivery of these parcels have saved, In the camps I was in the Germans proved themselves utterly indifferent to the sufferings of the men, and. I saw many brutal attacks on helpless men whose only criipe was that they did not work hard enough for their taskmasters. They were so weak and emaciated that they could do no more, and their physical condition prevented them from offering any resistance. As regards the evidence of the English, Belgian, and French reports, I doubt if any careful reader requires persuasion to their authenticity. The German stands condemned before the whole civilised world as a heartless, cruel, mean, and unscrupulous foe, who treated his captives as criminals anil not as honorable prisoners of war. Brutes they have been, and brutes they will remain.
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Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1919, Page 12
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838PRISONERS IN GERMANY. Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1919, Page 12
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