16
The Ypres Times.
One time, rushing into the square, the fire was left burning (tables, banister and
beams were our fuel) and smoke was seen issuing from a window. Calling the guards
attention, they sent for the civil fire piquet. When collected, they came to look at the fire,
dashed away and then came back armed to fight the flames. One pushed a handcart
with ladders, another had a hose wound about him, and the others had axes.
A discussion arose as to where the water should be drawn from, and after much argu
ment the hose was inserted, but the water did not reach the fire. They were trying another,
but a comrade shouted from a window that the fire was out. We had our amusement
sometimes.
A week after captivity, I got into a group that was going away. Movement to any
where was better than stagnating in the square of Denain. The Germans were very bad
at counting us, usually taking fifteen to twenty minutes to count about 500, but it was
terribly monotonous to hear half a dozen of them, one after the other, starting off with
Eins, zwei, drei." Ex-prisoners will remember the counting process.
I had had time to notice the German Army from within, and it was astonishing to
see what the soldiers had come to. Toe rags were wound about the feet in place of socks,
some of the clothing was thin, but the revelation was the mixture of garb worn. Some had
British puttees on an otherwise complete German outfit, others, khaki greatcoats, jerkins,
English boots and even caps.
We saw no canteens, cigars and cigarettes of poor quality, their food better and more
than ours (prisoners) and the only amusement I ever saw right through my captivity
was quoits. Anything they took a fancy to on us they just helped themselves to, some
times giving a poor article in exchange, sometimes saying, Good Tommy," and away it
went.
Moving off from the square and passing the railway station, our hopes dropped to
zero, wondering what destination was intended for us.
The guards imtil now had not been too bad, but were exchanged for some big
hefty bullies, whose chief delight was helping you along with a rifle butt or tickling
your back with a bayonet. An incident that happened just as we started sums
them up. A woman came out of her front door to give a prisoner seme bread, whereat
a sentry on a cycle put speed on, ran into her, knocked her down and then rode into the
front room until stopped by the overturned furniture. She was dragged to her feet,
threatened, and her name taken. For the rest of the march people were warned to
stay in, but we could see them watching us from their windows. This did not tend to
enliven our situation.
At nightfall we reached Wallers, 7 kilometres north of Denain, and the 600 of us were
put into an old factory, which was far from watertight. Previously, it had been a Russian
prisoners' camp, and they had left it in a very bad state. My bed was a table two feet
wide, but the next day it was required for firewood.
The first escape was attempted here, but the fellow was shot down almost as soon as
he went through the wires. For this, the food ration was cut for all, little enough as it
was before.
We had a form of bartering with the civilians in a corner of the camp. They would
exchange hats, coats, vegetables and bread for watches, fountain pens, rings and money.
For a watch I received two biscuits, and for my cigarette case a large mangold. This
went on for a day or two until some prisoners abused it and tried to snatch the things
from the French. There was a great hubbub, the civilians being driven off by the sentries
and the practice put a stop to.
The continual rushes for the food allowance kept one on the qui vive and the mad
dash to be first brushed aside the weakest. Attempts to make it orderly were ignored
by some, which brought it to the above result. Human nature in its worst forms was
beginning to show.
