THE GUEST OE "JERRY."

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16479, 24 March 1919, Page 5

THE GUEST OE "JERRY."

BRITISH PRISONER OP WAR

WHEN BRUSSELS WENT MAI>.

His experiences and impressions as a prisoner of war from March 28th.till. November 12th. 1918, especially the wild delight of Brussels just before the armistice, are interestingly- told by. Private J.' Mac Donald, of the London Scottish, in a letter forwarded by the late.. Mr-Gilbert Anderson ; London, to Mr A. Kaye, of this city.:. Private MacDonald was taken a prisoner in. the big German attack and sent toDouai, and.' after various, shifts to Haplincourt. five' kilometres from Lb Transloy. "On the whole our stay in Haplincourt was Fairly comfortable," says Private MaoDonald, "although we were always hungry. "We were to an. aeroplane company, and provided there were no officers about our sentries were quite humane. Our work consisted! mainly of filling up the holes on the starting ground to prevent accidents to the 'planes when going out or coming back.. These holes were caused by the British 'planes coming over and bombing the Hun hangars. About this time, viz., the middle of May, my health broke down, and I was sent to hofW pital. -<and once again I had personally: no cause for complaint. My hut was unfortunately immediately opposite the operating room, and as the Boche had no anaesthetics the shrieks of agony from the poor chaps when the knife was used over them used to make our blood; run cold. It was whilst in hospital I found out the reason why they asked} for 'our ambulance field dressings the day we were captured. They had no cloth bandages of their own,-and wero forced, to use tissue paper." The retreat of the Germans before the victorious British advance led to Private Mac Donald being shifted to a number of places. "On October 31st," he says, "I was one of a ration party of twelve who had to proceed by train to Brussels for bread. When we made our appearance in the streets of Brussels and the people discovered we were British, they went nearly frantic with er- - eitement. The streets got blocked) and the tram-cars were held up with the numbers who crowded round us. The children tried to sing 'God Save the King* and 'Tipperary.' The staid old business men stood on the Stock Exchange steps waving their shouted r Vivc. Tommy,' and 'Vive, Angleterre,' 'The war finished, Germany beaten,' and other similar remarks. Most of the party lost the remaining buttons off their overcoats, the girls deliberately pulling them off or cutting them off with scissors to keep them as souvenirs. The crowd, which hadj steadily been growing, showed their disapproval in no uncertain way if the sentries tried to disperse them. The remark was passed that it must be rightl that the war was over for the peopla to behave in such a manner. There were crowds of 'Jerrys' standing watching, but they did not seem to mind. I can't give unv explanation how the people of Brussels knew what was going to happen, because it was nearly a fortnight before the armistice was siened. We were simply laden with good stuff the people gave ug as we marched through the town. When we arrived at our destination and the 'stocktaking 1 completed* it was foundt.

ure bad 17 loaves, 292 marks, over 3000 cigarettes, 27 cigars, a lot of cut tobacco, 4 pipes, 3 large boxes of black grapes, and # 62 apples, beside cheeso. buttor and jam. As we had not eaten anvthiag for 24 hours' previously, we did enjoy ourselves that afternoon in the Brussels bakery. The commotion wo had innocently caused had not passed unobserved by those in authority, for instead of marching back wo had to •wait for a conveyance, which proved to be a Black Maria, i.e., a closed-in police waggon. What a. contrast going and comfng! On November 12th we were convinccd hostilities had ceased, because nearly every house in the little town Jiad a Belgian flap flying outside a window; and not to bo outdone, we hoisted a little Union Jack (a pocket handkerchief souvonir from Brussels) on the top of the cookhouse, amidst great) cheering. Wo were told to pack our kit and be ready to march off at 6 a.m. the following morning to the neighbouring town of Nivelles. Here the Hun sentries were to start for Germany, and having no instructions with regard to us, the N.C.O. in charge gave orders that we had to accompany them. This wo point-blank refused to do, and for iv time things took an ugly turn. He gave orders to load rifles and fix bayonets, and had it not been for a suggestion given by onp of the prisoners. who could speak German fairly well, that he should get the opinion of an officer in town, and so relieve hint, of all responsibility, I am afraid that blood would have been spilt. The upshot was, if we agreed to be escorted to the outskirts of the town in tho direction our, troops were advancing, they would leave us to ourselves. Naturally this suggestion was readily accepted, and with the help of a. Belgian civilian who took us a 'short cut' and a tram ride of nearly 15 kilos, wo reached a Canadian division billeted in! Mons suburbs the same evening. I was under the impression that I had! experienced a very severe time during my enforced stay with the Boche. bat tho sights and Stories 1 witnessed, andi heard in tho camp at Calais Convinced me I had been fortunate. . 'It made one's blood boil-to the awful Apologies for • human beings that were continually arriving in small batches? starved almost to skeletons, the white drawn faces caused by hardships endured, and the coverings that served! for clothes and boots, and all this systematically .perpetrated by <a supposed civilised community. If the pacifist and love ;your enemy people of this country had seen > these prisoners of war, I am sure they would nave changed their opinions'.and agreed with the man; who said there was.only one good German and lie was; a dead one."