GERMAN WAR PRISONERS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 6, 8 January 1916, Page 13

GERMAN WAR PRISONERS

LIFE B* A FRENCH CHATEAU HOW' FRANCE TREATS GERMAN OFFICERS. A correspondent of the American Associated Press Service gives this account of how captured German officers a;re treated in France :— German officers living in an historic chateau on the banks of the romantic Loire, much as they would live in some castle on the Rhine, some of them -with their wives and babies, with German orderlies, German cooks, German sasaans, German war maps, German orchestras, German games, German Grille—these were some of the things making >t apparent to-day that France was living up to the complete letter and spirit of its international obligation of looking after German prisoners of war. The visit to this German officers' camp was made by the Associated Press through the courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with two French army officers assigned from the Ministry of War to assist in sßowing and explaining j all the details of the care given to I German officers. j The ancient castl© of Roche-Aineand lis the. temporary home of a hundred or more of these German officers, gathered in from the battle of Champagne and from all along the fighting line, and even from the remote German ■ islands of the South Pacific, which have been taken by French landing parties. Photographs of all the imprisoned officers cccupied the whole side of a wall in the reception room as one entered the place. They were fine-looking, big-framed men, each in full uniform. And at the foot- of the photographs were two which stood out/ from among these j fighters—two faces of young German I women, and beside them two tiny babies —war babies, born on French soil of German parents. SALUTE FRENCH OFFICERS. The full assemblage of Germai officers was seen for tKe first time as the party entered the gardens of the old chateau, for the officers seemed to have a. taste which drew them into these beautiful gardens,_ finished in exquisite French taste, with flowers and foliage at every band, and looking off into vistas of the Loire. There was not a-sign of discontent abont them; on the contrary, they were a picture of. a well-conditioned set of men, living a Kfe of eaee, and even ! elegance. Their uniforms were spick and span; they were well turned, out and well tailored; their coats fitting faultlessly and their trousers tightly over their big legs; they were well shaved, well fed, well conditioned, as though they had recently stepped out of some military club on the Willielmstrasse. There was a slight air of suspicion about the Germans as the- French officers entered with the party. They raised their heads proudly, and strutted away in pairs and groups, until soon all of them were lost In the maze o{ shrubbery. But, while they were in sight, no one of them failed to come to attention and give deferential military salute to the French officers escorting the party. The latter,, too ; were most careful not to permit the visitors to intrude upon the privacy of the German prisoners by asking them personal questions, taking pictures of them, or treating- them as though they were an ex> I Mbit. . / I IN THEIR LIVING-BOOMS. , :A. stone wall, five feet, high, topped by four strands of barbed wire a foot apart, circled the outer edge of the castle gardens. "That is the only restraint," said the officer. "There are no bars or bolts, for the officers are on thejr parole of honour, and these strands of wiro are little more than a formality." In the living quarters of the castle the German officers were seen going through their customary avocations. The rooms wer© large and light, as may be expected in a castle of this proportion, with the windows overlooking gai'dens and va-lleys. The names of the occupants were on each door. On one, for example, were the names Capt. Freihfier, Capt. Gruner. As the French commandant knocked, the door was thrown open and the German captains stood at mili tary salute One of them, a big, vellowbearded man; the other, with a monocle in his eye, looked the part of a young nobleman. In the next room a wounded Gorman officer laboured to his feet, and, despite his wound, threw back his shoulders and came to the military salnte. His wound was slight, and he was now convalescing, with every comfort about him. On his bed was carelessly thrown a roll of fine blue prints and drawings such as those made by army engineers. When he 6aw the visitors glancing at these plans, he shook his head, and smiled. "No, they are not war plans," said he. " I am the Burgomaster of Metz, and r those are some of the plans for municipal improvements which were under my control. 1 continue to study them, and they interest me greatly." GUESS AT PROGRESS OF WAR. Along the long corridors were many other rooms, each with a group of five or more officers under command of a ranking officer as chief The walls were covered with .drawings, portraits, and landscapes, showing the artistic bent of the officers. Some of them had unique collections. One had a large collection of curious meerschaum pipes; another was fond of medallions and cnamele. and had a considerable collection. The German officers continue to keep up their war maps, showing their own idea of the German, sweep in Russia, Servia, and elsewhere, and with, no restraints from the French officers. The maps were done with military care and precision. Small coloured pins and flags showed the position of the German and Allied forces. It was evident that German fervour-was still dominant, as the coloured pins and flags showed the Germans moving steadily forward in •■the various theatres of war. ■ "But- that is a mistake," said the officer-commandant, noticing a, German war flag pinned far down into Servia beyond the actual point of German advance. Then he laughed and passed along, making no change in the pins and flags, and remarking: "It's their own affair. Let them have it that way if it suits them." THE WOMEN'S QUARTERS. Now the party turned to the rooms wlicre the wives and babies of the German officers were quartered. It was on the first floor of a substantial building on the court, up one flight of narrow stairs. In the first room stood a typical young German woman, buxom, and good-looking, with flaxen hair done up in a coil. Tho furnishings were simple, but good, aud a large window threw a j flood of sunshinft on to a little cradle in which the baby was lying. "It's nice you have such fresh air and sunshine for 'the baby," said the visitor. "yes," replied the German, wife, dubiously, "but the room is very small, and the soldiers make much noise underneath at night.'' That was her only comment, but, 10 tfeteiw.^!pufcibj):.*eOT^Jrk«e_a^.iftW ! rs»i

evidence of creature comfort naturally to be expected under such conditions.

In the next room the German wife had her door firmly closed, and it took a sharp knock on the door, and a, word of command in German, to biing a. slow and reluctant opening.'- Then this young German matron appeared, with the baby in the background under another flood of sunlight, but with her good-looking face full of fire and resentment at the intrusion. She said nothing and the party did not press enquiries. As the party withdrew' to the great court of the Castle, the two German women left together in their rooms evidently held a council of war. Soon they' appeared at their doorway andtogether marched out to the centre of the court, where tlu» French officers and visitors were grouped together. " We want to leave here," they said, speaking together and very firmly; " We have addressed a letter asking thai we be allowed to leave, and we have no answer.'' 77HEIR REQUEST REFUSED. German officers crowded to the windows as the two wiv«s made their protest, and looked down intently at the scene. One of the visitors asked why the wives were there. They had .come voluntarily, it was explained, wishing to be with their husbands, but now, after some months, they panted to leave. The mother of one of them, living in Swit- ■ zerland, it was -stated, had written a I letter requesting that they be permitted to return ito Germany. The application had been duly passed upon by the French military authorities, who concluded that it was not reasonable for prisoners who had voluntarily joined their husbands and remained in Franco a long time, obtaining much information, now to go back to Germany. And that being the decision of the higher authorities, it only remained for the comm.tndant to carry it oui. "Naturally they would like to leave, they would like to go home," said one of the officers, "bnt such a course would be obviously unreasonable." One of the officers' wives is from Berlin, the other from Wurtemburg. They were" with their husbands in German Togoland when the French capture was made. Then came the long ocean journey to France, the. wives choosing to remain with their husbands. One baby was born on the ocean, and the other after the prison ship had landed at Bordeaux. The visitors were also led to the assembly . rooms of the German officers, equipped much Kite club quarters, with gymnasium, games, billiards, and musical instruments. The officers were sitting about in easy chairs in the manner of clubmen. Many of ■ them wore the iron cross. "Do they ,retain the iron cross and all their decorations?" was asked. "Yes," said the French commandant, "they retain everything, their decorations and their household goods—everything but their arms, thoss they laid down at Champagne."