THE PETTED HUN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 31 July 1918, Page 2

THE PETTED HUN.

CODDLING THE GERMAN PRISONER. An A.M.C. soldier, who returned recently from the front, explained how the German prisoner has first claim upon the care of the attendants .at the field dressing stations. "You never hear a word out of the wounded digger. Give him a fag, and he's happy, no matter even if he is dying. "But when we get a wounded German at the dressing station, we're kept busy. If we have a brazier, he must be put nearest it, and our wounded soldiers must keep back." "But why?" he was asked. Con-I sideration -for the enemy can go a long ! way, but it hardly seemed fair to codj die the German at the expense of our own wounded, and, perhaps, dying. "Oh, it's not because we like to do it; it's because it's orders. A German prisoner has to be looked after because he can give us information. And he won't give information unless he feels like it. The only way to get into his good graces is to make him feel friendly towards us. So we've got to look after him like a brother. If there's a drop of rum about he gets it. If there's a warm place in the shed he gets there, and is turned over whenever one side is getting chilly. And he is always complaining, while you never hear a word from the digger. "Except once. A wounded digger, who saw us making a fuss over a sulky German wounded, said 'If I could only get up I'd kill that bloke!' "But we've got to do it—to get information. And we get it."