WRECKAGE OF WAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13786, 11 September 1915, Page 3

WRECKAGE OF WAR.

EXCHANGE OF RUSSIAN AND

GERMAN PRISONERS.

AN INDEvSCKTBABLE CONTRAST.

(London .Times and Sydney Sun Services)

(Received September 11, 8.30 a.m.V LONDON, September 10,

A member of the British Red, Cross Society, by courtesy of the Russian and Swedish authorities, witnessed an exchange of Russian and German wounded prisoners. The former were sent to Stockholm m barges, m care of the Swedish Red .Cross Society, and were thence transported to Tornea. It is difficult to find words to describe the dreadfulness of the home-coming of the f>oor Russians. Hardly a semblance of iuma.n beings left the barges. They were bent, dazed, and limping, every man m rags. Few had coate, and many were without shirte or socks and had dilapidated boots. Cripples were supported on crutches made of the lids of (Kicking cases. All were emaciated to the last degree. Some had lost their wits and memory. Nothing but continused, longnsustauied negleot could have reduced them tb such a condition.

The contrast to the German prisoners was indescribable. All the latter were m full uniform,^..with good boots, and proper crutches, and Were m good spirits. They laughed and joked at the sights. "It convinced me," writes the correspondent, "that the Germans are waging war like brutal, half-civilised people. Only the German authorities will ' probably evdr know how many thousands of the* enemy wounded have died of treatment which produced such a human wreckage."