HUMOUR IN WAR

Southland Times, Issue 22217, 9 January 1934, Page 10

HUMOUR IN WAR

PRISONERS’ MAGAZINES. An example of one of the many amusing, and sometimes poigant, messages exchanged between German and British soldier-prisoners during the war is contained -in a magazine produced by British war prisoners in Germany, which was included in a recent “Prisoners of war” exhibition at the Imperial War Museum South Kensington. The message reads: “To your ‘God bless Germany’ we reply ‘God bless England.’ And then, reaching hands across the sea to you, we will both cry together, ‘Damn this barbed wire.’ ” The quotation formed part of an article replying to the comments of German prisoners at Stobs, in Scotland, and printed in the “Stobsiade,” copies of which found their way to the British prisoners at Ruhleben. The Germans recorded their views on the English climate and other matters, and compared Ruhleben favourably to Stobs.

A strong defence of the beauties of Stobs appears in the British magazine, followed by the query, “Where is Stobs, anyhow?” Viewing these documents even 16 years afterwards it is remarkable how many of the passages were passed by the censors. These officials evidently combined humorous sense with the use of their blue pencils.