HUN BRUTALITY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15835, 4 June 1919, Page 6

HUN BRUTALITY.

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.

AN AUSTRALIAN’S EXPERIENCES.

ORANGE (N.S.W.), May 25. Sappier Hyland gives further testimony as to the’brutal treatment meted out to our men hy the people who are now whining that the Allies’ terms are unnecessarily harsh.

Sapper E. K. Hyland, who has just returned, has an interesting story to tell of his experiences since he left Enchareena three years ago. For nearly eight months he plugged away at the enemy, and then contracted pneumonia. As soon as he recovered he rejoined, his section. In the assault on Hill 60 his left arm was smashed, and he received injuries to the hip. He was taken prisoner along with another Aussie. After being relieved of all his belongings, even cigarettes and matches, ho was sent on a march which lasted eight holm’s, and all this had to be done without any attention having been given to bis painful injuries. “Only for a good old Aussie friend,” he said, “I think they would have counted me out, but he carried me in his aims for a considerable part of the long journey, and I don’t think I should have ever seen Hie German hospital if it had not been for his kindness. REFUSED HIM A DRINK. “Arrived at the hospital, I asked them to give roe something to drink, but they refused point blank, saying they would not lot rue have even a mouthful of water. By that time it was 48 hours since I had had anvthing to eat or drink, so vou can imagine how I felt. “Fortunately shortly after being plan ed in the second Wpital 1 rereivid the same treatment as meted cut to German soldiers, and it was not bad, but at the first u.st't.nnon the hm>jling of the men was snmirli ng *,rful, and f saw as many as IS l-eiag carried out, suffering from starvation, including French, English, and Russian soldiers Onr chief food was a mixture of spuds and cabbage. THEBE WEEKS CELLS. “After spending four and a half months in hospital, I was sent into an iron factory; on refusing to do the work they wanted me to, I was taken to a celi for three weeks, where I was fed on small slices of bread. At the termination of that imprisonment I was sent to an iron, mine, and the work there was fairly easy, notwithstanding a sentry on duty all the time. I was the only Aussie there. Shortly afterwards I took ill and was put back in hospital. “Oii recovering more work was put up to me, and another refusal resulted in more cell life. Early in 1918 I was sent to a stone quarry, but as the work was so strenuous I again offered a refusal, and the only thing that saved me was in being able to rpeak German and French. That got me the position of interpreter for the Englishmen and Frenchmen, and, as there were 860 prisoners altogether I had a good time amongst them. WOULDN’T WORK FOR GERMANS. “Much of the work the men had to do was building houses, but I have seen several Englishmen, rather than work for a German, have their legs and arms broken deliberately, so that they could be sent to hospital It was a common thing to see men come into their huts in the evening, make a fire, put on a can of water, and, after boiling, pour it over their bodies and scald themselves so badly that they could not work. No outsider would ever have any idea as to how hard these men were made to work, and the long hours they had to endure.” Sapper Hyland was captured in April, 1917, and remained a prisoner till after the armistice was signed.