POW diaries - Captain Percival Lowe, item 41
Transcription
Transcription history
-
18.
cold weather- Result Germans said too much coal is
being used & there would be none for 2 days or so
till this was used up. One had to learn that one must
not think of the morrow, the Kaiserlich Government would
do that for you.
At first till I got in touch with home I found the want of
money very trying. One had to pay the French for one's messing
on the nail- I think however ... was all I had from England
for 2 years. 100 marks a month was what the Germans
gave me & in the early days this was ample. Of
course at first one wanted changes of underclothing, boots
cleaning things and a blanket. The Government issue
hardly kept me warm in the summer.
The censoring here of our letters was done by the commandants' wife,
who I dont think had a great knowledge of the English tongue.
On the whole except for the feeding I have no great complaints
against this camp. We naturally thought we were settled here
for good. But towards the end of November 1914 we got first of
all a rumour that we were definite notice to be moved to
Magdeburg, and finally definite notice that the following
day, the first party would proceed to BURG. I went with
the 2nd.. party.
The few captains in my regiment ran a tea club. We
could obtain tea and cocoa from one or other of the canteens
when the cakes & biscuits gave out we used to toast bread
(i.e. German War Bread) at the stove in our room.
We had also by now accumulated a little kit. We had to
break up the messes, the gear of which was our own
private property. I bought a rucksak to carry
our[insert] my [/insert]propety. ^[insert] in [/insert] But a huge kettle was still surplus & had
-
18.
cold weather- Result Germans said too much coal is
being used & there would be none for 2 days or so
till this was used up. One had to learn that one must
not think of the morrow, the Kaiserlich Government would
do that for you.
At first till I got in touch with home I found the want of
money very trying. One had to pay the French for one's messing
on the nail- I think however ... was all I had from England
for 2 years. 100 marks a month was what the Germans
gave me & in the early days this was ample. Of
course at first one wanted changes of underclothing, boots
cleaning things and a blanket. The Government issue
hardly kept me warm in the summer.
The censoring here of our letters was done by the commandants' wife,
who I dont think had a great knowledge of the English tongue.
On the whole except for the feeding I have no great complaints
against this camp. We naturally thought we were settled here
for good. But towards the end of November 1914 we got first of
all a rumour that we were definite notice to be moved to
Magdeburg, and finally definite notice that the following
day, the first party would proceed to BURG. I went with
the 2nd.. party.
-
18.
cold weather- Result Germans said too much coal is
being used & there would be none for 2 days or so
till this was used up. One had to learn that one must
not think of the morrow, the Kaiserlich Government would
do that for you.
At first till I got in touch with home I found the want of
money very trying. One had to pay the French for one's messing
on the nail- I think however ... was all I had from England
for 2 years. 100 marks a month was what the Germans
gave me & in the early days this was ample. Of
course at first one wanted changes of underclothing, boots
cleaning things and a blanket. The Government
-
18.
cold weather- Result Germans said too much coal is
being used & there would be none for 2 days or so
till this was used up. One had to learn that one must
not think of the morrow, the Kaiserlich Government would
do that for you.
At first
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- ID
- 3963 / 243350
- Contributor
- Toby Backhouse
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