POW diaries - Captain Percival Lowe, item 168

• June 30, 2017 18:23:17 Annick Rodriguez

                                                              81.

  one could buy a certain amount of edibles. As during my time

  here I received neither letters nor parcels this was useful- whilst

  my money lasted. After Christmas when practically everyone had

  crossed over, it was difficult to get anything. The  ... 

  who presided had to be fetched out of the German soldiers canteen

  by us, and if asked to procure such things as tobacco or post

  cards invariably forgot. It was always "margin" with them.

  For the first four weeks we were always given hopes that we

  would be leaving in 5 days, but after that we were honestly

  told we were being kept for reprisals.  ... 

  The German drill had got become considerably more practical since

  the days I saw it on the barrack square at Magdeburg.

  Now it is mostly bayonet exercise & machine gun drill , though

  they will spend an hour or so on games. A new draft

  of recruits came up on new years day. they looked like

  undersized youths of 16 or 17.

  Barrack 9 in which I was first placed was a long ward

  with 50 beds. Not many were occupied It was run by

  a German nurse, strangely to relate- a lady. She spoke

  English quite well & lent us books. No smoking was allowed

  in the sleeping part. It was fairly well ventilated & kept

  on the cold ride. At 7.30 when we arose hot water & a

  bath were to be obtained. There was one bath to each

  hut. The feeding was the same in the 3 places I went

  to. At 7.45 Breakfast . coffee & a solid chunk of whiteish

  bread. In the middle of the morning a cup of milk

  or soup. This was not a certainly but appeared 3 out

  of 4 days. Dinner at 1 soup-Meat & vegitables- or

  fish (very bad)  & potatoes - [insert] & bread [/insert] Tea at 5. Coffe - Bread

  (always war varriety) butter or jam- Supper

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