POW diaries - Captain Percival Lowe, item 21

• June 17, 2017 16:01:57 L G

  8.  In the upper right corner 

  The court yard was overlooked by a row of good sized houses, where

  sunday afternoon amusement was, parties to look at the prisoners.

  The sketch opposite explains the positions of the various buildings.

  The part on which one was allowed to exercise was either very

  rough earth or pavement, the whole being permeated with

  coal dust. At any rate if it blew, which it generally

  did, everything was covered with black.

  The sanitary arrangements were vile, no less word expresses

  that situation.

  The sleeping house where I was placed consisted of a series of

  large long rooms one above the other. Some tables, & form forms

  occupied the centre of the room. We slept on both sides of those. We

  were provided with a straw mattress and the two blankets we

  had drawn. Each mattress was practically touching its next

  door neighbour's. No smoking allowed here!

  The Hospital consisted of a small room with practically no stores

  and was run by an English officer of the R. A. M. Corps.

  The Barn was a large draughty building. which was used as a

  sleeping room.

  I now come to the canteen. The floor was made of log piles which

  were never cleaned, the intervening spaces being full of skins

  of bacon, matches and other refuse. The furniture consisted of

  little tables and garden chairs. There was a canteen from which

  one could purchase various articles. One had to buy all one's

  meals here. At dinner, 1 p.m. a hot meal of kinds, could be

  procured for 50 pp. In the morning coffee was on sale & in

  the evening cocoa & soup. Brodchen brotchen, a small bread could be obtained. One

  had to cater for one self according to the length of one's

  purse or ones proficiency at sleight of hand.

  Half an hour before meals a big queue formed and the obtaining

  
  

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