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[Page 59]
who were also caught at Mons and several French men, including two Officers. Our boat was a merchantman, loaded with precious cargo, but not a very large one, and when it did start, jumped about terribly, upsetting nearly everyone on board. My mate being a sailor, of course was just in his element and had the laughing side of me.
We pulled out to anchorage at the "Hook of Holland," awaiting orders to go to sea, which meant that as soon as the escort arrived with incoming vessels, we would go out and be escorted across "Fritz's playground." We had over a week to wait here on our little boat, expecting to go every day but being daily disappointed. One day a mine that had broken loose, drifted right into the mouth of the river. One of the Dutch submarines came out to explode it by gun fire, giving us a good ten minutes display of fire works.
While waiting here, the Canadian, whom we had left behind in quarantine joined us, bringing with him my belt of souvenirs and watch, that I had forgotten on leaving quarantine, in such a hurry was I to get out! I had carried these things since leaving home, and they were very precious, indeed. Everyone knows that it is the usual custom at the front, for each side to strip their prisoners for souvenirs. Well, Fritz makes no exception to that custom, and commenced his operations on the small party of us prisoners lined up at Lille before him! A man near me asked for a drink of water. He drank it, and collapsed immediately, having been shot through the kidneys and bladder. I caught him as he fell, and tried to ease him as much as possible, and was busy doing this when Fritz passed me in his search. This ordeal finished, the order to march was given and I had to get up and leave the sick man to Fritz and his "Kultur," to join the party with all my belongings intact, to after all leave them in quarantine station in Holland. So you can imagine how glad I was to see them again. The consul had wired to the director to forward them on, which he did by sending them with the Canadian. We were a happy band on board waiting for our signal to sail. It came on a rough windy day, and after half an hour I was busily engaged feeding the fish, but bad as I was I was able to watch the escort of destroyers and mine sweepers. It is a wonderful sight to see one of our ironclad destroyers come shooting along at full speed and it giving one a feeling of absolute security. The most thrilling sight to me was when one of them, at full speed was taking the big seas, its tremendous speed drove it right through the waves, the water coming right over the foc'sle , the water running off either side, until the deck was relatively dry again, and I could see the two forward guns, with their muzzles poking out forward ready for anything that might come along, a menacing sight, and behind the guns stood the gun crew with their "sea skins" on, and eyes forever on the alert for any sight of Fritz or his "tin fish." The general appearance of the North Sea is pathetic indeed. No matter where one looks, pieces of wreckage meet the eye, pieces of all sizes and shapes, that vividly remind one of the inhuman submarine warfare, so much so that one expects to see human bodies clinging to the wreckage. As it was after sundown when we neared "Blighty's" old shores we were compelled to anchor until next morning (also a Sunday morning) thus not arriving at the wharf until 11 a.m. on Monday-Sunday morning, when churches had their doors open & their bells pealed out joyful notes indeed, in this manner did I see Blighty for the first time.