Item 12: Frank W. Bungardy narrative of life in Holsworthy Internment Camp, ca. 1915-March 1919 - Page 141

[Page 141]

Christmass 1918 outside amongst humanity & Civilications & away from the much hated Barbwire. [indecipherable] as it had proven, it only had been a hope & in vain. Wher it a wonder, that the Camp Inmates passed the Holidays, as formerly stated, so quitly & immaterial of this being the holiday, they had enjoyed most, since Childhood, knowing their hopes hawing being shattered, & the wellknown Christmass choral Peace be with you & Goodwill amongst Men is only in Print. Every Internee still lived continuously in hopes that every day might bring their liberty. January & even February passed without bringing us nearer to our liberty. To the Internees dismay addet the report in the Sydney Newspaper of the arrival of Civilianes Internees Pris of War, wich had been interned in Germany & Turkey respektively, while we being still detained hier & in several Cases our familys residing in some part of Australia, wher compelled in consequence of this had still to continue to undergo untold hardships & missery. When during the Night of 19-20 of February 3 shots wher fired, one bullet whistling through the Camp. Why wher the shots fired? 2 Internees seeking to regain their liberty, of wich, of they had been robbed, through no fault of their own for 3 years. Knowing that they be fired upon, they preffered death, if need must be, to the live in this Camp. The Life in Jail indeet is prefferable, to all of us. This Internees however wher captured & brought to the lockup wher they wher sentanced on the following day to seven & 14 days respectively, for trying to escape & keept in the Lockup on bread & water. In consequence of this attempted escape the whole Camp recieved an aditional punishement, as per Notice issued to us wich read the following, Liverpool 20th 1919. In acordance