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[Page 3]
Taken a Prisoner of War in October 1916, I met, during my captivity, a considerable number of Australian Officers. I came into contact and near made friendships with many, due chiefly to mutual efforts to escape from captivity. My diary was taken from me before leaving Germany, hence there are many names I have forgotten. Amongst those whom I particularly remember are Captain Gore, M.C. (Adelaide) Captain Mott, Lieutenant Honeysett (Hobart Tasmania) and Lieut Brine. In conjunction with Capt. Gore and Lieut. Honeysett I entered into many attempts to escape from Strohen P. of W. Lager in Germany. After many failures Lieut. Honeysett made a daring attempt to escape from Strohen by giving a sentry the slip as he was being conducted from the Lager to the Commandant's Office, a distance of only a few hundred yards. Several sentries fired; it was dusk; one shot hit Lieut. Honeysett in the leg and he was immediately re-captured. This did not daunt him from other attempts. Sent to Holzminden Lager, he and another Australian Officer got away and in Winter weather were successful in getting within a very short distance of the Frontier when they were unfortunately recaptured.
Captain Mott, who had been very seriously wounded when captured surprised his friends, who did not think him fit enough to make the attempt, by calmly walking out of the Lager one evening by the aid of a duplicate key of one of the gates which he had 'procured'. He was the first Australian Officer Prisoner of War to successfully reach Holland: His attempt and success was all the more praiseworthy considering his condition, as he was by no means recovered from his wounds. Lieut. Brine was one day carried out in the "Dust Bin",