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[Page 13]
with the butt end of their rifle, and I saw one of the guards use his bayonet on a poor French woman who gave one of our party a biscuit, she struggled to her feet, put her hands to her face and went limping and crying into her house. I felt I would rather have died from starvation than see these women so ill treated, and wished the poor creatures would not try and help us. I never admired a woman's pluck and spirit more than that of a French woman about 22 years of age. She noticed us coming up the road towards her house which stood some fifty yards back, and when she saw we were English, she rushed into the house and returned running towards us with a bag of biscuits, and as she came near the road, she shouted in"English, sweeties". Before she got to the gate, a German guard rushed through to intercept her, and lifted his rifle to keep her back, when she raised the bag of biscuits and let it fall with all her force on his head. He then stood off and was about to give a swing with his rifle when the girl rushed in and wrenched it from his hand and threw it away. My heart was in my mouth and I wondered what would happen next when some Germans in charge of a transport sang out to the guard, who mumbled something in German, picked up his rifle and left her. The Corporal of the guard took down in his note book particulars of the instance, and told her it was forbidden to give the prisoners food.
Before entering Orchies a short rest was allowed for about 10 minutes, when orders were received to move on again. I noticed some poor fellows thoroughly exhausted who fell down in a faint, and the German guard trying to frighten them out of it by catching hold