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[Page 46]
exchanged men to Aachen, a lady with her little daughter entered the same compartment we occupied. She smiled at me which I thought funny. I said to the Belgian who happened to be with me, "That woman smiled at me, I will see what she has to say for herself." "Oh," said the Belgian "let's have something to eat first," as we had been traveling some time.
When we had finished, I managed to get near the lady who said to me "You are English", to which I replied "Yes.". She said "I have a son at the front. I do hope he will soon be taken a prisoner". I said, "Do you think he will be well treated?" she said "By all accounts. You know England is going to win this war." I was surprised at her expressing herself like this, and the German guard and some civilians said "No, Germany is going to win." Her reply to them was "How can you say that; I have just been watching what these boys have been eating. They have been eating foodstuff which we have not been able to procure in Germany for the last two years." Another time I was taken to the Barracks in Hamburg when a German N.C.O. in charge of the guard asked me, how I liked being there. I said "I would much rather be on the other side." He replied "If you were there you would have to go to the front." I told him that I was a soldier, and would rather be at the front than in Germany.
"Oh", he said, "they are starving in England". I told him he was much mistaken and they had plenty to eat in England. He said "We have good reports that the people are hungry in England." "Now", I said, "you know by the food our Red Cross send us that England cannot be short." Again he replied, "I understand your peo-