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[Page 53]
observed us talking to the Corporal of the Guard, and as we could not get rid of them the German Corporal got the wind up and refused to let us go. We retired for that night, and next day we watched the Guards, thinking out the best way to get out of hospital, and decided to try and get out without having anything to do with the Guard.
It was arranged that the Belgian should wait for me at the bottom of the stairs at a door leading into the back yard, and as the Germans took very little notice of the Belgian, that made it easier for him to get downstairs. When I started to go downstairs, I was stopped and told to go and dress some Indians who had passed the Commission which had only just started. I dressed one of them and then slipped out of the ward unobserved, went up to my room, put on the civilian overcoat, putting my cap and a pair of trousers in the pockets, with my prisoner of war overcoat over it. I thought there was a chance of getting to the bottom of the stairs without being interrupted, but as I got near the bottom I came across a German officer who looked at me and said, "Ah, going for a promenade?" I replied "No, I have a bad cold coming on me, would you get me a few Aspirins." He gave a grin and said he would see me later. I then went back to my room, took both overcoats off and placed the civilian overcoat on a young fellow's shoulders who had a fractured arm in a sling and told him to go to the bottom of the stairs, where he would find the Belgian, and wait for me near the door and when I came down just hand me the overcoat. Giving him time to get down I followed myself and found the way clear. I snatched the overcoat from the boy, and tried the door leading to the yard which was