Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 6]
10 miles behind the German lines. Here the wounded were attended to by a German sanitator who was assisted by some of the unwounded.
We remained at this collecting station for about six hours, when I, with and ten others of a different battalion were removed in a motor wagon to another small village fifteen miles away; two guards taking charge of us gave me little chance of escaping in a snow storm we passed through en route. On our arrival some German officers questioned us separately about our battalion, and the treatment we received from these polite officers was good as they offered us cigarettes and told us to light up, and although having accepted their cigarettes, I thought it better not to smoke them as I had been taught to take no risks if taken prisoner, really doubting what the cigarettes might contain. The interview did not last more than fifteen minutes, when I was told to go out of the room, and met some of the other boys outside.
We were then taken to a church where we met some of our officers, and for two nights most of us had to sleep on chairs, but I had found a very good resting place under the altar. During the stay here our ration consisted of bread and jam. Our leather cardigans, as well as our overcoats, were taken from us. Soon after we were removed to another collecting station, getting very little food, and after one night's stay here a ration of bread was handed round and we were dispatched to Lille by train on our arrival a very strong German guard met us who seemed to delight in showing us to their own people and the helpless French civilians During our march from the railway station through the main streets