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[Page 40]
Chapter XII
Our only consolation Planning Another Escape my next stunt.
While we were doing our time our chief thought and study was concerned with our next "breakout." Until now, men had invariably been sent out on different working parties once they had undergone punishment, but as those who were in a bad party would work on this chance of going to a new and perhaps better [indecipherable] , doing all manner of things as to be sent back to camp cells, and risk getting into a better commando after their punishment had been done, this procedure was discontinued. Fritz saw through this strategy of the lads, issued a law, that all men returning to camp for punishment were to be sent back to the party from which they had come.
Try and imagine if you can with what joy and satisfaction I received this news, for it meant that we three would be sent back to the place from which we tried to reach Holland, and that we should only have to follow the same route, as we knew just where the danger points were, and could easily evade them. This news coming to us in the Cells made us long for the day when our time would be finished, so that we could prepare again before the Winter set in too severely. Once per week while men were in the Cells they were paraded before a Medical Officer, who, as you pass him, asks, "Are you all right," at which you answer "Yes," unless of course you are too bad altogether and cannot bear it any longer, but a Britisher in that position had to be very ill indeed before he will give in thus letting Fritz see or think his spirit is broken.
On these parades, especially, if we had to wait for the M.O. we would sneak off to the Barracks, or our mates would come down to us with a little "staff of life," and the latest news or rumours. Then it was we heard about men being sent back to their original parties.
After that everything seemed to sail along O.K. for us. We found one of our cobbers from the same party was in Camp, sick, and managed to get notice to him, and he contrived to get food to us, and on that eventful day of release, he had a big feed prepared for us. My word ! how we did eat. We came out on a Sunday, making a total of nearly six weeks with a sentence of only 14 days, but we had travelled about so much and been in wrong camps, that we did a month in "Strafe" Barracks before getting our trial and sentence.
The sentry called us out just before dinner. We went first to the Bureau to get our trinkets which had been taken on going into Cells from "Strafe", then to the Camp Bank to get our little bit of money, of course, in prisoner notes, and thenoon to the Barracks, where our mates had a glorious feed waiting for us. This we lingered over and enjoyed to the utmost. Dinner over my next move was to get my trousers marked to suit myself and not Fritz, and I found a "Ruskie" tailer who was only too willing to help, and earn a little money. Leaving my trousers with him, I went about in underpants until they were done, and as soon as they were finished, I trotted around to see if I could procure charts or compass, and was fortunate enough to meet a Tommy, who not able to get away himself, did all in his power to help others.