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[Page 41]
he put me on the track of the compasses. Of these I procured two. The one I used cost me three marks and a tin of dripping. Needless to say I got it from a fellow prisoner, and although prison made and crude, it served its purpose well. The other cost me 5 marks. Our mate who was there sick, had already got a chart, so that within four hours of coming out of Cells we were all ready for another "get-a-way." The Camp money we managed to change alright. It is really surprising how much "escaping material" is to be found right under Fritz's eyes.
While we had been in Clink, our parcels – those priceless parcels of ours – had been accumulating and were available on our release, but being a Sunday the Censor's office was closed, so that we exchanged our tickets for goods with the boys who had supplies. Let me explain these tickets. Everyone in camp knows when a load of English parcels is in, as soon as these are sorted, the men to whom they are sent are given a cardboard ticket with a number on it. This number has previously been entered in a ledger against your name, so that no mistake is possible. On presenting this ticket at the office, Tommies are handed out the tea, sugar, biscutis, or all loose stuff. Of course when you hand in your ticket you also carry in a bowl, and into the bowl your loose goods are emptied. The tinned goods you do not see, they are stored away on shelves, and, for each tin, you receive a small ticket with the contents stamped on it ! Thus you might receive six tickets from one parcel similar to this, "Jam" and when you wanted your "jam" you would go to the window with the dish, hand in your ticket and get your jam in the dish. The tin, Fritz would keep, in case there might be a "Machine Gun" or a big "Bertha" under a false bottom, and then again he would retain the tin for future use, as tin is none too plentiful. If Tommie gets hold of them he destroys them as much as possible, by punching holes in them. I have been told by some of the early prisoners that if caught at it they would be punished, but punishment does not prevent him from carrying on, rather does it feed his spirits, for while he is in Cells he is not working for Fritz, and he knows his parcels are accumulating, and that his pals will help him out with a little food while he is there.
One afternoon there was a football match, French versus Tommies but Tommy playing his own game generally won from the "froggies" who were just learning, and, to even sides up a bit, four or five Tommies would play with them. The match over we went up to tea, and had another really big blow-out, and in the evening went to see the Cinema Show, with a small orchestra in attendance, on the whole our first day's release was pleasant and satisfactory. This camp, Munster, No. 2, was the only one of four that I was in that could boast of a Cinema Show or football grounds, but most camps have a theatre, erected by prisoners, with material supplied by the American Ambassador, and in these Theatres one can often see a really good show , one for the British and one for the French each week, although the Boxes may contain the Commandant and other Officials, and in the front row dozens of "Square Heads" the boys in a "Cross" talk would fling all kinds of sneers and jests at their Fatherland without