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[Page 18]
March 1916
We passed quite close to the English Channel & the masts of some sunken vessel could be discerned from the train as we passed through. We only touched the outskirts of Calais & it looked a fine big place & after we had passed Calais we passed an Aerodrome & saw a big Dirigible Baloon & its Hanger & was the first Ive ever seen. We got out of the train at 4 pm on the 31st at a siding about a mile & a half north of Hazebrouck. Throughout the trip we we treated well & welcomed by the French people but like a lot of prisoners by our Officers for when the train would stop quards we placed along the line to prevent us getting out of our carriages & were even stopped from buying bread or filling our water bottles. All the horrors of war could also be noticed during the trip for nearly everybody wore something black & Women & children could be seen doing mens work in the fields & vineyards. At every station dozens of young women & children asked us for souviners & near Calais the kiddies were crying out for bully beef & biscuits.
When we disentrained we were issued with rations & some were allowed to fill their water bottles & then we set off for our billets. We wandered about till midnight & then had to sleep in a big barn at a place called Wollon-Cappel [Wallon Cappel] & then in the morning we went to our own