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[Page 6]
6. I did send to prison"; the man replied "Yes Sir". The Commandant then said "Why did you not report to me ven you had your prison finish" He ordered the man to march back ten paces and then come forward and salute him, and tell him that he had finished his sentence. The Commandant then told him that it was very good. The Commandant used to censor our letters every week; if there was anything that did not suit him he sent for the man concerned and stormed at him for about half an hour; he objected to the men putting kisses at the bottom of their letters; he said that one "X' meant that we had a bad Commandant; two "XX" that we got bad food and three "XXX" that we had to work and receive no payment. On being told that the crosses conveyed kisses to the ladies to whom the letters were written he said "Ach, you would kiss the "madame." He stopped one chap one day and asked him what he was on being told that he was a sub-marine sailor, he said "how long have you been married to a marine." The Commander allowed us to attend Mass every Sunday morning on condition that we did not enter into conversation with the civil populace.
Just about the time that America entered the war the Commandant came down to our camp and asked us if we had heard "Zee news". On being told that we had heard that America had entered the War; he said "Ve Germans do not care for two Americas." About a fortnight after this our Commandant committed suicide by cutting his wrists, rather than face a court martial for selling petrol belonging to the Government. We had a quantity of parcels served out to us at that time and had a feast in commemoration of his death.