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[Page 42]
He was going home with a kink in the neck due in the first place to a blow from the butt end of a rifle received from a sentry.
Another chap with a helpless right arm due to lack of medical attention in the case of a poisoned hand, caused from a blister arising from working for the Fatherland. Another chap was maimed in such a way that I cannot describe, through a kick from 'some brutal sentry. There were many cases where carelessness in the dressing of wounds had made the wound considerably worse than it would have been with proper attention.
As against some of these cases of carelessness I was told by an Englishman who had been in the same hospital, of a case where an Englishman was operated on to remove an abscess in the vicinity of his heart the abscess was removed and the heart taken out and washed and then put back — the patient lived for twenty-four hours «had he lived longer the Doctor's name would have been made as the feat would have been unparrelled in medical science.
After being a week in Aachen we were given a tram ride -through the city to an outlying railway station where we entrained on a Red Cross train - leaving next morning for Rotterdam.
I certainly had the laugh on "Fritz" for I came out of his country as a stretcher case, and I was too comfortable under the blankets to see what the Holland border looked like in the early hours of the dawn.
Arriving at the first big town across the border a crowd of Dutch Red Cross Ladies and English Y.M.C.A. Officials boarded the train,distributing cigarettes, chocolates and foodstufffs not forgetting a number of up-to-date English newspapers and periodicals that were very much appreciated by those of our number who were able to take an interest in how things were going in France.
The greater part of the country en route to Rotterdam .is very low lying and at all defensive points was strongly guarded by detachments of Dutch soldiers.
At some of the towns quite a show of feeling was given us but I guess the returning batch of repatriated Germans were given the same show of interest. Arriving at Rotterdam we disentrained and were given quarters in a large shed on one of the wharves, which had been turned into a hospital and was being looked after by ladies of the Dutch Red Cross, the catering being done by the RMDutch Baker Coy, whose boats were to take us over to England.
We were given no leave to see the City as there were a number of interned German soldiers working at civilian trades there, the authorities being frightened that a few broken heads and