that of a prisoner who died of consumption, after many months of
lingering suffering in the hospital, where every care was bestowed upon
him. It was in reference to this man that the Chief Officer wrote me:
'To our regret died last Thursday the patient in the isolation hospital.
If only he could have seen the two beautiful bunches of violets you
sent! The funeral took place yesterday at 10-30. It was an impressive
sight but a very sad one, too.'
"My daughter laid a little offering of white flowers on the grave, and
then I photographed them in order to send copies to the families of the
poor men, which I hope may prove little winged messengers of sympathy
and goodwill."
W. WHITING.
II.--GERMANY.
"A British officer, of whom one can truly say that he had not been
afraid to speak the truth about his treatment in Germany, and in the
Cologne hospital, was carried to his last resting-place yesterday.
"It was Captain Wilfred Beckett Birt, of the East Surrey Regiment No.
31, who, on the occasion of the attack in September, 1915, had his thigh
shattered and was taken prisoner. Since January, 1916, he had been
nursed in the fortress hospital, No. 6, situated in the Empress Augusta
School. His chivalrous character and his conscientious impartiality made
him respected and popular with his French and English fellow sufferers
and the German Hospital Staff. Gratefully he acknowledged what the
surgical art of assistant-surgeon Dr. Meyer had done to lessen his
sufferings, and the loving care the German nurses, male and female, had
bestowed on him and his comrades.
"The great affection in which he was held by friend and foe alike showed
itself in the mourning over his death, which took place a few days ago.
His wound, a short time before, had shown improvement, but the heart was
no longer equal to the terrible strain. Those of his comrades who were
not confined to bed rallied round his coffin yesterday, which had been
put upon a bier in the hospital garden surrounded by flowers and palms.
"The principal mourners were his countrymen, who were seated on benches
at the foot of the coffin; around it were the French and Belgians, the
German doctors and hospital staff. Large lighted candles stood at the
head of the coffin, which was covered with wreaths decorated with the
English, French, Belgian, and German colours.
"Garrison Pastor Hartmann, in a moving speech, which went straight to
the heart of the hearers, spoke about the deceased as a chivalrous
fighter for his native land, as a good Christian and a truly noble
character. It was touching to hear the parting hymn sung by the sonorous
voices of the British wounded, accompanied solemnly on the harmonium by
a British performer. All escorted the coffin to the gates. Once outside,
it was reverently lifted on to the funeral car, which German gunners
escorted to the cemetery. Four British and one French officer, as well
as the German doctors who could be spared, followed in motor cars.
"At the gates of the cemetery, Lieutenant-General Schach, Colonel
Lindemann, as representative of the Governor of the fortress, Major
Esser, Dr. Lamberts, the chief medical officer of the garrison,
deputations of the Officers' and Medical Corps, the Band of the Reserve
Battalion Pioneer Regiment No. 25, awaited the cortège.
"Pastor Hartmann spoke again, and, in words which made a deep impression
on all, closed with prayer and benediction. Dr. Rademacher, the Catholic
priest of the garrison, then made a funeral oration in English,
affecting all who heard it.
"In the name of the hospital staff, Dr. Meyer expressed his heartfelt
sorrow to the British officers present, the band played the hymn, 'How
gently they rest, those who are with the Lord,' and, profoundly touched,
Englishmen and Frenchmen shook hands with the clergy and the German
officers.
"Three handfuls of earth on to the coffin of one who had found eternal
rest, and the mourners dispersed." _Kölnische Zeitung._
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 37: Now at 27, Chancery Lane, W.C.2.]
[Footnote 38: Unoccupied, that is, by the Germans.]
[Footnote 39: Such a regulation is a hardship. It may, however,
prove unavoidable, as in some camps here. Friends of prisoners
are not always wise.]
V.
WHAT THE GERMAN MAY BE.
A WITNESS FROM SERBIA.
The following letter may not inappropriately open this section. Dr. Ella
Scarlett-Synge is the daughter of the third Baron Abinger. She has a
long medical experience, and served by Government appointment with Mrs.
Fawcett on the Concentration Camps Commission in the Boer War. Dr.
Scarlett-Synge was present in Serbia during the Austro-German invasion,
she was in Germany afterwards and visited various prisoners' camps. On
her return she wrote the brief letter which follows. Of her _bona fides_
there was no doubt, and she had introductions to various editors. Yet
only one daily paper (_The Manchester Guardian_) would publish her
letter. This is a small illustration of the methods of war-time.
Belligerent nations manage to convince themselves that by suppression of
disconcerting evidence one arrives at truth. It is easy to understand,
for all of us who are frank with ourselves know the difficulty of
complete fairness even in ordinary controversy. But the consequences of
arguing for mere victory are in war sometimes as grave and sad as the
consequences of fighting for mere victory. Dr. Synge tells us simply
what she saw:
Having just returned from Serbia, via Berlin, I have one great
wish, the desire to bring home to my own country the things that
I have seen with my own eyes, and the truths that I have
personally realised.
After the South African War, I was a doctor in Canada for ten
years and when, during the second year of this war, the call
came from Serbia for doctors, I was one of those responding,
and was stationed by the Serbian Government as Medical Officer
of Health for Batochina and district, where I was in residence
at the time of the German invasion in October, and was with my
wounded men when the German army entered northern Serbia, and
saw the whole campaign.
Contrary to all my expectations, the conduct of the German army
was excellent in every respect. The men entered no occupied
house without the permission of the owner, they took nothing
without payment or a requisition paper. Never did I ask a German
soldier in vain for half of his bread for a wounded Serbian
soldier. Generally it was all given to me and I cut the portion
and returned half.
After I had been for some weeks with the German Red Cross
doctors and began to realise how wrong an impression all in
England had concerning our enemies, I decided to ask permission
to go to Germany and see for myself whether equally wrong ideas
existed concerning the treatment of British prisoners in the
detention camps. This permission was accorded me, and I went to
Berlin where I waited a fortnight while the War Office decided
upon the matter. I was then given a long list of camps to choose
from and permitted to go with an officer to inspect and report
upon the same.
In this short letter I can only say that I was justified in my
belief that all was well with our men, and, as a fine Canadian
sergeant at Giessen said to me (whose regiment I had seen march
out of Vancouver a year ago), "If a man behaves himself, he will
have nothing to complain of."
Now, to my sorrow, I am forced to confess that the nations do
not yet incline towards peace, and to my regret I have to state
that Germany's resources at the present drain will last another
four or five years. Also there is no lack of food, and one may
also say of luxuries in the land. The people are united to fight
as long as England wishes to continue in the useless struggle in
which neither can win, for while we hold the sea, they are
equally powerful on land. I can see that this is going to be a
drawn war, but neither nation has yet had enough.
The object of this letter is not to encourage a premature peace
which would be ultimately worse than war, but to plead for a
fairer treatment for our foe. Let the truth, and the truth only,
be known. "Let us fight if we must fight--but not with lies."
No one, in time of peace, respects the British Press more than I
do. It is the greatest power in the land. And, let me to-day
appeal to that mighty influence for weal or for woe, according
to whether it decides wisely or not, to play the game fairly and
let the same spirit prevail that we have in our great public
schools: "win if you can--but only by fair play."--I beg to
remain, Yours faithfully, ELLA SCARLETT-SYNGE, M.D., D.P.H.
Hyde Park Hotel, Knightsbridge.
Dr. Scarlett-Synge was, at the outset, intensely anti-German. Her
personal experience of Germans (both military and civilian) in war-time
has profoundly modified her views. Dr. Scarlett-Synge went out from
Canada to take over a position as Medical Officer of Health in the north
of Serbia. She had twelve villages under her care, and found the
absolute lack of sanitation or sanitary knowledge in that country very
trying. At the time of the invasion, Dr. Synge was strongly urged to
leave, but decided to stop with her wounded men. Strangely enough the
only soldiers from whom she had to flee were the Serbians. The Serbian
Army in its retreat through Batochina was absolutely drunk, officers as
well as men, and while the soldiers were forcing the doors of the
priest's house, where Dr. Synge resided, she fled with the priest's wife
(at the latter's terror-struck entreaty) through a back window. The
house was rifled by the soldiers, and next day the German patrol
arrived. Dr. Synge was asked by the sergeant to assure the people of
Batochina that if there was no shooting, they would be perfectly safe.
She was urged to collect any firearms, and the patrol then withdrew. The
doctor, with the help of the people, collected 17 rifles. There was,
however, one obstinate Serbian soldier who had apparently not been able
to keep up with the retreat, who threatened to retain his rifle, and
seemed quite capable of endangering the whole population. "Your thumb
needs attention, does it not?" asked the doctor. "Just let me look at
it?" The man opened his hand and she snatched his rifle away. A joyful
crowd accompanied her with the rifle to the dispensary, where it was
locked up.
Had there been firing by the populace, there would undoubtedly have been
reprisals. Our own action in the Boer War, and the action of the
military in _every_ invasion, illustrates this fundamental rule. As it
was, there was absolutely no destruction and the soldiers were
scrupulously honest. When the owners had fled, their houses and their
cattle were certainly made use of, but whenever the owner was present
the soldiers "were not allowed to touch a single thing." The exception
proves the rule; Dr. Scarlett-Synge's hostess had her pig stolen, but a
German soldier caught her an unowned pig of larger size. She was very
pleased with the exchange!
"May we use your schoolhouse for our wounded?" said the German doctors,
"it seems the best place." Dr. Scarlett-Synge was amazed. She had
expected anything but this kind of politeness. Only _once_ in her three
months' experience of the Germans was she treated rudely, and that was
by an extremely anti-English doctor of the Deutsche Kriegshospital No.
58, Belgrade. This particular man corresponded to a certain type of
anti-German here, and a private soldier present afterwards apologised
for his rudeness.
The Serbians shelled Batochina, and so killed some of their own people.
While the doctor was passing through the streets, some German soldiers
beckoned her to take shelter in a café where they were. This she
ultimately did. "I could not have had more consideration shown me," she
averred. One little incident is singularly expressive. One of the
Germans had bought a glass of brandy. Dr. Scarlett-Synge, with the
picture of drunken soldiery very vivid in her remembrance, ventured to
remonstrate. She pointed out to the man what the Serbians had become
under the influence of drink. He said nothing, but presently he got up
and threw the brandy out of the door. "There's not much good in that
stuff, anyway," he said. It is not surprising that after such
experiences the doctor was puzzled at the ordinary British view of the
German army. "How do you account for these lies?" she asked a Bavarian
soldier. "Ah, without lies there would be no war," he said.
In her travels in Germany Dr. Scarlett-Synge experienced uniform
kindness, and brought away with her a deep conviction of the
self-sacrificing patriotism of the German people. "Moreover," she said,
"I was able to express my views to them, and they were always listened
to with tolerance and courtesy."
I give Dr. Scarlett-Synge's experiences as she describes them. Of her
own honesty and accuracy there can be no question. It may be said, with
reason, that there is another side. Dr. Scarlett-Synge came across the
better German and the better Germany. The important fact is that the
better Germany exists, and that those who have been in Germany since the
war began have found that better element conspicuous. This is much to
say for a country at war.
In case Dr. Ella Scarlett-Synge's testimony is thought to need
confirmation, I may add the following from a private letter:--"Dr. A.P.
was interned in Serbia for some months with about thirty other doctors
and nurses. She sent to me over twelve months since saying she would
like to be of some use to German prisoners in this country, as a slight
return for the consideration and kindness shown by Germans and Austrians
whom she had to do with while in Serbia."
A WITNESS FROM FRANCE.
Madame F. L. Cyon was at Lille when it was taken by the Germans, and
spent some time there nursing during the German occupation. Madame
Cyon's general experiences are printed in an appendix at the end of this
volume, but she has given me some further details which are worth
recording. I think they will serve to bring out the universal facts of
human nature. From her mother, Madame D---- she heard the particulars of
her father's arrest. One of the officers who arrested M. D---- was
ungentlemanly and rough, the others were polite. The house was searched.
Later a second military search was made, the officers on that occasion
being most polite, and apologising for the trouble they caused. As he
was leaving, the chief officer said to Mme. D----, "We shall carry away
with us the memory of your house as a house of peace and quietness, and
of you as a very brave woman." After her husband's arrest, Madame D----
asked for permission to take meals to him, and this was accorded without
any demur. One day later the officer just mentioned crossed the street
to speak to her. "I want to bring you some good news," he said, "the
release of your husband is only a matter of time."
M. D---- was at Maubeuge at the time of his arrest. When he and others
were brought back to Maubeuge for trial they got drenched with rain on
the way, and were put for that night in the old prison, which was
dilapidated and without fire. M. D---- complained next day. The officer
to whom he complained apologised and said their imprisonment under these
conditions was entirely a mistake. During most of his imprisonment M.
D---- lived on the food provided, which he described as good, but not
plentiful. Two fellow prisoners complained, and were allowed to get food
from outside. As narrated in the appendix, M. D---- was released when it
was found that there was nothing against him. He had indeed been
indiscreet in order to meet the wishes of another, but that was all.
After his release he was engaged professionally in forwarding the
repairs at Maubeuge, and was repeatedly in touch with the German
authorities, with whom he found it quite possible to work.
For some time Madame D----'s house had guards posted outside. There was
on one occasion an unpleasant incident with a drunken soldier who came
and demanded wine. A sergeant who came along, however, promptly collared
the man and turned him out.
It is fair to add that the long German occupation, with its many
requisitions and high-handed interference, has embittered M. D. His
wife, however, remains quite unembittered. In spite of all the demands,
"She seemed to think that, apart from one or two exceptions, the Germans
in occupation behaved very much as any army in such circumstances would
have done. Indeed, she added that when the English arrived, some of them
were so impertinent ... that people thought that they used to get on
better with the Germans." I have quoted part of the last clause, as it
seems fair to do so. For me it illustrates the general experience that
the _present_ discomfort tends by its vividness to seem greater than
past discomforts which were really equally great.
One other remark of Mme. D. should be quoted: "I have seen many of the
Germans, their doctors for instance, look after the poor and the sick
with utter devotion." I have, by request, omitted personal names, except
that of Madame Cyon herself.
At the occupation of Lille the Germans at once set about extinguishing
fires that had broken out. In order to prevent these spreading, it was
necessary to blow up some houses, and the Germans posted bills telling
the people not to be alarmed at the explosions. When Madame Cyon
returned to England a newspaper-reporter interviewed her. She stipulated
that she must see the manuscript before the interview was published, and
as she found the tone of the manuscript was not hers, she refused to let
it be printed. A later interview with someone else was published in the
same newspaper, in which it was made to appear that the Germans had
deliberately set fire to the town. This Madame Cyon asserts is directly
contrary to the facts. A similar case of exaggeration Madame Cyon
noticed while in the occupied districts. There were all kinds of
dreadful stories as to what went on about the country, and she was told
it would never do to leave Lille. When she did leave, and made her way
to Holland, she found no confirmation of these stories. Travelling was
uncomfortable and tedious, but there was no peril of any kind.
In the early days of the war there were Belgian refugees at Alexandra
Palace. M. Cyon was a journalist, and took his notebook with him to put
down interesting facts. He wished to confine himself to facts, however,
which not all journalists do. He found the women full of stories about
atrocities, but they were always terrible things that had happened to
_someone else_. The student of war atrocities indeed finds this to be a
very general feature of the stories told. It by no means follows that
atrocities do not occur. Certainly they do, but the number undergoes
extraordinary exaggeration in the excited minds of the people. M. Cyon,
therefore, as a serious observer, asked for one person who could speak
at first hand. One of the refugees, he was told, was a woman whose
little boy had been branded on both cheeks by the Germans. He was
directed to this woman. He asked for her experiences, but she had
nothing startling to tell. "But," he asked, "was not your little boy
very badly treated by the Germans?" "Little boy!" she exclaimed, in
astonishment, "I have no little boy, I have no son at all."
Madame Cyon had various patients at Lille. Her 24 Germans, she told me,
gave her no more trouble than any ordinary patients. She had, however,
four French Moroccan soldiers to nurse, and she describes them as
extremely savage. She was sometimes afraid of them, and of one
especially.
Madame Cyon was often overworked, and patients are not always
reasonable. One evening she brought her German patients some mutton
stew, and one of the wounded men made a dissatisfied remark about it.
Madame Cyon was feeling very tired and the remark hurt her. She remained
outside in the corridor instead of coming to the men as usual during
their meal. Presently one man who had acted as interpreter came out.
"Madame, you are cross." "Yes, I am." "Why are you cross?" "The men have
been well treated, I have done all I could, and now they grumble about
nothing." The man was very sorry, he went back, and presently all who
could walk came out and apologised. How strangely alike, after all, we
human beings are! But our rulers could never lead us out in armies to
kill each other unless they persuaded us somehow that we only were
wonderfully fine chaps, and the others were brutes. Yet the appeal of
kindness and devotion tells everywhere. So when the German science
student, Albin Claus, mentioned in Madame Cyon's account (p. 262), found
her much overworked, he said, "You go to sleep, and I will keep watch,"
and he helped in all ways to keep things right.
"I have since written to the same science student," writes Madame Cyon;
"before leaving the hospital he asked my address and I his. He told me
he would always be glad to help me in any way, as he knew that I had
five brothers in the French army. At the time one of my brothers was
missing. I wrote to this man, then promoted a Lieutenant, and I had two
letters from him via Switzerland. The correspondence was concerning my
brother, and Lieutenant V. R. Albin Claus did his best to help me, and
spoke in his letters of his stay in hospital 105, thanking me for my
care."
ANOTHER SORT OF WITNESS.
The soldier on both sides has been told all sorts of horrors about the
enemy. Hatred is recognised as a great weapon of destruction. The
contrast between what the soldier has seen and what he has heard is well
illustrated by a story told by Mr. John Buchan in one of his lectures. A
wounded Scot had said to him, of the Germans, "They're a bad, black lot,
_but no the men opposite us_. They were a very respectable lot, and
grand fechters."--_Times_, April 27, 1915.
WAR ZONE CHILDREN.
Under the heading "War Zone Children," the following paragraph appeared
in the _Westminster Gazette_ of the 30th November, 1915:
The Society of Friends' Emergency Committee for Aliens has just received
the following letter from Dr. Elisabeth Rotten, of Berlin (before the
war lecturer at Newnham College, Cambridge), showing that the German
committee for helping alien enemies in distress is not behind similar
committees in this country in looking after the little ones belonging to
enemy countries:
30/11/15.
Before I leave Switzerland, after a short visit, I should like
to write you a few lines.
I have been ten days in Belgium in order to get permission to
take Belgian and French children home to their parents, who had
left them in the occupied country before the outbreak of war and
were now living in France or in other foreign parts.
I was also to bring the first little group with me myself.
Others will be fetched during the next weeks by other ladies of
our committee. We spent the night in Frankfurt in the houses of
German ladies, who are already looking forward to their future
little guests. The whole expedition will belong to one of the
pleasantest peace remembrances of the war, and it was a
particular pleasure and benefit to me to see and to experience
personally in the work of my mission, in how many directions and
with what sincerely good and noble intentions the Governor
General endeavours to mitigate personal suffering, and
particularly how he cares for the children who are separated
from their parents.
I hope soon to write more. The children will now be taken to
their parents by Swiss ladies, and I am on the point of starting
for Frankfurt, where there are many important points to discuss
with the Committee for Advice and Aid in connection with our
common work.
The last-named committee is a local Frankfort Emergency Committee for
Aliens.
A SOLDIER AND THE CHILDREN.
Here is a German N.C.O. writing in _Vorwärts_ of some experiences in the
Russian occupied territory:
He describes the poverty of the people, the lack of even such
necessaries of life as salt, boots, etc.; how little children are
running about in the snow with bare feet, and often with no other
garment on them than a shirt. He adds: