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THE

TREATMENT

PEISONEES Of WAR IN ENGLAND
AND GERMANY

DUEING THE FIEST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE WAR

LONDON:

PKINTBD UNDER THE AUTHORITY OP HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFBICB

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1915.

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Walter Clinton Jackson Library

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Special Collections & Rare Books

World War I Pamphlet Collection

THE

TREATMENT

PRISONERS OF WAR IN ENGLAND
AND GERM

DURING THE FIKST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE WAR.

LONDON :

FKIMTBD UNDBIi THE AUTHORITY OP HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE

By HARRISON ani> SONS. 45-47, St. Martin's Lane, W.C,

Printers in Oedinakt to His Majesty.

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the United States of America and other Foreign Countries of

T. FISHER UN WIN, London, W.O.

1915.
Price One Penny.

< ^

^ - -

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Section 1 — Introduction.

The evidence upon which this paper is based — The most important
documents relating to the treatment of prisoners of war — the
reliability of the evidence — In Germany different conditions
prevail in different camps — The prevailing treatment is not in
accord with International Law, or the principles of humanity —
Certain features of the camp have been concealed from visitors
— The treatment of British prisoners of war has been deliber-
ately made harsher than that of the allies.

Section 2. — The treatment by Germany of captured soldiers aftey
captiire, and before internment.

Section 3. — The treatment of officers during internment.

' (i) Pay.
(ii) Quarters,
(iii) Food.
(iv) Clothing.

Section 4. — The treatment of men during internment.

(i) Quarters,
(ii) Food,
(iii) Clothing.

Section 5. — Matters affecting the general welfare of ■prisoners.

(i) Medical attendance.

(ii) Postal facilities,
fiii) Money and gifts,
(iv) Occupations and recreation.

Section 6. — Conclusion.

Eecapitulation — The good offices of the United States — A contrast.

(B1261) Wt. 7500-4654 20M 6/15 H & S Gp. 5

THE TREATMENT OP PRISONERS OP
WAR IN ENGLAND AND GERMANY
DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS
OP THE WAR.

Section I.— INTRODUCTION.

The evidence upon which this paper is based. — The evidence upon
which the facts contained in this paper are based is contained in a
recently published Parliamentary Paper (Miscellaneous No. 7, 1915,
:Cd. 7817).* The principal rules of International Law which relate
to the treatment of prisoners of war are to be found in the annex to
the Convention concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land,
which was signed at the Hague on October 18th, 1907, and to which
both Great Britain and Germany are parties.! No reference has
been made to the many letters and accounts describing the con-
ditions of internment camps in Germany, which have been pub-
lished in the press of all countries. It is certain that many of them
are authentic, and that many of the terrible charges contained in
them must be true. But as it is impossible to select from these
accounts only such as are reliable, no charges are here made and
no facts are stated which cannot be found in the Parliamentary
Paper.

The most important documents relating to the treatment of
prisoners of ivar. — That Paper consists of correspondence between
the British Government and the United States Ambassador in
London concerning the treatment of prisoners of war and interned
civilians in Great Britain and Germany respectively. It is, of
course, an official publication of the British Government, and all
allegations made in it have been properly verified. It deals with a
variety of matters connected with prisoners of war ; but the most
important documents relating to their actual treatment and con-
dition are the following : —

(a) Relating to German prisoners interned in Great Britain.

1. A despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page (the United States

Ambassador in London) dated September 24th, 1914. f

2. A despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page, dated October 1st,

1914. §

3. A despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page, dated December 2nd,

1914.11

* Referred to in this paper as " P.P."
t Referred to in this paper as "The Hague Regulations."
t P.P. No. 9, p. 4. § P.P. No. 11, p. 6.

II P.P. No. 32, p. 21.

(B 1261) A 2

4. A similar despatch of December 14th, 1914, enclosing a detailed

memorandum upon the treatment of prisoners of war and
interned civilians in Great Britain.*

5. A report made by Mr. Chandler Hale, of the United States

Embassy, from observations made by him at the camp in the
Isle of Man.!

6. A further memorandum communicated by the British Foreign

Office to Mr. Page on February 3rd, 1915. +

(b) Eelating to British prisoners interned in Germany.

1. A despatch of Mr. Gerard (the Unitod States Ambassador at

Berlin) to Mr. Page, dated October 2nd, 1914. §

2. A report made by the American Consul-General at Berlin from

observations made on October 15-17, 1914. ||

3. A memorandum issued by the German Government during

October, 1914, concerning the treatment of prisoners of war.H

4. A despatch from the American Consul at Leipzig, dated the

16th November, 1914.**

5. A statement made by a Russian medical officer at the British

Embassy at Petrograd on the 8th December, 1914. If

6. A report made by Major Vandeleur of the 1st Cameronians

(Scottish Rifles), attached to the Cheshire Regiment, in
December, 1914. 1 1

7. A statement made by an American citizen living at Havre on

the 20th December, 1914. § §

8. An article by an American citizen. ||||

9. A report by a French priest. HH

10. A letter communicated by the Speaker of the House of
Commons.***

11. A letter communicated by Lord R. Cecil.! tf

12. A statement by Surgeon-General Zviargintsef to the British
Ambassador at Petrograd, on the 17th December, 1914. J Jt

18. An account f\irnished by a prisoner at Ruhleben, and dated
the 29th December, 1914.§§§

14. A despatch of Mr. Gerard to Mr. Page, dated the 23rd
January, 1915.||||||

15. A German memorandum concerning the conditions prevailing
at Ruhleben, dated the 16th February, 1915.1I1I1I

16. A despatch of Mr. Gerard to Mr. Page, dated the 23rd
February, 1915.****

* P.P. No. 36, p. 22 and end. p. 23. t P.P. No. 47, p. 36.

+ P.P. No. 75 and end. p. 54. § P.P. No. 15, end. p. 8.

II P.P. No. 20, end. 1, 2, 3, p. 11. IT P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14.

** P.P. No. 30, end. p. 19. +t P.P. No. 39, end. p. 26.

XX p.p. No. 44, end. 1, 2, p. 30. §§ P.P. No. 44, end. 3, p. 34.

nil P.P. No. 44, end. 4, p. 34. HIT P.P. No. 44, p. 29.

" *** p p No. 44, p. 29. t+t P.P. No. 44, p. 29.

tit P.P. No. 54, p. 40. §§§ P.P. No. 63, end. 1, 2, p. 46.

Ililll P.P. No. 69, end. p. 50. irHIT P.P. No. 93, end. 2, p. 63.
**** P.P. No. 95, end. p. 65.

17. A German memorandum concerning the principles observed
in the treatment of prisoners of war, dated the 28th February,
1915.*

18. A statement by Messrs. Bradshaw and Coyne to the British
Home Office on the 18th March, 1915. f

It will be seen that the evidence all relates to the period between
the outbreak of war and March of the present year.

The reliability of the evidence. — A very large part of this evidence
has been supplied by officers of the United States Diplomatic Service,
who have done so much to improve the lot of prisoners of war in
Germany, and whose accuracy and veracity are above question. The
remaining reports and statements are either official publications of
the respective Governments, or records made by persons whose
testimony is entitled to be respected and believed.

Different conditions -prevail in different camps. — The evidence
reveals that in Germany different conditions have prevailed in the
different internment camps. \ For instance, at the camp at Merseburg,
near Leipzig, the treatment of prisoners was reported to be satis-
factory. The American Consul at Leipzig, writing on the 16th
November, 1914, said : ' ' The result of my observation regarding the
welfare and humane treatment of the prisoners at large was a
surprise to me."§ There were, however, very few British
prisoners at this camp.|| At Altdamm, near Stettin, the treat-
ment of the prisoners, of whom 600 were British, appeared to the
American Consul at Stettin to be satisfactory on the whole. Writing
on the 31st December, 1914, he reported as follows: — H

" I was permitted to converse freely with the British soldiers and
spoke to a number of them. Upon the whole they had little
to complain of, and agreed that the treatment received was as
good as could be expected. The following complaints were
made, however: —
Several prisoners stated that some of the men composing the
guards (Landsturm) were at times unnecessarily rough. One
British sergeant said that on one occasion he was knocked
down by one of the guards. The officers, on the other hand,
treat the prisoners with consideration.
" Several prisoners said that the • food was insufficient as to

quantity.
" Complaint was made that the men had only one blanket each.
" Others complained that they had only one suit of underwear.
" Others mentioned that a bread bag should be given them in
which to keep the loaf of bread which is issued them. . . .

* P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 79.

f P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

X cp. P.P. No. 44, end. 3, p. 34, and Major Vandeleur's notes, P.P. No. 44,
end. 2, p. 33. The variation is probably due to the fact that camp commanders
have a discretion in the settlement of details.

§ P.P. No. 30, end. p. 19.

II ib., " Of the 10,000 prisoners interned, about 7,000 are Frenchmen, the
remainder being Russians, British, Bedouins, and negroes."

II P.P. No. 58, end. 2, p. 42.

(B 1261) A3

" It appears to me that every effort is bcMig made to treat the
prisoners of war as humanely as possible in the two camps I
visited. Dry and warm shelter is provided, the food is simple
and perhaps monotonous, but of good material and well pre-
pared, sanitary arrangements are good, and the health of the
men is carefully looked after.
" The officers in charge of the camps were most courteous and

offered me every opportunity for a tliorough inspection."
But the conditions at the camps at Merseburg and Altdamm do
not appear to be typical of the prevailing conditions, at least where
British prisoners are concerned. As early as the 2nd October the
United States Ambassador at Berlin wrote that the care of British
prisoners of war " is a matter which requires the immediate atten-
tion of the British Government."*

The United States Consul-General at Berlin heard on the 16th
October that information regarding the treatment of non-commis-
sioned officers and men of the British Army who are prisoners of
war in other camps was anxiously awaited at Torgau. " Rumours
of their exposure to the elements, their starvation and their treat-
ment, are rampant all along the line."! Major Vandeleur reported
in December that in his opinion " something should be urgently
done to try to ameliorate the lot of the British soldier who is a
prisoner in Germany. "J Sir E. Grey, in a despatch to the United
States Ambassador in London dated the 26th December, stated
that :

" Information regarding the bad treatment to which British
prisoners of war in particular in Germany are being subjected,
reaches His Majesty's Government from a variety of sources.

" A French priest, who has returned to Rome from Minden,
where a number of British prisoners of war were confined, is
reported to have given an account of the cruelties practised
upon the British prisoners by their guards. While ' the
French prisoners were very well treated, and the Russians
not so badly,' the British were singled out for ill-treatment.
According to the French priest, ' the German soldiers kick
the British prisoners in the stomach, and break their guns
over their backs ; they force them to sleep out in marshy
places, so that many are now consumptive. The British are
almost starved, and such have been their tortures that thirty
of them asked to be shot.'

" A letter communicated by the Speaker of the House of Commons
to Mr. Ac] and from a Frenchman well known to him and
entirely trustworthy, corroborates the latter part of the above
statement, saying that ' at Minden for a long time the
prisoners were camped on marshy ground with no shelter.'
The statement is further corroborated in its entirety by French
hospital assistants who have been prisoners of war at Minden

- P.P. No. 15, end. p. 8. f P.P. No. 20, end. 3, p. 14.

I P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 33.

and at Munster. According to a letter communicated by
Lord R. Cecil, the officers at Sennelager are not allowed to
write, and many of them are very ill for want of food and
clothing.
" Speaking generally, the reports of ill-treatment to which I have
the honour to draw your Excellency's attention, corroborated
as this is from so many independent sources, show, as I am
sure your Excellency will agree, that the German authorities
are in many cases entirely neglecting the provisions of the
articles dealing with the treatment of prisoners of war. His
Majesty's Government feel bound, therefore, to protest in the
strongest manner against the inhuman treatment to which it
is unfortunately evident that many of the British prisoners of
war in Germany are being subjected, and I shall be grateful
if your Excellency will cause this protest to reach the German
Government with as little delay as possible. His Majesty's
Government are all the more concerned by the reports which
have reached them of the manner in which British prisoners
of war in Germany have been singled out for ill-treatment, in
that they have, on their part, interpreted the above-mentioned
provisions of the Hague Convention in a liberal spirit, and
have, as your Excellency is aware, communicated to the
German Government a full statement of the treatment shown
to German prisoners of war in the United Kingdom."*

In a later despatch of February, 1915, Sir E. Grey reports that,
according to information from a reliable source, the conditions pre-
vailing at Burg, near Magdeburg, are extremely unsatisfactory.

" It is reported that there are twenty-three British officers .

living in one room — a garret — under the roof. . . . The
prisoners are stated to be given very little food, and to be all
herded together without light or warmth, their condition being
such that they are apparently being gradually starved to
death."!

In January the United States Ambassador at Berlin stated that :

'• At present there are a good many cases of destitution among the
British civil prisoners at Euhleben, and that these are
increasing weekly, "f

In March Sir E. Grey received information from a prominent
official of the British Red Cross Society, corroborated from other
sources, that British prisoners in Germany were being kept verv
short of food — if not starved, and he expresses the fear that condi-
tions may become worse rather than better. §

Certain features concealed from visitors. — There is also evidence
that certain features of the internment camps have been concealed
from visitors by the German authorities. With reference to three
detained British medical officers, " The military authorities remarked
that they have had considerable difficulty with these men, and

* P.P. No. 44, p. 29. f P.P. No. 86, p. 59.

I P.P. No. 69, end. p. 50. § P.P. No. Ill, p. 82.

(B 1261) A 4

requested the Counsellor of the Embassy not to speak with them.'**
A prisoner interned at Euhleben wrote in December that: —

Some of the inmates have managed to get their boxf up com-
fortably, much to the surprise of the inmates of other
barracks, where all attempts at ' luxury ' were ruthlessly put
down. The reason became apparent when a representative
of the American Embassy visited the camp and was shown
round. He was shown the comfortable stable, and the ten
others, which were outwardly just the same, were pointed out
to him, so we can imagine what sort of report he made. If
the Ambassador wants to find out the condition of this camp
he should see it by himself without a conductor, and speak
to the prisoners himself, to those whom he himself chooses to
speak to, and alone, and not in the presence of an officer.
We cannot communicate with him in writing."!

On the other hand, a visit from the American Embassy has some-
times led to an improvement. It is reported that at this camp —
Since the 7th March a very important change has taken place in
the food supplied to the prisoners ; thanks to investigations by
Eittmeister von Miiller, the caterer has been dispensed with.
It is believed in the camp that the United States authorities
prompted these investigations. "§

Specially harsh treatment reserved for British prisoners. — There
is evidence that British prisoners have been deliberately selected for
special and avoidable hardships. It appears that Germany is venting
the hate, inspired by the grasp of British Sea Power, upon captured
and wounded soldiers. |j In December a Eussian medical officer who
had returned from detention at Diinholm bei Stralsund, reported
that—

The British officers are not so well treated as the Eussian
officers. They are classed among the less-educated Eussians,
who speak no language other than Eussian, so that they cannot
talk. The Eussians are allowed to buy books, but the British
officers are not allowed to do so. The German lieutenant in
charge is openly insulting and hostile towards the British
prisoners. "H

This statement was subsequently confirmed by Surgeon- General
Zviargintsef.**

Major Vandeleurf f reports that during his journey as a prisoner to
Crefeld, in October the British prisoners were told that none of the
potato soup was for them, but that if any was left over after the
French had been fed, they should get what remained; he adds that
this is in accordance with the general treatment of British prisoners

* P.P. No. 20, end. p. 11. | This refers to a loose box in a stable.

X P.P. No. 63, end. 2, p. 48. § P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

II German offidal memorandum of February 16 : " In face of the attempts
of (the British) Government to starve the German people, the bill of fare
offered is above all criticism." (P.P. No. 93, end. 2, p. 63.

f P.P. N. 39, end. p. 26. ■»* 17th December. P.P. No. 54, p. 40.

if P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 31.

by the Germans, " who always endeavour to attend to our necessities
last, and to put us to as much inconvenience and ill-treatment as
possible." Major Vandeleur expresses the opinion that, as French
officers were treated quite differently, this brutal treatment was
deliberately arranged with the object of making the British appear
as despicable as possible ; and states as a fact that :

" The British soldiers are used solely for all menial duties and

dirty work connected with the camps, such as cleaning

out latrines and such-like ; also every other unpleasant fatigue

duty. In connection with this the French orderlies at Crefeld

stated to me that they were very sorry indeed to see the

British soldiers treated in such an ignoble and disgraceful

manner, being in fact more like slaves, the idea being to

create ill-feeling between French and British soldiers by this

means."*

In one camp all the Irishmen were collected and harangued by

the Commandant, who told them that the Emperor was aware of the

down-trodden state of Ireland, and now wished that the Irishmen

should be placed in a separate camp, where they would be better fed,

and treated differently from the Enghshmen.f The motive is

evident ; but the attempt of course signally failed. The Irishmen

refused to accept better treatment than their compatriots.

Section II.— THE TREATMENT BY GERMANY OF CAPTURED
SOLDIERS AFTER CAPTURE AND BEFORE INTERN-
MENT.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 4 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that —

" Prisoners of war are in the power of the hostile Government, but

not of the individuals or corps who capture them. They must

be humanely treated."

The German practice. — Germany, by her treatment of prisoners on

the journey from the place of capture to the internment camp, has

in many cases violated the rules of International Law. According to

a memorandum enclosed in a report made by the American Consul-

General at Berlin during October last,

" There is authentic evidence of many instances of cruelty to

officers, prisoners of war, on their way to Torgau, both from

officers, soldiers, members of the Red Cross, and civihans.":!:

Yet members of the Red Cross are enlisted in the cause of
humanity. There is worse to record :

" Evidence collected at Crefeld by the officers there shows that
officers and men have been killed after capture. "§

* P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 33. f P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 33.

I This report is contained in a despatch to the United States Ambassador
in London of October 16, P.P. No. 20, end. 3, p. 13.
§ P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33,

(B 1261) A 0

Major Vandeleur has supplied a detailed account of his own journey
from La Bassee to Crefeld. It is impossible not to be impressed hy
the evident sincerity and veracity of this report. Major Vandeleur,
of the 1st Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), attached to the Cheshire
Eegiment, was taken prisoner near La Bassee in October. After
his arrival at Crefeld, the German authorities refused to allow him
to communicate with the American Ambassador at Berlin.

He had written soon after his internment to the Prisoners' Help
Society at Berlin, and received a letter in reply from Mr. Gerard on
the 3rd November, in w'hich he was asked to furnish a complete roll
of the British prisoners. He replied on the 5th November enclosing
the roll, and thanking the Ambassador for his interest. On the
6th December this letter was returned to Major Vandeleur by the
commandant, who stated that he had orders to prevent its being
delivered. A further letter from Mr. Gerard was handed to Major
Vandeleur a few days after this, which had been addressed by
Mr. Gerard to the commandant of the camp, again asking for a
complete list of prisoners. Major Vandeleur was asked by the
commandant to prepare the list, which he at once did, but the list
was handed back to him a few days later, with the statement that
it would not be sent.*

Major Vandeleur's Report. — Major Vandeleur's report is of such
painful interest that it is here set out in full.f

" I was taken prisoner on the 13th October, 1914, close to La
Bassee in France by the Prussian Guard Cavalry. I myself,
personally, was treated well by this corps, and was given food
and shelter, but the other officers and men who were in
charge of the same guard were not treated so well, they being
given no food and confined in a church until the morning. I
am sure that the treatment which I received was with the
hope of getting information out of me. I was bombarded
with numberless enquiries, especially with regard to the
alleged use by the British of dum-dum bullets, and as to the
state of the British army.

" On the morning of the 14th, I was fallen in with four other
British officers and about 200 men, and was marched to
Lens. Here a halt was made, and I pointed out that as I
was wounded in the leg I could not march any further. I
was then taken on to Douay in a motor, the remainder of the
prisoners following by road (a considerable distance).

" At Douay I was detained on the square in front of the Hotel de
Ville with a sentry over me, and was subjected to continual
abuse and revilement. On the arrival of the other prisoners
we were all confined in a large shed for the night. No food,
except a little provided by the French Red Cross Society, was
given, also no straw, and we s{)ent a terrible night there, men
being obliged to walk about all night to keep warm as their
greatcoats had been taken from them.

P.P. No. 44, p. 30. f P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 30.

" On the 17tli October, iu the morning, the French Red Cross
people gave us what they could in food, and did their very
best, in spite of opposition from the Germans. At about
2 P.M. on the same day we were all marched off to the railway
station, being reviled at and cursed all the way by German
ofiicers as well as by German soldiers. One of our officers
was spat on by a German officer.
At the station we were driven into closed-in wagons, from which
horses had just been removed, fifty-two men being crowded
into the one in which the other four officers and myself were.
So tight were we packed that there was only room for some
of us to sit down on the floor. This floor was covered fully
8 inches deep in fresh manure, and the stench of horse urine
was almost asphyxiating. We were boxed up in this foul
wagon, with practically no ventilation, for thirty hours, with
no food, and no opportunity of attending to purposes of nature.
All along the line we were cursed by officers and soldiers alike
at the various stations, and at Mons Bergen I was pulled out
in front of the wagon by the order of the officer in charge of
the station, and, after cursing me in filthy language for some
10 minutes, he ordered one of his soldiers to kick me back
into the wagon, which he did, sending me sprawling into the
filthy mess at the bottom of the wagon. I should like to
mention here that I am thoroughly conversant with German,
and understood everything that was said. Only at one station
on the road was any attempt made on the part of German
officers to interfere, and stop their men from cursing us.
This officer appeared to be sorry for the sad plight in which
we were in. I should also like to mention that two men of
the German Guai'd also appeared to be sympathetic and sorry
for us ; but they were able to do little or nothing to protect us.
Up to this time I had managed to retain my overcoat, but it was
now forcibly taken from me by an officer at a few stations
further on.

' On reaching the German-Belgian frontier, the French prisoners
were given some potato soup. The people in charge of it told
us that none was for us, but that if any was left over after
the French had been fed we should get what remained. This
is in accordance with the general treatment of British
prisoners by the Germans, who always endeavour to attend to
our necessities last, and to put us to as much inconvenience
and ill-treatment as possible. We subsequently got a little
soup and a few slices of bread amongst twenty-five British
prisoners in the same wagon with me.
On the 18th October, early, we arrived at Cologne, and the four
officers and myself were removed from the wagon, and, after
some delay, sent on to Crefeld.

' I said that fifty-two prisoners were in the wagon with me when
we left Douay. These were : [here foilov,^ the names of four
officers], myself, fifteen Enghsh soldiers and ,32 French
civilians of all grades of society. It is difficult to indicate or

give a proper idea of the indescribably wretched condition in
which we were in after being starved and confined in the
manner stated for three days and three nights. As is well
known, one of these wagons is considered to be able to
accommodate six horses or forty men, and this only with the
doors open so as to admit of ventilation. What with the
filth of the interior, the number of people confined in it, and
the absence of ventilation, it seemed to recall something of
what one has read of the Black Hole of Calcutta. To give
an idea of the state of mind to which we have been reduced, I
got one of the better-class French prisoners to secrete a letter
to my wife in the hope that he might be able to get it out to
her when he reached his destination, as these French civilian
prisoners were being treated better than ourselves. They all
expressed great pity for the way in which we were being
treated.

found out that the wagon in front of us was full up with
English soldiers. This particular wagon had no ventilation
slit of any sort or description, and men were crowded into
this even worse than they were in the wagon in which I was.
They banged away continually on the wooden sides of the
van, and finally, as I supposed the Germans thought that they
might be suffocated, a carpenter was got, who cut a small
round hole in one of the sides.

am strongly of opinion myself that this brutal treatment of
British officers and men on their way to a place of internment
is deliberately arranged for by superior authority with the
object of making us as miserable and despicable objects as
possible. The French officers were treated quite differently."

Section III.— THE TEEATMENT OF OFFICEES DUKING
INTERNMENT.

(i) Pay.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 17 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that: —

" Officers taken prisoners shall receive the same rate of pay as
officers of corresponding rank in the country where they are
detained ; the amount shall be refunded by their own Govern-
ment."

The British Proposal. — On the 24th September, Sir E. Grey
announced that the British Government were prepared to put this
provision in force, subject to an undertaking by the enemy Govern-

ments that reciprocal treatment would be given.* For convenience,
and following the course said to have been adopted by the Eussians
and Japanese in 1904, it was proposed that all captured officers,
whether naval, t or mihtary, and whether regular, reserve, or terri-'
torial, should receive the minimum rate of pay given to British
Infantry officers of corresponding rank, and that all officers of higher
rank than Lieutenant-Colonel should receive Lieutenant-Colonel's
pay.:

The rates referred to were as follows: —

Lieutenant-Colonel 23s. Od. per diem.

Major 16s. Od. ,,

Captain lis. Id. ,,

Lieutenant ... ... 6s. 6d. ,,

2nd Lieutenant ... ... 5s. Sd. ,,

Quartermaster ... ... 9s. Od. ,,

Officers receiving these rates of pay would of course have been
expected to provide their own food and clothing.

As a provisional arrangement, the British Government sanctioned
the issue of free food to captive officers, and half these rates of pay.§
German practice. — The American Consul-General at Berlin re-
ported in October that captive officers at Torgau, so far from receiving
these rates of pay, or the rate to which they were entitled under the
Hague Regulation, were receiving approximately 2s. Od. per diem if
lieutenants, and approximately 3s. 4d. per diem if of superior rank.||
This report was confirmed by Major Vandeleur in December, who
added that at Crefeld the whole of a subaltern's pay was deducted for
messing, so that he actually received nothing. H In March, the British
Foreign Office received confirmation through the German branch of the
Geneva Red Cross Society of the fact that British officers in Germany
were only receiving this rate of pay. Thereupon the British Govern-
ment felt obliged, " as the provisions of the Hague Convention are
not now the regulating factor," to cancel existing arrangements, and
to pay German officers at a rate bearing " the same ratio to minimum
British infantry rates for captains and lieutenants as the pay issued
by the German Government to British officers prisoners of war in
Germany bears to ordinary German minimum rates for captains and
lieutenants," i.e., approximately 4s. Od. per diem for subalterns,
and 4s. Qd. per diem for all superior officers. Officers receiving these
rates of pay are required, as from that date, to defray the cost of
their rations and messing. The British Government offered to
improve these conditions if Germany was prepared to improve the
treatment of British officers.**

These facts speak for themselves. Great Britain has always been
ready to abide by the terms of the Hague Regulation.

* P.P. No. 9, p. 4.

f The Hague Eegulation does not apply to naval officers. But the parties
to the Convention expressed a " voeu " that its principles should be applied as
far as possible to war at sea.

I See also P.P. No. 11, p. 6. § See also P.P. No. 32, p. 21.

II P.P. No. 20, end. p. 12. f P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32.
** A despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page. P.P. No. 105, p. 74.

(ii) Quarters.

Captured members of the hostile forces are confined in internment
camps or prison fortresses. These places differ in locality and
situation.

British practice. — According to the British practice,

" The accommodation provided for officers is entirely apart from
soldiers, and is either in country houses or officers' quarters in
barracks. Their quarters are comfortably furnished, but
without luxury. Servants are found for officers from among
the prisoners of war."*

German practice. — A German official memorandum, issued in
October, stated that " as a rule captured officers and soldiers are
not interned in the same place at the same time."f Officers are said
to be confined in fortresses, and the place of internment must be a
healthy place, absolutely unobjectionable from a hygienic point of
view. "J It is further declared that Generals are provided with a
living room and a bedroom ; staff officers each with a single room ;
and other officers either with a small room each, or with a large
room which they have to share. § Each officer is allowed, according
to the official statements, at least 15 cubic metres breathing space
in quarters which can be aired, admit full day-light, and can be
heated and lighted daily. ||

But, in fact, at Crefeld seven or eight officers were quartered in
rooms capable of accommodating six soldiers, H and at Burg, 23
British officers were reported in February to be living in one room,
" a garret under the roof."** According to the official statement, if
" Heat, light, and equipment is furnished by the respective com-
manders, and is not at the expense of the interned "; but at Torgau
in October, 1914, officers were called upon to pay for necessary
alterations and enlargements in the kitchen, including the provision
of two new boilers. J | Again, the German authorities allege that the
furniture in officers' quarters consists of a bedstead, with mattress,
bolster, bed linen, and two blankets; a chair or stool; a place for
hanging clothes, and a place for storing food; and a basin, glass,
towel, table, and pail. They also state that an orderly is supplied
from among the prisoners of war, one for every five or ten officers, to
clean their clothes and rooms, the courtyards and halls, and to wait
at table. §§ But Major Vandeleiir reports that at Crefeld, where he
was a prisoner until December last, only one orderly was supplied
for fifteen officers, and that they had to make their own beds and
brush their own boots in nearly all cases. " The beds we slept on
were as provided for the German soldiers, and were very hard and
uncomfortable, and I found it difficult to get any real rest on
them. "II II ^

* P.P. No. 32, p. 21. f P.P. No. 20, end. 4. p. 14.

I A later memorandum. P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 79.

§ P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14. || P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 79.

II P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32. At this camp, however, warming and
lighting appear to have been reasonable.

** P.P. No. 86, p. 59. A despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page.

If P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 79. H ?•?• No. 20, end. 3, p. 13.

§§P.P. No, 108, end. 3, p. 79. |||| P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32.

(iii) Food.

British practice. — Accoi'ding to the British practice prevailing up
to the Itith March, ol'tlcers were messed free, and were allowed tO'
purchase such liquors as they might wish.* Since that date, having
regard to the refusal of Germany, at any rate up to the date at which
the evidence considered in this Paper closes, to grant reciprocal
treatment, they have been required to pay for their food.

Gennan practice. — In Germany captured officers have from the
beginning been compelled to pay for their food,! and in addition
have been subjected to unreasonable restrictions. At Torgau and
Crefeld, and probably elsewhere, officers were, during the early
months of the war, forbidden wines and beer, although the water
and mineral waters provided are undrinkabie ; and they are forbidden
to have white bread. J It is officially stated by the German Govern-
ment that cigars, tobacco, and chocolate may not be purchased
anywhere in Germany. §

At Crefeld, officers are charged 2 marks (approximately 2/-) a day
for food, which, though moderately good in quality, is insufficient
and bad for the money. This charge absorbs the whole of a
subaltern's pay, and leaves him nothing to expend on clothing and
other necessaries.il Major Vandeleur reported in December that —

" Breakfast . . . consisted of poor coffee with milk, bread
and margarine.

" Dinner . . . consisted of very poor soup, being the water
in which our meat was cooked ; meat, generally pork, with
potatoes and sauerkraut, but once a week we had beef, and
very occasionally mutton; vegetables have also been supplied
latterly, after continued complaint.

" The evening meal . . . consisted, as a rule, of slices of
sausages with bread and margarine, and coffee. "||

A canteen was also provided at the barracks, at which officers were
able to purchase foodstuffs and necessary clothing, which was run by
the Germans. II

At Danholm, according to the statement of a Eussian medical
officer made in December 1914, and confirmed from another source, If
the food was very bad, both in quality and quantity. The coffee was
bad and made with dirty water. The officers were given three pieces
of bread a day made with potato meal. Lunch consisted mostly of
potatoes. In the evening they received bread and a small slice of
sausage. The cost of this was 1.50 marks. A lieutenant was allowed
60 marks a month, but from this was deducted 45 marks for the
above food.**

* P.P. No. 32, p. 21.

f German official memorandum. P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14.

I Keport of the American Consul-General. P.P. No. 20, end. 2, 3, p. 13.
Cp. Major Vandeleur 's report. P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32. According to the
German memorandum of 28th February, officers may now buy beer and light
wines in limited quantities.

§ German memorandum of 28th February. P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 80.

II P.P. No. 44, end. 1, 2, pp. 32, 33. This Report is dated December, 1914.
USee P.P. No. 44, p. 29. ** P.P. No. 39, end. p. 26.

(iv) Clothing.

Neither Great Britain nor Germany has supplied captured officers
with new clothing free of charge. But Germany has deprived officers
of the clothes ^yhich they already possess. Major Vandeleur, in
describing his journey from La Bassee in October, 1914, says : —

My overcoat . . . was now forcibly taken from me by an
officer at a few stations further on."*
Indeed he records that articles of clothing, such as caps and great-
coats, and in many cases tunics, are systematically taken away from
officers.!

This is in violation of Article 4 of the Hague Kegulations, which
provides that: —

All their personal belongings, except arms, horses, and military
papers, remain their property."

THE TREATMENT OF MEN DURING INTERNMENT,
(i) Quarters.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 7 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that :

" The Government into whose hands prisoners of war have fallen
is charged with their maintenance. In default of special
agreement between the belligerents, prisoners of war shall be
treated as regards ... . quarters ... on the same
footing as the troops of the Government which captured
them."
British practice. — According to the British practice enemy soldiers
and interned civilians are lodged either in barracks or on board ship,
or in large buildings which have been taken over for the purpose,
or in huts which have been built to receive them. These are all
warm and well lighted.! Interned civilians have been given the
opi^ortunity to elect for better accommodation and food at their own
expense. Those who do not avail themselves of this are divided
into social classes in the various places of internment. They all
receive the same accommodation and food, but can consort with
those of their own class. The statements made in this official memo-
randum are confirmed by the report of Mr. Chandler Hale, of the
United States Embassy, who visited the internment camp at the
Isle of Man on the 23rd November : §

" At present 500 are housed in two large comfortable buildings,
where each man has a bunk with mattress and three blankets.

* P.P. No. 44, end. 1. p. 31. f P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33.

I British Memorandum of 14th December. P.P. No. 36, end. p. 23. See
also No. 32, p. 21. A few who were still in tents at the date of this latter
despatch were moved into huts shortly afterwards.

§ P.P. No. 47, p. 36.

Other and similar huts are being erected for the rest of the
prisoners who are now living in tents, each of which has a
raised wooden flooring."

The British official memorandum further states that sanitary
arrangements, which necessarily differ in each camp, are under the
control of the medical officer in charge, and that he is in frequent
touch with the local medical officer of health. " Two officers,
experts in sanitation, constantly visit various camps with a view to
making the conditions as nearly perfect as possible. That these
efforts are being successful is evident by the fact that the number of
deaths from natural causes up to the beginning of December in all
places of internment have amounted to five, namely, one from
valvular heart disease, two from aneurism of aorta, one from dropsy,
one from typhoid (contracted before arrival in camp). Arrangements
are made in each place of internment for the washing of clothes,
which is done by the individual, and of the person. In most cases
hot water shower baths are provided, and it is hoped that these will
soon be established everywhere."*

Mr. Hale's report corroborates the truth of these statements. He
records that the washing facilities are ample and very good, and are
kept clean, and that there is hot and cold running water.

" As compared with Euhleben or any other camp that I have
visited in either country, the conditions are very good."t

Considerable freedom is given to prisoners of war in each place of
internment to arrange for their own comfort, general administration,
and maintenance of discipline ; ' ' Captains ' ' are elected by them-
selves, and it is to them that commandants look for general control,
and through them that representations are received. The plan works
well, and is appreciated by the prisoners. §

German practice. — The German official memorandum issued in
October stated that non-commissioned officers and soldiers are kept
on drill grounds, artillery target grounds, or on special grounds in
the vicinity of unfortified towns. Effort is made to provide specially
for non-commissioned officers, particularly the older ones. As
regards the amount of space allotted, the equipment of the quarters,
heating, lighting, &c., the provisions applicable to hut camps and
garrison quarters are in general in force. || The minimum breathing
space to each man is five cubic metres. Sleeping accommodation
consists of cloth sacks (paliasses) which are filled up with straw or
wood shavings ; and for each prisoner two woollen blankets, a towel,
and eating utensils are provided. For each quarter the necessary
tables, " sitting places," linen, drinking cups, appliances for the
hanging up of clothing, and wall shelves upon which to place eatables
and small articles are provided. There is in each prison camp an
installation for a bath and a wash-house for the cleaning of the

* P.P. No. 36, end. p. 23.

I 23rd November. P.P. No. 47, p. 36.

t P.P. No. 75, end. p. 54. § P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14.

laundry; and sufficient lighting (if possible, electric light), is pro-
vided.^

The actual conditions in the different German camps, according to
evidence extending over the first eight months of the war, vary con-
siderably. At Doberitz these provisions seem to have been properly
carried out :

At present the men are housed in tents with straw mattresses,
each tent being in the charge of a non-commissioned officer.
A large number of wooden houses, however, have been con-
structed. These are well built, lighted by electricity, and
will be properly heated. Each house will contain 100 men
in one large room. There will be a small room for the British
non-commissioned officers in charge of the building. Each of
these houses has six or eight windows. Ten of these houses
form a colony, to which is attached for each thousand men a
kitchen, two lavatories, and a store-house. The cooking is of
course done by the men themselves.
The settlement lies on a broad, sandy plain in healthful sur-
roundings. The men on the whole seem cheerful. They are
permitted to exercise, and a large amount of space is at their
disposal for this purpose. Ample arrangements are also to be
provided for washing throughout the winter, "f
At Merseburg the prisoners, ' ' separated by nationality, are housed
in wooden buildings, well built, ventilated, and heated. Water is
piped into the enclosure and electric lights are sufficiently placed.
, . They sleep upon straw mattresses in well-warmed
quarters, and, as far as I could judge, are as well or better
housed than are labourers upon public works in the United States, "t
But in some camps the conditions appear to be very different.
Major Vandeleur, speaking of the British prisoners who came to
Crefeld as orderlies, reported in December, 1914, that :

" the men state that they slept on straw which had not been

changed for months, and was quite sodden and rotten. All

the men who came as orderlies were crawling in vermin, and

half of them were suffering from the itch. The medical officer

had to isolate these men before they could be employed as

servants. "§

Surgeon-General Zviargintsef was informed in December last by a

Belgian sergeant that at Danholm bei Stralsund, " the men, among

whom, as he understood, there were a certain number of English

private soldiers, were subjected to a regime of extreme harshness.

They were quartered in earthen huts which were undrained, un-

heated, and without light. . . . Many were already suffering

from rheumatism, and their general condition was deplorable. "||

* German memorandum of 28th February. P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 80.

f Eeport of Mr. Grew, of the United States Ernbassy, 17th October. P.P.
No. 20, end. 1, p. 11.

I Report of the United States Consul at Leipzig, 16th November.
P.P. No. 30, end. p. 20.

5 P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32.

(• P.P. No. 54, p. 40.

These reports are corroborated by a detailed description of the
state of the internment camp at Euhleben in December, furnished
by a British prisoner interned there. It is as follows: —

Kuhleben is a trotting course with a training establishment
attached. The latter is used to house the prisoners. There
are eleven stables each containing twenty-seven horses' boxes
of 10 ft. 6 in. by 10 ft. 6 in., and above them tw^o large lofts.
We are housed in the boxes and in the lofts, each box accom-
modating six prisoners. The floor is of concrete, and after we
arrived we were supplied with a moderate amount of straw,
which, strewn on the concrete, serves as one's bed. There is
also a table and five chairs. The concrete is damp, and
consequently the straw has become damp and clammy also.
Eecently we were supplied with sacks which were to be filled
with straw and to serve as mattresses. For this we had to
use the old damp and partly-rotten straw. A long passage
runs down the full length of each stable ; it contains two
taps, which, together with one earthenware dish, constitute all
the washing accommodation for the approximately 300 or 400
men housed in each stable. We are roused at 6, and have to
get up at once; light in the passage is turned on about 6.30,
when there is a scramble for water ; afterwards the whole stall
is lined up and has to march a distance of 500 to 600 yards for
coffee. . . . After that the horse's box has to be cleaned.
Each stall has a non-commissioned officer and two private
soldiers in command. They treat the prisoners with great
brutality, shouting at them, and even using personal violence.
. . . About 8 at night we begin to go to 'bed' as best we can,
and at 9 there must be dead silence and the lights are turned
out in the passage; only one small one is left burning. All
this as related here does not sound so very terrible, but in
practice for those who have to go through it it is * hell.' The
horses' boxes are damp, and a boot placed on the concrete for
a few days will get quite a damp sole. Six men abreast in a
space of about 10 ft. 6 in. means that they fire packed like
sardines in a box, and no one can move. They are supplied
with only one poor blanket each, and those who have none of
their own are in a sad plight. If one man in the line attempts
to turn he disturbs all the others. Young men in the full
vigour of life may be able to stand it, but for elderly men it
simply means, if not immediate death, then certainly a
shortened life and broken health for the rest of their days.
The coughing which starts shortly after they have all turned
in, and which is apparently caused less by colds than by foul
air and the dust, is awful to hear. The sanitary arrange-
ments are poor. The water-closets are all closed to the
prisoners and reserved for the soldiers. The latrine, which is
erected at one side of the square, is about 50 to 60 yards
distant from the various stables, and anj^one obliged to use it
in the night has to go there. The poor quality of the food

caused illnesses, which makes this a special hardship. There
are men so stiff with rheimiatism and other complaints that
they have to be carried across to the latrines by their friends.
There are no baths. There is a shower bath at the emigration
barracks, some distance away from this camp, where the
Russian emigrants were formally cleansed of vermin. To
this the English prisoners are marched in batches. . . .
As to the inhabitants of the camp, there are about 4,000 to
5,000 of them spread over the eleven stables and two new
wooden sheds which are being built and a small tea pavilion
by the racecourse. Of these about 1,100 are British seamen,
and of the remaining 3,000 or 4,000 fully 60 per cent, are
Britons ' with German names, many of whom cannot even
speak one word of English. For what reason they are here
nobody seemed to understand. They are, however, gradually
Vv*eeded out, and of those who are being discharged on account
of ill-health almost all seem to have German names. For
real Britons and Colonials there is no chance of getting away
from here. There are men from all classes and practically of
all ages. There are sailors over 70 years of age and civilians
of 56 and more."*

(ii) Food.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 7 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that : —
' ' The Government into whose hands prisoners of war have fallen is

charged with their maintenance.
" In default of special agreement between the belligerents,

prisoners of war shall be treated as regards rations .

on the same footing as the troops of the Government which

captured them."

British practice. — The rations issued to prisoners of war captured
by British troops, as well as to interned civilians, are fully set out in
the British official memorandum of the 14th December.! They are
issued free, and consist of: —

Bread, 1 lb. 8 ozs., or biscuits, 1 lb.

Meat, fresh or frozen, 8 oz., or pressed, 4 oz.

Tea, J oz., or coffee, 1 oz.

Salt, 1 oz.

Sugar, 2 oz.

Condensed milk, -^ tin (1 lb.).

Fresh vegetables, 8 oz.

Pepper, y^^^^-

2 oz. cheese to be allowed as an alternative for 1 oz. butter or

margarine.
2 oz. of peas, beans, lentils, or rice.

* 29th December. P.P. No. 63, end. 1, p. 46.
I P.P. No. 36, end. p. 23.

Prisoners of war may in addition purchase tobacco, fruit and small
luxuries at the canteen. Prices, which are fixed by tlie commandant,
are on the same scale as that charged to British soldiers.*

Mr. Hale's report clearly shows how excellent is the quality and
quantity of the food supplied by the British Government to German
prisoners : —

" The dietary is excellent. Breakfast: 1 pint porridge, 1| oz.
syrup, 1 pint tea with sugar and milk, 8 oz. bread and ^ oz,
margarine. Supper: 1 pint tea with sugar and milk, ^ oz.
margarine and 8 oz. bread. Dinner: 20 oz. potatoes, 4 oz.
bread, a green vegetable every other day and meat in follow-
ing rotation. Sunday: ^ lb. roast beef; Monday: stew;
Tuesday : 6 to 8 oz. sausages ; Wednesday : sconce made of
meat, potatoes, and vegetables ; Thursday : stew ; Friday :
sausages ; Saturday : sconce.
" The men have their meals in a large glass-roofed, steam-heated
and electric-lighted building, where 16,000 can eat at a
time."f

German practice. — The German memorandum issued in October
stated that captured non-commissioned officers and soldiers receive
the same food as German non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
The cost of providing food is reckoned at the rate of 60 pfennige per
day and per person, which is about as much as for German non-
commissioned officers. The food is simple, but sufficient. t

The official memorandum of the 28th February issued instructions

to camp commanders to be guided by the following principles: —

" To the prisoners of war sufficient plain food shall be given which

in its quantity and composition is adapted to such class of

work as may be required of the prisoners of war.

" "Wherever possible consideration shall be paid to the habits of

living.
" The prisoners of war receive the same quantity of bread as the
German troops lodged in civilian quarters.
Three meals a day are served out: —
In the morning: Coffee, tea, or soup.
*' At noon: A plentiful fare consisting of meat and vegetables.
The meat may be replaced by a correspondingly larger portion
of fish.
** At night: a substantial and plentiful meal.

" Under any circumstances the daily fare must be sufficient for
the proper nourishment. The commanders who are responsible
for the fulfilment of these instructions consequently are
authorised to increase the amount of meat or vegetables
according to requirements ; they are thereby placed in a posi-
tion to better adapt the fare to the habits of living of the
various nations.

* See Despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page, 2nd December. P.P. No. 32,
p. 21.

t P.P. No. 47, p. 36.

J P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14.

" Continuous and careful supervision of the food vmder co-opera-
tion of medical officers is absolutely necessary ; attention must
be paid also to the fact that the fare does not become mono-
tonous, but is varied as much as possible.

" In the canteens the men. may purchase plain ioodstuffs, articles
for the care of the body, linenware, &c., at fixed low prices."*

At Kuhleben, according to the German statement of the 16th
February, English prisoners are supplied with food as follows: —
Morning : | litre of coffee.

Midday : 1 litre of vegetables, with —

(1) 100 gr. meat (weighed raw), or

70 gr. bacon, or

60 gr. tinned meat.

(2) 1,200 gr. potatoes.

(3) 25 gr. beef suet with the necessary parts.
Evening : 1 litre soup (excluding farinaceous soup), or

Cocoa, or

Tea, or

80 gr. sausage.

Further : | kilog. bread daily.

The food, which is prepared by experienced cooks, is examined
daily by an officer; the dietary is supervised by the camp doctor.
Prisoners who are certified by the doctor to be suffering from stomach
or intestinal diseases are permitted to cater for themselves at the
casino within the camp. The prices at this casino are very mode-
rate, and the food, of which the officers and non-commissioned officers
in charge of the camp also partake, is good. This branch is also
under the daily control of an officer.

Alcohol is forbidden throughout the camp.

Milk (hot and cold), mineral waters, butter, margarine, fat, and
other things eaten with bread, excepting luxuries, can be bought in
the camp by the prisoners. The very moderate prices charged for
these provisions are fixed by the commandant (" Kommando "). A
price list is enclosed. The quality of goods is controlled, f

However, within seven days of the issue of this memorandum, J
the United States Ambassador at Berlin reported that of the 4,273
men interned at this very place, approximately 2,000 were in the
greatest destitution.

" Although clothes have been furnished for all, these men, who
have no means of obtaining money from the outside, are
unable to procure margarine, sugar, soap, &c., of which they
stand in great need. I have . . . caused the ' Captain '
of the Englanderlager, Mr. J. Powell, to make a complete list
of those men who have absolutely no way of procuring money.
The result of this investigation has been that I have found
that a far larger number of men than I expected are now, or
will shortly be, completely without means. The smallest sum

* P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 80. + P.P. No. 93, end. 2, p. 63.

+ i.e., on 23rd February, Despatch to Mr. Page, P.P. No. 95, end. p. 65.

per week which could be satisfactorily given, and which would
actually cause a great difference in the condition of these men,
is 5 m., entailing a distribution of some 1U,UU0 m. per week.
The money thus distributed will be spent for such articles as
sugar, margarine, sausage, jam, soap, and tobacco, which are
to be bought at the canteen at the Engliinderlager. "*

The evidence of official German statements must be compared with
the evidence furnished by the United States Ambassador, and by the
prisoners themselves.

A British prisoner at Ruhleben, describing the conditions prevail-
ing in December last, relates that " each man is supplied with a
dish, which he takes with him, and in this he receives about a pint
of what is called coffee, but what is really only a concoction of
chicory without either milk or sugar. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the
midday meal is served out in the same way and into the same dish
as the coffee. Prisoners are marched 500 to 600 yards to one of
the kitchens and there receive about 1 to IJ pints of what is called
soup — it is water, potatoes, vegetables, such as Swedish carrots or
cabbages, sometimes peas or rice, and very little meat boiled with
it. Men sometimes have not received a scrap of meat for a whole
week. It is said that the contractor who supplies the food boils
the ineat first for the soldiers and gives them the best of it, and the
bones and leavings then go into the prisoners' soup. The ingredients
used seem to be to a great extent condemned stores. The rice, for
instance, was sweepings from warehouses and soiled by mice, and
the barley also often has the same flavour. Still, this concoction
would be eatable if it were properly boiled, but the vegetables are
generally half raw and quite hard. About 6 there is lining up again
for a basin of coffee or skilly. Besides this each prisoner received
every second day a loaf of black bread made of rye flour, with an
admixture of 50 per cent, of potatoes. There is a canteen, where at
exorbitant prices such luxuries as sugar, white bread, condensed
milk, butter, chocolate, cigars, &c., can be bought by those who can
afford it. Those who cannot afford to buy these luxuries are in a
very bad plight. They are not actually dying of starvation, but they
can only just keep themselves alive and no more."f

However, it does appear that some improvement in the supply of
food at this camp has recently taken place. In the despatch just
quoted, the United States Ambassador mentioned that the manage-
ment of the canteen had been taken out of the hands of a contractor,
and is now to be run upon a co-operative basis by the men themselves
at as nearly cost price as can be arranged. |

Messrs. Bradshaw and Coyne, who were released from Ruhleben
during March, reported to the Home Office that: —

" Since the 7th March a very important change has taken place in
the food supplied to the prisoners ; thanks to investigations by
Eittmeister von Muller, the caterer has been dispensed with.
It is believed in the camp that the United States authorities

* P.P. No. 95. end. p. 65. f P.P. No. 63, end. 1, p. 46.

I P.P. No. 95, end. p. 65.

prompted these investigations. The German authorities pro-
vide the bread, which is of better quality than fornaerly. The
allowance is over half a pound per man per day, i.e., more
than the civil population is allowed, but it is believed that a
regulation has been made, though not yet brought into force,
to reduce the bread allowance to correspond with that allowed
to persons outside the camp. Bread is no longer purchasable
at the canteen.

" The Government allows 60 pfennige (just over Id.) per head for
the rest of the food. , The canteen committee buys 100
grammes of meat (gristle, bone, &c., included) per man per
day. Pork is much used, then comes mutton and, more
rarely, beef.

" The meat is cooked in the soup and each man is given a piece
about the size of a cutlet with his soup at midday. The
spare pieces are divided amongst the men from the last
barracks to be served ; the barracks take it in turns to be last.

" On one day a week dinner consists of a piece of sausage, and rice
and prunes.
A piece of sausage is now served with the evening tea or coffee.
This sausage is bought out of the savings under the new
system.

' ' The rest of the savings on the catering and the profit on the sales
at the canteen go towards providing clothes, &c., for the
poorest men in the camp.
The meat is inspected bj' two of the prisoners, one a veterinary
surgeon and the other a butcher; it is cooked by ships' cooks
who are interned, and served by men chosen from among the
prisoners. The food is said to be well-cooked and the meals
quite appetising, at any rate when compared with the previous
regime."*

There is much evidence to show that the supply of food is also
very bad in many other camps. At Merseburg and Altdamm the
supply seems to be sufficient in quantity and quality. The American
Consul at Leipzig reported in November that at Merseburg " the
prisoners are fed three times a day. Breakfast consists of coffee and
bread. Dinner consists of vegetable and meat soup and bread, and
for supper they are given bread and coffee. I was informed that
many of the prisoners have some money, and that they are allowed
to buy whatever else they may wish to eat. If I may judge from
the mounds of empty beer bottles at hand, there is evidence in
support of this statement, "f

But at Doberitz, although no complaints were made on the 17th
October, on the 2nd October the United States Ambassador reported
that "some of the men complained that the food was insufficient.
One loaf of good black bread is given to three men ; each man has a
cup of coffee in the morning, some soup in the middle of the day,
and a cup of tea or coffee at night, and this constitutes their sole

* P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

•I" P.P. No. 30, end. p. 20, cp. also P.P. No. 58, end. 2, p. 43.

rations. I presume that the British prisoners in other camps are m
a similar condition. Tlie men also asked for tobacco and some money
to buy extra supplies at the canteens which exist in the camps."*

British soldiers who came to Crefeld as orderlies informed Major
Vandeleur in December last that " the feeding arrangements
for the British soldier were very bad indeed, and as the men had no
money to supplement their rations they were in a half-starved con-
dition, which their appearance corroborated."! These complaints
were confirmed by Surgeon-General Zviargintsef, who had been
released from Danholm,J and by the report of a United States
citizen living at Havre. §

(iii) Clothing.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 7 of the Hague Eegulations pro-
vides that: —

British practice. — Accordmg to the British practice, " an ample
supply of first-class clothing, including overcoats, boots, shirts, and
underclothing, as well £Cs towels, soap, &c., is kept in each camp, and
is supplied to those who have need of it free of charge. "||

German practice. — According to an official German statement of
the 28th February —

" In the beginning, non-commissioned officers and men who are

prisoners of war remain in the uniform which they have

brought with them. If the state of the thin clothing need

replacing, the prisoners will at first be provided with proper

articles of clothing from the booty of war. When the latter.

is used up, new suitable clothes are purchased. The kind of

clothing is dependent upon the season, the climate and the

weather. The clothing generally consists of a suit, necktie

and cap, besides shirts, socks, warm underwear and good shoes

are given, as well as overcoats and woollen blankets to protect

against the cold.

" Male civilian prisoners of war will be fitted out in the same way

as military prisoners of war after their present clothing can

no longer be used. "11

In fact, British prisoners have been deprived of the overcoats, and

even the tunics, which they were wearing at the time of capture.

This conduct is in violation of Article 4 of the Hague Eegulations,

which provides that " all their personal belongings, except arms,

horses, and military papers, remain their property." Nevertheless

*P.P. No. 15, enol. p. 8.

•f- P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32, cp. also No. 44, end. 2, p. 33.

I P.P. No. 54, p. 40. § P.P. No. 44, end. 3, p. 84.

II P.P. No. 36, end. p. 24. II P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 80.

it is proved by the testimony of the United States Ambassador at
Berlin, who reported in October, 1914, that :

The prisoners have only one blanket* and are without overcoats,
as when taken prisoner they are compelled to drop their over-
coats and equipment. They therefore suffer from cold, as
well as from the condition brought about by having no change
of underwear."!
Major Vandeleur calls special attention to the way in which
British soldiers had been deprived of their clothing by the Germans,
or had not been supplied with new clothes when the old were worn
out. According to information obtained from the British orderlies
who came to Crefeld as servants, and also from English and French
medical officers who had been in the camps, which in many cases
were composed of tents, " the men all had their greatcoats — and in
many cases their tunics as well — and their money taken away from
them, and are in great need of clothing, and particularly under-
clothing. It appears that the Germans supplied them with wooden
clogs when boots were worn out. "| Major Vandeleur also reports
that no greatcoats, socks or underclothing were at that date (Decem-
ber) being issued to the men ; and that wooden clogs and shoddy
trousers were given to them. § The report of a United States citizen
living at Havre also records that " there is a dearth of blankets and
clothes amongst prisoners ; many of them are in possession only of
the clothes in which they were originally captured. "||

However, at Merseburg sufficient clothing appears to be pro-
vided ;1I and at Altdamm " each prisoner is furnished with all the
clothing he needs if he arrives unprovided, the one suit of underwear
must be made to suffice until worn out. Arrangements exist for.
washing clothing properly, and this is insisted upon."**

Section V.— MATTERS AFFECTING THE GENERAL
WELFARE OF THE PRISONERS.

(i) Medical Attendance and Hospital Accommodation.

The Geneva Convention. — Article 1 of the Geneva Convention,
signed on the 6th July, 1906, provides that "Officers and soldiers, and
other persons officially attached to armies, shall be respected and
taken care of when wounded or sick by the belligerent in whose power
they may be, without distinction of nationality."

* The American Consul-General at Berlin reported on 17th October that
the prisoners at Doberitz were by that time receiving two blankets, but that
prisoners complained that they were not thick enough. P.P. No. 20, end
p. 11.

f Despatch of Mr. Gerard to Mr. Page of 2nd October. P.P. No. 15,
end. p. 8.

I No. 44, end. 1, p. 32. § P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33.

II P.P. No. 44, end. 3, p. 34, Bee, 1914. 11 P.P. No. 30, end. p. 20.
**P.P. No. 58, end. 2, p. 43.

British practice. — According to the British practice captured
officers and soldiers receive free medical attendance.* " A resident
medical officer forms part of the staff of each place of internment,
and in each is a hospital where minor cases of sickness can be dealt
with. More serious cases are removed to local hospitals, and in some
eases to the German Hospital in London. Soldier and sailor prisoners
of war who require hospital treatment are admitted to military hos-
pitals and treated in precisely the same way as British soldiers and
sailors. Officers are in officers' wards."!

Gerrnan practice. — According to a German official statement, " the
medical service in the prison camps corresponds to that maintained
in the hut camps in peace time. Captured medical officers are
employed in the medical service of the prison camps. Likewise
members of the medical corps are in proper cases employed in the
same manner, "f

Generally speaking, the hospital accommodation and medical
attendance provided for prisoners of war by the German authorities
is fairly satisfactory. Major Vandeleur has no complaint to make
in this respect. § At Torgau, however, officers had, at any rate in
October last, great difficulty in procuring special medicines which
they require owing to some permanent ailment or weakness. || One
exception must be mentioned. At Ruhleben, according to a prisoner
interned there, there is, or was, in December, 1914, practically no
medical attendance for prisoners.
" There are two military doctors, one of whom seems to have been
withdrawn, as rumours say, because he was too humane.
The state of affairs is best illustrated by the following actual
occurrence. One night a man was taken ill with gall stones;
of course he could not get help in the night, but the first thing
in the morning the non-commissioned officer was informed,
who came and looked at hizn and sent for the hospital attend-
ant. That attendant turned up a few hours later, took the
patient's temperature, found his pulse very weak, and said it
was a case for the doctor, whom he would inform. The sick
man waited all day, but no doctor came, although he could
be seen walking about the square for hours smoking cigarettes.
, In the evening the hospital attendant came to ask if the doctor
had been to see the patient, and promised to send him at
8 o'clock, but no doctor came. Next morning, after thirty-six
hours after the man was taken ill, he was informed that if he
wanted to see the doctor he would have to dress and go and
see him. This he eventually did. His friends dragged him to
the consulting room; the doctor did not even examine him, he
merely asked him what was the matter and what he wanted.
When informed that the patient wanted morphium he told his
attendant to give him one capsule, and that ended the matter
All the inixiates of this camp are agreed that if anyone here

* See despatch of Sir E. Grey to Mr. Page, of 2nd December. P.P. No. 32,
p. 21.

f P.P. No. 36, end. p. 23. | P.P. No. 20, end. 4, p. 14.

§ See P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33. || P.P. No. 20, end. 3, p. 13.

should fall ill his days are numbered unless he be a German
Englishman."*

(ii) Postal Facilities.

The Hague RcgulatioJi. — Article 16 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that : —

" Letters, money orders, and valuables, as well as postal parcels,
intended for prisoners of war, or despatched by them, shall be
exempt from all postal charges in the countries of origin and
destination, as well as in the countries they pass through."

British practice. — The arrangements made by Great Britain to
carry out the terms of this Article are set out 'in a despatch of Sir
E. Grey to the United States Ambassador in London, dated the 24th
September.!

" As regards postal facilities, letters written by prisoners of war
will be free of postal charges, whether addressed to persons in
the United Kingdom, in allied, in neutral or in enemy states.
Letters addressed to prisoners of war, whether posted at home
or abroad, will be similarly exempt.

" Postal parcels sent abroad by, or from abroad to, prisoners of
war will also be free of postage.

" The registration and insurance of postal parcels and letters
going abroad will be free.

' ' Commission on postal orders and money orders sent by prisoners
of war to persons in the United Kingdom, or in an enemy or
neutral state, will be waived.

" Apart from the facilities above indicated, arrangements have
been made for the actual transmission of the letters and
parcels of prisoners of war to Germany.

" Any remittances of money to prisoners of war will be issued to
them under the direction of the commandants of the places of
internment."

" Every interned prisoner is permitted to write two letters a week,
each consisting of two pages of ordinary writing paper, ruled.
No writing is allowed between the lines. These are despatched
twice a week, after being censored. In special cases, where a
man can show need for it, the number and length of his letters
is unlimited. There is no limitation to the number of letters
which a man may receive. Letters from or to prisoners may
be written in either German or English, but when in German
there is greater delay in censorship."!

German practice. — The German official statement issued on the
28th February stated that " according to new regulations now uni-
formly in force throughout Germany, the prisoners may write a letter
twice monthly, and besides, postal cards once weekly. "§ These

* P.P. No. 63, end. 2, p. 47.

f P.P. No. 9, p. 5.

X See British memorandum of 14th December. P.P. No. 36, end. p. 24.

§ P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 81. Cp. No. 93, end. 2, p. 63.

postal cards are limited to nine lines.* " Ofificers may write letters
of six pages ; men, of four pages. If special circumstances exist,
such as the adjustment of family matters and urgent affairs of a
business nature, exceptions may be allowed."! Parcels not exceed-
ing 5 kilog. in weight may be sent with or without a declaration of
value. J

Messrs. Bradshaw and Coyne report that these regulations are
now in force at Kuhleben, and that parcels now reach prisoners of
war at that camp in about ten or twelve days.§

These regulations are much less favourable to prisoners than those
which are in force in this country; however, they show a marked
improvement upon the state of affairs which previously prevailed.
Formerly parcels took a month in transit. || At Torgau the American
Consul-General at Berlin reported in October that the despatch and
delivery of letters was much delayed owing to restrictions regarding
censorship, and to the totally inadequate provision of censors. At
that time no letters at all were allowed to be despatched in order to
allow the Commandant, with his many other duties, to censor letters
already posted. The assistance of senior British officers, which had
already many times been offered, had always been declined. H

Major Vandeleur reported that at Crefeld letters and post cards,
although delayed, were received up to the 14th of December, when
the delivery of letters almost ceased.** A prisoner interned at
Euhleben wrote on the 29th December that prisoners are allowed to
write two post cards a week, and not more. ft

(iii) Money and Gifts.

The Hague Regulation. — Article 16 of the Hague Kegulations
provides that: —

" Presents and relief in kind for prisoners of war shall be admitted
free of all import or other duties, as well as any payment for
carriage by State railways."

British practice. — According to the British practice — H

Any money found on a prisoner on internment above a small
sum (say 11.) is taken in charge by the camp commandant and
a receipt is given to the man, who can then draw on the
balance in the commandant's hands at such times and in
such amounts as he may require and the commandant may
think advisable. Similarly, money sent to a prisoner is, if in
large amounts, taken in charge by the commandant, a receipt
is given to the man, and he may obtain this money under the
same conditions as money taken from him on internment.
For any sum of money paid to or received from either side a
receipt is always given. Within these restrictions the amount
which a prisoner may receive is unlimited.
Gifts, whether sent from a neutral country or received from

~~* See P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

t P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 81. Cp. No. 93, end. 2, p. 63.

I See P.P. No. 38, end. p. 26. § 18th March. P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

II P.P. No. 109, p. 81. H P.P. No. 20, end. 3, p. 13.
**P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33. ff P.P. No. 63, end. 2,"p. 48.
II British memorandum of 14th December. P.P. No. 36, end. p. 34.

other sources, are permitted, subject only to inspection by the

camp staff before delivery to the recipient."
German practice. — According to the German official memorandum
of the 28th February, prisoners of war, whether officers or men, may
receive parcels of eatables, table luxuries, and tobacco, without
exception, and these may not be withheld from thein;* and Messrs.
Bradshaw and Coyne state that at Euhleben the officials are scrupu-
lously honest as regards money owned by or sent to the prisoners,
except that they pay out in paper or silver, whereas they took in
gold. Money is paid out to those prisoners who have an account at
the rate of 20 M. per fortnight, but an extra 20 M. can be obtained
for the purchase of boots, clothes, &c., if shown to be necessary, f
However, Major Vandeleur reported in December, 1914, that money
in the possession of officers and men was systematically taken away
from them on the journey to the internment camps in spite of an
alleged Government prohibition, and that no receipts were given.
Customs duties were charged on everything until the beginning of
December ; but have been remitted since that date. As to money
sent from England, each officer was allowed to have in his possession
at any one time sums not exceeding 51., and each soldier a sum not
exceeding 10s. The surplus was retained by the commandant, and
a receipt for it was given.}

(iv) Occupations and Eecreation.

The Hague Uegulation. — Article 6 of the Hague Regulations pro-
vides that : —

" The State may employ the labour of prisoners of war, other than
officers, according to their rank and capacity. The work shall
not be excessive, and shall have no connection with the opera-
tions of the war. Prisoners may be authorised to work for the
public service, for private persons, or on their own account.
Work done for the State is paid for at rates proportional to the
work of a similar kind executed by soldiers of the national
army, or, if there are no such rates in force, at rates pro-
portional to the work executed. When the work is for other
branches of the public service, or for private persons, the
conditions are settled in agreement with the military authori-
ties. The wages of the prisoners shall go "towards improving
their position, and the balance shall be paid them on their
release, deductions on account of the cost of maintenance
excepted."

British practice. — In the internment camps in Great Britain —

" Everything possible is done to provide the prisoners with recrea-
tion, mental and bodily, and in each place of internment a
committee is formed from among the prisoners (whether
soldiers or civilians) to organise amusements and to frame
suggestions for occupation, either intellectual or athletic. In

* P.P. No. 108, end. 3, p. 80.

I P.P. No. 109, p. 81.

J P.P. No. 44, end. 2, p. 33.

this the mihtary authorities are aided by pliilanthropic indi-
viduals and bodies. In certain cases, prisoners, both soldiers
and civilians, have been employed in making roads, building
huts for themselves, levelling and clearing ground. Civilians
are emploj^ed on such work only if they volunteer for it, but
should they so volunteer they are paid at the same rate as is
given to soldiers, namely, that which is paid to our own
soldiers in this country for similar work.
" All prisoners do their own cooking, and generally look to the
cleanliness and good order of their camps. Booke are sup-
plied in each place of internment."*
Since February prisoners of war have been allowed to obtain
English newspapers, subject to certain restrictions, f

German practice. — In Germany, on the other hand, prisoners of
war were not, at any rate up to the end of March, 1915, allowed to
have any newspapers. J But generally speaking they are permitted
to have some form of recreation. Major Vandeleur reports that at
Crefeld—
" we were allowed to make use of the gravel quadrangle inside the
barracks, and we were also able to secure a football. By
walking round and round the quadrangle we were able to keep
ourselves reasonably fit. The quadrangle was some 70-80
yards long and about 60 yards wide, and surrounded by build-
ings three or four storeys high on two sides. On one of its
sides was the stabling.
No recreation rooms were provided, but we were allowed to use
the dining hall after meals had been cleared away."§
At Merseburg and at Altdamm, opportunities for games and exer-
cise seem to be given, || and at Ruhleben, although in December
prisoners had to line up and were marched round the racecourse for
about an hour, guarded by soldiers with loaded rifles, If an improve-
ment is reported to have taken place, and a dramatic society has
been started, which recently gave its first perforiTiance, Shaw's
Androcles and the Lion."**

Section VI. — Conclusion.
Recapitulation. — The evidence which has been put forward in this
paper may be recapitulated. During the first eight months of the
war — the period here under consideration — Great Britain has in every
case shown herself ready and willing to treat German prisoners of
war in accordance with the provisions of International Conventions
and the recognised principles of humanity. In Germany, it was
reported that — " the British are almost starved, and such have been
their tortures that thirty of them asked to be shot." "The prisoners
are stated to be given very little food and to be all herded together

* British memorandum, dated 14th December, P.P. No. 36, end. p. 23.
f P.P. No. 75, eucl. p. 55.
t P.P. No. 20, end. 3, p. 14.
§P.P. No. 44, end. 1, p. 32.

II P.P. No. 30, end. p. 20. P.P. No. 58, end. 2, p. 42.
HP.P. No. 63, end. 2, p. 47.
**P.P. No. 109, p. 82.

without light or warmth, their condition being such that they are
apparently being gradually starved to death." These facts have
come to the knowledge of the British Government, although there is
evidence that certain features of the German internment camps are
concealed fi'om visitors.

Moreover, it appears that during this period British prisoners have
been specially selected for unnecessary hardships. " The British
prisoners were told that none of the potato soup was for them, but
that if any was left over after the French had been fed, they should
get what remained." " The German lieutenant in charge is openly
insulting and hostile to the British prisoners."

As to the treatment of prisoners on the journey from the iield of
battle to the fortress prison, " there is authentic evidence of many
instances of cruelty to officers, prisoners of war, on their way to
Torgau, both from officers, soldiers, members of the Ked Cross, and
civilians." " Evidence shows that officers and men have been killed
after capture." " I was pulled out in front of the wagon by the
order of the officer in charge of the station, and after cursing me in
filthy language for some ten minutes, he ordered one of his soldiers
to kick me back into the wagon, which he did, sending me sprawling
into the filthy mess at the bottom of the wagon. This floor was
covered fully three inches deep in fresh manure, and the stench of
horse urine was almost asphyxiating."

There is detailed evidence as to the treatment of prisoners of war
in England and German, and as to the conditions prevailing
in the internment camps during the period under discussion.
The German Government has consistently refused to con-
form to the Hague Eegulation concerning the pay of cap-
tured officers, although Great Britain has been willing to do so.
Captured German officers in England are quartered in country houses,
or in officers' quarters in barracks; at Burg 23 British officers were
reported to be living in one room — a garret under the roof. While in
England, until March, and so long as there seemed to be any hope
of reciprocal treatment by Germany, German officers were messed
free, and were able to purchase minor luxuries at the canteens,
British officers in Germany have throughout been compelled to pay
for their food, for which in some cases the whole of their pay has
been deducted. Moreover, they may not purchase cigars, tobacco,
or chocolate. Many British officers have, in violation of the Hague
Eegulation, been deprived of clothing which they were wearing at
the time of capture.

Captured German soldiers in England have been lodged in large
buildings, barracks, huts, or on board ship, and the greatest care has
been taken by the British authorities with respect to sanitation.
Captured British soldiers in Germany have been, in some cases,
quartered in earthen huts, undrained, unheated, and unlighted.
Although the conditions in one or two camps appear to be satisfac-
tory, at Ruhleben six British soldiers are housed in a horse-box less
than eleven feet square. " If one man in the line attempts to turn,
he disturbs all the others."

German prisoners in Great Britain receive full rations, the exact
particulars of which have been Known to the world since December

last. British prisoners " are not exactly dying of starvation, but
they can," in some of the camps, " only just keep tliemselves alive,
and no more."

At each internment camp in Great Britain an ample supply of
clothing is kept, and supplied free to enemy prisoners who have need
of it. Germany in many cases issues wooden clogs and shoddy
trousers ; German officials have deprived British prisoners of the
overcoats, equipment, and even tunics, which were in their posses-
sion when captured.

Medical treatment and hospital attendance are on the whole satis-
factory. Postal facilities for prisoners are much more restricted in
Germany than in England ; although there has recently been an
improvement in this respect. Great Britain allows newspapers,
subject to certain regulations ; Germany forbids them.

The Good Offices of the United States. — There has undoubtedly
been some improvement in the treatment of prisoners by Germany ;
this seems to be largely due to the perseverance and goodwill of the
Government of the United States through its diplomatic officers,
which appear on every page of the Parliamentary Paper. They have
frequently visited and reported upon the conditions existing among
the prisoners in both countries ; and have offered their services for
the distribution of relief among those who are in want. The Embassy
at Berlin has already distributed among British prisoners in Germany
7,220 greatcoats, 2,635 jackets, 2,994 pairs of trousers, 790 pairs of
boots, 2,990 shirts, 2,989 pairs of drawers, 642 waistcoats, 1,908 pairs
of socks, and many other articles. They have done humane work,
which will be gratefully remembered.

A contrast. — Nothing can better illustrate the general difference
of treatment of prisoners of war prevailing in Great Britain and Ger-
many respectively than the two following descriptive accounts, both
written by citizens of the United States. The first is an article on
the state of British prisoners of war at Doberitz, published in
December, 1914 : — *

There are 9,000 very miserable men in the camp for prisoners
of war at Doberitz. No doubt the conditions under which
they live are forced by a military necessity. Nevertheless,
they are very miserable men.

We would treat them better if we could,' said the guard who

escorted me. ' But we cannot. We are doing the best we

can.'

" I am inclined to credit that statement. Certain things show for

themselves. These men are sleeping — 200 to 500 to the tent —

in horse tents which have been cast off by the German cavalry.

" These tents are very old. Some of them have been patched and

thatched with torn and discoloured bits of canvas. The

present camp is only a makeshift, intended to bridge over the

time until the winter barracks shall be completed. By this

time they may be housed in these permanent huts.

" Germany claims to hold 433,000 prisoners of war. The housing

and feeding of so great a number must be a tremendous strain

* P.P. No. 44, end. 4, p. 34.

upon resources drained by the necessities of war. Never-
theless, these 9,000 men at Doberitz are very miserable men.

The chief item in their bill of discontent is the monotony. They
have nothing, absolutely nothing, to do. It is true they are
vermin-ridden. They have no way of keeping themselves
clean. Some of them are not warmly clothed. They could
bear with all these things if only they had something to do.

' They sing," said the guard. ' They sing " Tipperary." '

' One wouldn't think they would feel like singing,' was the
comment.

* It is something to do,' said he.

The plain truth is that the treatment of prisoners of war by the
fighting nations is an international scandal. England holds
prisoners, and France holds prisoners, and Russia holds
prisoners, and so does Germany. For some reason no exchange
can be arranged. Humanitarian ideas are no part of the war
programme.

One hears of battles in which no quarter is granted. There
are stories of one side or the other refusing an armistice to
permit the other to gather its wounded. Each side is despe-
rately determined to win, and neither is counting the cost.
So men must rust in prison camps until the struggle is over.

" No Chance to Bathe.

We went into one of the long tents. A British soldier was
sitting on his bed-roll, carefully examining the interior of his
trousers. His long white legs were bare. When he saw us
he hastily covered himself up and blushed.

There are 9,000 men in the Doberitz camp, elbowing each other,
sleeping two in a bed. Not one has had a bath since he was
first brought to the camp. It isn't likely that one will have a
bath while the war lasts. When winter comes, and they move
into the permanent wooden barracks which have been provided
for them, conditions must grow worse. They will be huddled
about stoves then, and in the lack of proper clothing will not
keep in the open air. Even now —

' Don't touch anything,' said the guard. ' You'll get 'em on
you.'

When a man can stand the torture no longer he is sent to the
hospital. There he gets — not a bath — but a thorough daubing
with a vermin-killing ointment. His clothes are disinfected.
He is sent back to be reinhabited.

Some of them do their best to keep clean. In the centre of the
camp is a horse-trough, perhaps 50 feet long, into which water
can be turned from a tap. It stands in the open air. Men
who have money and can buy soap at the canteen wash their
clothes in this trough. If they are particularly particular they
strip themselves and take an ice- water bath. The fall and
winter climate of northern Germany is very severe. We were
shivering in our overcoats. But we saw half-a-dozen men
naked to the waist, rubbing themselves down with water at
the horse-trough.

" Doberitz prison camp is an hour"s ride by motor from Berlin.
It is a bare, bleak expanse of sandy soil, surrounded by a
barbed- wire trocha. At one end is a slight elevation on which
several old field pieces have been mounted behind a barbed-
wire entanglement. The guards call it a fort.

" ' But I don't believe there is any ammunition for the guns,'
said the escort. ' It is just what you call a bluff.'

" The bluff was needed at the outset, for the men fought among
themselves. The Germans have carefully scrambled the
nationalities, so that Russians and French and English are
mingled in the tents. Early in the war the Allies didn't like
each other. The men of each race thought the other two had
not been doing their part in the war. So they fought it out
along this line. When fighting became rioting, the guards
came in and suppressed it. The fort was a great aid in
restoring inter-racial peace.

Seems to me a great many of the Englishmen are very pale,'
I said to the guard. ' Do they get enough to eat? '
He said they did, but that they didn't like it. The men receive
a hunk of war bread, made of rye and potato flour, with a cup
of tea in the morning and the same thing at night, with an
occasional chunk of sausage added. The one hot meal of the
day is at noon, when each gets a pannikin full of a soupy stew
of cabbage and carrots and potatoes, or whatever other vege-
table may be handy, plus some meat.

" ' The Russians like that soup,' said the guard. ' The English-
men and Frenchmen do not. They are always complaining.'

" I saw that stew in the rough. Perhaps 1 was influenced by my
dislike for cabbage and carrots, but it seemed to me it was a
mighty unappetising mess. I began to understand why so
many of the Tommies looked so pale. One Tommy stood
near when the guard told of the stew. He said in an under-
tone : —
* T 'ad a sow. And even she wouldn't eat skilly.'

" The men sleep in pairs in the tents on straw ticks. When we
were there it had been raining for days. The dirt floor of the
tents was a mass of mud. The straw gave off a sour and musty
odour. But the guards say that the animal heat of so many
men sleeping under a single canvas roof keeps them warm.
Perhaps that is true. It is very certain that the atmosphere
in the tents in which the inhabitants were largely Russians
was abominable. The English and French lashed back the
tent flaps and ventilated the sleeping places during the day.

" It may be quite true that nothing better can be done for them
under the circumstances. Nevertheless, these 9,000 are very
miserable men."

The second is a report by Mr. Chandler Hale, of the United States
Embassy, on the Isle of Man detention camp and the riot which took
place there in November last.*

Mr. Hale left for Douglas on the night of the 23rd November, the
date on which the riot in the Isle of Man detention camp was

* P.P. No. 47, p. 36.

reported in the press, and made a careful enquiry into the cause of
the riot and an inspection of the camp. He reports as follows : —
3,300 non-belligerent enemy aliens are interned at Douglas, con-
sisting of 2,000 Germans and 1,300 Austrians and Hungarians.
The camp is now somewhat crov^'ded, but the authorities will
transfer 1,000 ixien to another camp at Peel, on the other side
of the island, as soon as accommodations there are ready for
them — probably in a few weeks. At present 500 are housed
in two large comfortable buildings, where each man has a
bunk with mattress and three blankets. Other and similar
huts are being erected for the rest of the prisoners who are
now living in tents, each of which has a raised wooden flooring.
The dietary is excellent. Breakfast, 1 pint porridge, IJ oz.
syrup, 1 pint tea with sugar and milk, 8 oz. bread and ^ oz.
margarine. Supper, 1 pint tea with sugar and milk, | oz.
margarine and 8 oz. bread. Dinner, 20 oz. potatoes, 4 oz.
bread, a green vegetable every other day and meat in following
rotation: Sunday, ^ lb. roast beef; Monday, stew; Tuesday,
6 to 8 oz. sausages; Wednesday, sconce made of meat,
potatoes, and vegetables ; Thursday, stew ; Friday, sausages ;
Saturday, sconce. The men have their meals in a large glass-
xoofed, steam-heated, and electric lighted building, where
1,600 can eat at a time. The latrines and washing facilities
are ample and very good, and are kept clean; there is hot and
cold running water. As compared with Euhleben or any other
camp that I have visited in either country, conditions are very
good. The riot started, it is alleged, as the result of bad
potatoes. The authorities admit that one shipment proved
wormeaten, and they were rejected after a few days. On the
18th November the men declared a hunger strike at dinner.
The following day they ate their dinner without any com-
plaint, and immediately after the withdrawal of the guards
from the rooms, the prisoners suddenly, and evidently by pre-
arrangement, started in to break up the tables, chairs, crock-
ery, and everything they could lay their hands on. Upon the
appearance of the guards, the rioters charged them armed
with table legs and chairs. The guards fired one volley in
the air, but it had no effect. Finally, and in self-protection,
they fired a second round which resulted in the death of four
Germans and one Austrian, and the wounding of nineteen
others. I talked freely with the wounded and also with many
others, and gathered that the prisoners were in the wrong and
had only themselves to blame. One of the most intelligent
men I talked with, a German, said that a considerable percent-
age of the men were a bad lot gathered in from the East of
Dondon, with several agitators amongst them who preached
discontent and insubordination, which was really the direct
cause for the trouble. I am satisfied this was so, as I saw the
whole camp and every detail connected with it, and have
nothing but commendation for its entire organisation and the
kindly treatment accorded the prisoners by the Commandant
and his gubordinates. "

Miscellaneous, 1914 — contimied.

No. 13. — Correspondence respecting Events leading to the
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No. 14. — Despatch from His Majesty's Ambassador at Con-
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*Nos. 6, 11, 12, and 15.

Misoellaneous, 1915.

No. 1. — Despatch to Sir Henry Howard containing Instruc-
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No. 2. — Despatch from His Majesty's Ambassador at Petrograd
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No. 5. — Correspondence between His Majesty's Government
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No. 6.— Correspondence between His Majesty's Government
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No. 8. — Correspondence between His Majesty's Government
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No. 9. — Notes exchanged with the Chilean Minister respecting
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*Nos. 3 and 10. J

COLLECTED DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS

relating to the Outbreak of the European War.

This volume includes the British Diplomatic Correspondence,
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1914, and, as an appendix to the Serbian Blue Book, the Speech of

Signer Giolitti before the Italian Chamber of Deputies on 5tk
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Report. . , i

Warrant of Appointment. Introductory Observations.
Part I. Conduct of German Troops in Belgium.
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Copies of Proclamations issued by the Gernaans.
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II. Of Hostilities. Section III. Military Authority over the
Territory of the Hostile State).

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Reports of the Official Commission of the Belgian Go¥ernment.

Preface by Monsieur J. Van Den Heuvel, Minister of State.
Names of the Commission of Enquiry. Reports, Nos. 1 to 12, of the^
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Full text of "The treatment of prisoners of war in England and Germany during the first eight months of the war."

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