My grandfather Part 4

I just realized today is the Anniversary of my grandfather being shot down! Good heavens! Quite a coincidence that I am blipping his story on the 97th Anniversary of his capture.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, stars and hearts and for embracing my grandfather’s story so much! There are remarkably few words that I cannot make out (noted in parentheses). This tiny paper journal, very thin in volume and written in cursive in pencil is such a treasure to our family. I feel closer to him with each word I type.

So…when we last left our hero…

Part 2:
“I was kept in this little orderly room from about noon until 3:30 PM. I was driven in some kind of shaky cart a distance of about three or four miles. On the way there I passed within sight of my machine in the exact place I had landed. It made me feel sad to see it, and to know that never again during the war could I realize the excitement I daily had in it. From the second place I was taken by a sentry with a revolver a distance of about five miles, which I had to walk in my flying boots. These latter were very comfortable for their specified work but walking along uneven roads they were very hard on my feet. After being interviewed by a divisional officer I was marched with a sentry to a place called Phalempin. Here we took a train for Lille. This was my first experience in being paraded around like a polar bear on a chain. I was squeezed into a compartment supposed to hold about seven, but counting myself we had fourteen (can’t make out word) the big pack of the German soldiers equipment. I felt relieved when at last we pulled into Lille station. A beautiful large depot it is, too. Lille is the fifth largest city in France and before the war quite an important one. The platform was crowded with German soldiers, at that time I must admit that seeing so many almost made me feel downhearted although I was doing my best to keep cheerful under all conditions. Marching away from the station with my guard, I met quite a number of French civilians who had remained in their homes during the German advance of 1914. I got many a friendly smile in passing these people, and it helped a lot to cheer me up. I was marched from the station to the old French Citadel. Here I was marched into a room where I was searched. It was in this room that I wrote my first card home (pictured in photo). When it arrived at its destination, so far I do not know. During all this time I had only a cup of tea at the place of my capture, and I certainly felt hungry. I was marched up an old flight of stairs inside a courtyard to my cell. It was a small room with double barred windows looking out onto the courtyard. With the exception of an old table and five iron beds there was no other furniture of any kind in the room. When my sentry closed and locked the door it was 9 o’clock, I lay down on my bed and fell to sleep in my first night of captivity.

My first night of being a prisoner of war will be always very vivid in my mind. Although so tired and weary I could not go to sleep. The whole night I gave myself up to thought. Thinking if I had only done this or that I might still be free, besides my thoughts to keep me awake there was the never ceasing tread of my armed guard outside of my cell. About eight o’clock a German orderly brought me in some coffee. I will never forget my first taste of this. I believe it is made from acorns. At least I know it is a substitute for coffee and it is very poor stuff. At noon I had my first bowl of soup. I did not eat it the first day but on the second day I was not quite as particular.

For nine days and nights I was alone in my prison room. I spent the Anniversary of the 4th year of the war there, August 4th 1918, and for the want of something to do I inscribed my name on the stone ledge of the window*. During the time spent at Lille, I was under the heaviest bombardment that I have yet witnessed. Three nights in succession our machines dropped bombs near Lille, and the explosion of those combined with the noise of the Archie Batteries was deafening. After being nine days alone I was put into another room with two other officers. I never realized before what it was like to have someone to speak to. One of the officers was a chap by the name of Shell. He was in the same training Squadron in England as myself. The other officer was from the Infantry and had been captured during a day-light patrol. His name was Pearson. We were together only a few days before we were sent to Germany. Taking the train at Lille with our guards the afternoon of Aug 12th. I remember before getting into the train I saw a number of British Tommy Prisoners who were used by the Germans for carrying baggage etc. I told them to keep their spirits up as we were starting a big advance.

We had a very uncomfortable journey to Karlsruhe. We rode all the way third and fourth class, and subjected to many insults by train officials and German soldiers. We changed trains at a place called Saarbrucken and had to wait in a building filled with soldiers who were lying asleep all over the floor. The three of us dropped off to sleep here, and while asleep we had three loaves of bread stolen. This meant quite a bit to us as our journey was taking three days. Passing into Alsace and Lorraine we saw some very beautiful scenery, such a contrast from northern France, which is nothing but a heap of ruins. Many a pretty little farm lay dotted along the railroad line and everything seemed so peaceful. Arriving at Metz, we were taken into a lunchroom adjoining the station. I sold my flying gloves for five Marks and bought us each some sausage and boiled string beans. This was the first thing resembling a meal I had had since my capture. We had changed trains at Metz and this necessitated a delay of about three hours, which we spent in a little room off the main waiting room. During our short stop at Metz we were able to note considerable damage done in the vicinity of the Depot by our bombing machines, and all along the line we observed numerous places that also had been visited by our night flyers. After a very tiresome journey we reached Karlsruhe on Sunday afternoon at 3 PM".

There is more to come, will write more tomorrow but my student will be arriving momentarily so must stop here.

*my father went to Lille, he followed the route my grandfather describes in this diary and went to the Citadel where my grandfather was imprisoned at this point. More to come about that later, I’m interviewing dad on Sunday.

Happy evening all, weekend coming! xo