Saturday, June 22, 1918: “Imagine suggesting in peace time that clothes should be baked!”
Saturday June 22nd. Our quarters here are not bad. Nine of us in a good sized room with large windows overlooking the downs. There are about seven hundred of us here altogether. Have applied to join an advanced French class, and an elementary Spanish one. Spent afternoon having a good hot shower, and in having my clothes baked – an unnecessary precaution fortunately. What a lot of things we’ve got used to during this war, and lately. Imagine someone suggesting to me in peace time that my clothes should be baked!
Friday, June 21, 1918: “Arrived at Graudenz at 7:30pm. Marched to our permanent camp.”
Friday June 21st. Arrived Posen about 9 am. but got no coffee. Given bowls of soup containing ‘wurst’ (see Hannover) at Bromberg, for which we had to line up in a queue, and which we had to eat on the platform, the cynosure of all eyes. Getting rather fed up with being stared at. We are now in Prussia, which is supposed to be pretty hard up for food. Arrived at Graudenz, our destination, at 7.30 pm. Marched to our permanent camp, which consists of half the barracks of the [German] 175th Infantry Regiment. Met there many infantry people whom we had left at Rastatt. They told us that the camp is a new one – and that the food, though better in quality, is even less in quantity than at Rastatt. What a hope! Moreover Hanna, although he was actually at Landshut while I was there, although in a different camp, was sent to Holzminden with several others, while the rest came on here. So that camp inspector was a liar! Please Heaven the parcels arrive soon. Hear that Rastatt improved considerably after we left – got an issue of five biscuits per person per day.
