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.
Thursday, June 20, 1918: “I doubt they would sing so much if they could foresee their fate”
Thursday June 20th Good lunch at Leipzig. Passed numbers of young fellows in civilians travelling cooped up in cattle trucks – apparently a new class just called up and travelling to a training camp. They had all decorated their trucks with green branches cut from trees &c. and seemed very cheerful singing: I doubt they would sing so much if they could foresee their fate.
I particularly noticed the sort of onion shaped domes which most of the public Bavarian buildings carry; it seems peculiar to Bavaria, for in Saxony here I’ve seen none. Went viâ Cottbus to Guben. Arrived there 11 pm. Given some bread and indifferent sausage.
Travelled all night. Slept fairly well.
Wednesday June 19th Left Landshut at 10 oclock. Hear we are going to an old permanent camp. Got a loaf and a lb. of pork as rations. Went viâ Regensburg to Hof. Had a good dinner at Regensburg. Coffee at Hof. Slept on stone floor in a waiting room – more or less
Tuesday June 18th. Heard last night that we’re to shift from here tomorrow, and all going to a Camp in Prussia. Great excitement, squaring up of accounts, and last minute orders of frying pans, saucepans and the like. Cheque written at Rastatt on May 6th not yet materialised. Books ordered last Thursday fortnight not come.
Monday June 17th. Just three months since I left home coming from leave. Coleman, last night, engaged in a furious struggle with mary[?] absentmindedly poured the best part of a bottle of beer into his own bed.
Sunday, June 16, 1918: “Wouldn’t the Poor Bloody Infantry be pleased?”
Sunday June 16th Heard rather a good one today. One of our observers, locked into a room with several infantry officers, was the recipient of an apology from a German Flying Officer, who was sorry that he had been ‘herded in with those people’. Wouldn’t the P.B.I. be pleased?
Saturday June 15th. Saw a jet-black butterfly fly past. It declined to alight within the spacious confines of our lager; so I couldn’t see it at close quarters.
Thursday, June 13th. Got quite a shock today. Saw my name & Hanna’s in the paper (the Times) of May 4th [May 3rd], as ‘missing’. I should have thought that they would be bound to know at home before May 4th; for I sent a postcard to Geneva on April 14th – asking that a wire should be sent home to say I was safe.
