Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-28
GOVERNMENT BONDS
CAPTURED

because of the lack of nourshing food
served in q way that would tempt their
appetites We all shared up our par
cells, hut FOR a long time we had very
few. Later on when they began to ar
rive in greater numbers we were much
better off.
We used to spend good deal Of our
time sitting on a bench In the front hall
looking out of the window and watching
the children playing in the street. They
seemed so happy and free that we
envied their lot.
About the end OF June We had visit
from Mr.. Williams. Before the war he
had conducted the services In II church
in Berlin, which was attended by the
Kaiser and his family. lie received a
special order which allowed him to visit
the hospitals and camps and hold rcli-
gious services for the English prisoners.
OF course we had our regular sunday
night service in tho chapel of the hospi-
tai. II was conducted by Noodle. being
the senior officer The service was very
simple. II consisted of the collect,
Psalms for the day. n few prayers from
the evening and morning services and
three hymns. There was no sermon.
We were provided with Church Of Eng
land prayer books and hymnals. |
always used to wonder that no one even
discovered that right there, in the heart
of Germany, we prayed that the Kins
should "vanqush and overcome all his
enemies
/ When Mr.. Williams arrived it was a
big event All the t;nglishmen who
were out OF bed assembled in the chapel,
He was "A charming man and as he
/ wanted to please every one, he asked Il
we had any particular hymn we would
/ like sung. Some bright spark in the
| back called out "a Few More Years
Shall Roll" We could not help laugh
ing, but Mr.. Williams took 1t all In
good part and said: "No. we never sins
| that nor There Is "A Happy Land"
on July new lot of very badly
wounded English arrived from ti.
Somme battlefield. I noticed that they
were asked the same questions as we
had heard little over a month before
Tho Germans all wanted TO know wher
they thought the war would be over
They gave the same answer that every
! F,nglishman gives to this question, to tho
effect that we were just beginning &c
get our men ready and the war was SURF
10 last at least five or six years more
When "A German gets this Information
he can almost cry, but he keeps on ask
ing the same question from every hev
find a downhearted one who will tel
him that England is ready to give in a
any minute. am afraid. however, tina
they will ask the question a great mum
Der OF times before they find down
hearted Englishman.
Two of the new arrivals were officers
one young chap named Tilley had trie,
to stop seven bullets. Fortunately n,
bones were broken. but he had had tw,
narrow escapes. one bullet had passc,
through the back OF his neck and jus
missed his spine; another had scare,
his shoulder blades as though red-ho
poker had been laid across them. Thi
; one also had passed within a Fraction
, of an inch of his spine, His othe
wounds were in the legs and side.
The second officer was named Clarl
, lie had had his thigh badly fractured b.
a bullet. He had been nearly a week u
the way back to Germany. and In tina