Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-17
TELLSEXPER|ENCE
IN GERMAN CAMPS
Homer Lockwood of Wash
ington Gave Handsome
Ring for Bread.

Homer winthrop Lockwood e212
Massachusetts avenue northwest, a
member Of the United States Army
Ambulance Corps. who has recently
been released from Germany, where
he was prisoner of war, during his
Incarceration traded a handsome fin
ger ring for a loaf of repulsive Ger
man war bread. That bread, however,
he declares. tasted like cake to him,
for he had been starved for three
days. He found that his captors an
nounced officially that the whole sup
ply Of bread in the French town in
which they then found themselves had
been cut of. but the Washington man
noticed that by offering handsome
pieces Of jewelry, such as wrist
watches. slice or two could be pro-
cured.
Young Lockwood weighed 161
pounds when he was reported miss
ing in action" early last summer.
corrected casualty list later announc-
ing him as prisoner of war. When
released after the armistice he
we're dysentery, overwork and under
nourishment. After a rest in Eng
land he has rejoined his division for
active service.
In letter. written December 10. to
his parents. Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas w
Lockwood, jr.. the ambulance driver
gives resume of his experie noes
since captured by the boche in June.
For months his family heard nothing
from him. even after learning that he
was a prisoner, and seemed unable to
get into communication with him in
any way. In the early autumn. how
ever. they received two postcards
written by him in July informing
them briefly that his captors had en-
ployed him in the work for which he
was best ntted. carrying and caring
for their own wounded.
Like Rats in Traps.
II don't see how I came through
alive and unwounded, for we were
like rats in trap" explains the To-
cal soldier. in commenting on the cir
cumstances leading up to his capture.
He, with q sergeant and eight pri-
Yates and eight cars, was at an ad-
Vanced post not far from Montdidier
when an attack started June s. The
shack they were occupying was on
the main road and right in between
two batteries. so 1t received a Sc
we're Smelling. the whole atmosphere
being deiuged with mustard gas. They
sought refuge IN FimSy cellar, IN
which q. direct hit would have wiped
them all out. Later Lockwood and
two companions made dash for q
supposedly more substantial refuge
and during their sprint through she'll
hre were spfed by a Hun airman.
who turned his machine gun square on
them. They found the second cellar a
wreck. and were talking over plans
to get their cars out of danger and
go to the rear with them, when they
were surprised by a summons to come
up and out.
Thinking 1t was the French, contin-
ues the Ambulance Corps man, they
obeyed and found themselves con-
fronting a group of boches with "po-
tato Washers" held in hand ready to
hurl down the cellar in case tho order
had not been obeyed promptly.
wood, in part. They Immediately be-
gan to take things from us. An Of
ficer. thinking US English. told us to.
go up tho road and join some French
prisoners or we wouldn't have any
thing left. We did this and were not
molested further. When we reached
what had been the first line the boche
set us to gathering up French wound
ed, and it was ticklish work. for all
the time the French batteries were
firing and shrapnel was cutting limbs
and branches right over our heads.
Two OF US were sent back to get one
Of the captured ambulances, but they
elected me to stay with the wounded
and help bandage. We were an odd
assortment that later marched away.
French and boche, each helping the
other.