Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-27
British Imprisoned
In Axis Camps Study
For College Degrees
Textbooks Sent to Men,
Exon Papers Returned
Through Red Cross
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star staff CORRESPONDENT.

LONDON (By MaiD This is
doubtless the worlds strangest uni
versity. Most of its students are
working II hours or more day at
the toughest manual labor imagin-
able and can study only when the
days work is done.
They are scattered across con-
tinent. They have barely enough
to eat to keep in good health. They
are taking regular university and
professional courses, examinations
not a trifle easier because of their
hard lot. marks just as stiff as would
be given at home, no excuses &C
cepted.
Some students who entered this
college, quite involuntarily, with
high school diplomas hope to come
out of it Oxford and Cambridge
graduates. An ex-butcher is study
ing medicine. A psychology student
is completing work for his doctorate.
Many are taking engineering courses
requiring advanced mathematics.
Many others are specializing in for
eign languages. They are all Brit
ish and Dominion prisoners Of war
in Germany and Italy. Some al
ready have been more than three
years at their studies.
Oxford and Cambridge Universe
ties and dozen other British and
Dominion colleges have agreed to
accept at full value the credits OBJ
tanned by these men. oxford has
even agreed to an 'honors" exam
nation, to be based on 300 books.
Examination papers are made up
and scored by about so British pro-
fessional socities in their own spe-
cialties.
Courses Open to ALL
The doors of this college are
open to enlisted men, officers and
civilians scattered through the
campos, the stalags, the of1ags and
the flags on an equal basis. But it
is infinitely harder for the enlisted
men. who, according to the con-
ventions of war, can be forced to
do equally hard labor as the civilian
workmen of the country where they
are prisoners. This means about a
12-hour day in Germany now and
it may become longer. Neither off,
GERS or civilians can be made to
work, so they have plenty of time
for study. Non-coms usually are
assigned to light tasks. Yet it
seems to be the enlisted men who
are taking the greatest advantage
of this opportunity for higher edu-
cation, the first many of them ever
have had.
The college" is run by the British
Red Cross and the necessary ex-
changes are carried on through the
International Red Cross which has
access to the prison camps. In
each camp an education officer has
been named who attends to the
necessary details on the spot and
tries to interest the men in the
opportunities offered.
1t was decided at the start that
nothing was to be gained by making
the prisoners college merely a ges-
ture to enable men to pass away
time Interest soon would be lost.
So the standards were set just as
high as those of any civilian insti-
tute. A man who comes out of
prison camp with passing grades,
say the Red Cross officials, will
know his stuff-even the butcher
who is studying medicine. He
can't be given an M. D. degree, OF
course, but he can complete most
of the fundamental work required
for it.
Results of the examinations are
posted, with all the failures and all
the high grades. There is no effort
to spare a mans feelings, just be-
cause he is a prisoner. The men
make splendid students for the most
part, Red Cross officials say. For
them the war is over. They face a
dreary wait, perhaps for years, be-
fore they can return to civilian
life. This tends to make them re-
shape their personal PHILOSOPHERS, to
recall early ambitions which may
have been lost in the struggle for
existence in the workaday world.
The college" has q library Of
more than 100, 900 volumes, sent from
England and distributed through the
camps. More than 200 men have
taken examinations to date and $50
have applied for them. In one camp
200 out Of 270 prisoners are prepar-
ing for an examination Of some kind
The scheme was modelled at the
start on the external department:
work of the University of London In
peacetime.
A man can study almost any
thing, and get almost any degree
There are al sorts Of elementary
courses for men who start with
little education.