|
Strauburg 14.1.1919
Dearest little cupid heart, I had hoped
to have started this letter on my way back to Italy this
week but yesterday we had a telegram from HQ at Spa
reporting that from American sources we have been
informed that British prisoners are still being detained
and worked in the salt mines in Salzburg and district and
we are ordered to investigate. So the day after tomorrow
we are off there. That will take us two or three days but
we ought to start back sometime during the next week.
At present we are spending the night at
a place called Strauburg on the Danube having motored
from Munich to a place called Cham this morning (150k) to
see a British prisoner who is very ill there. We saw him
and found that he was comfortable and was being well
treated and looked after but he will not be able to be
moved for another fortnight and so nothing can be done in
that way at present but we shall report him to the
British Commission in Berlin and they will see that he is
evacuated when he is well enough.
On Saturday last, the Colonel went off
to Wurzburg and left me in Munich to look after
Ingoldstat and suddenly I heard that a hospital train had
arrived that day, the 11th instead of the 12th. I
immediately rushed off to Ingoldstat with a car and saw
the four British men, who had arrived there since the
last hospital train, off in this train and then rushed
back to Munich in time to go to the Opera House to see
'The Barber of Seville' which was awfully good and I
enjoyed it immensely. I went with Major S - he got the
tickets and there was quite a sensation to see a British
Officer there. Every one thinks we are prisoners of war
which is very amusing and they are quite astonished when
we tell them that we are not but have come to dictate
etc. to their government.
On Sunday I went to Kempton to see an
officer there who has charge of all the prisoners of war
working parties in the district, to see if there were any
left. I had Major S. as my interpreter and from his looks
etc. it seems there are some left. We went by train,
starting off at 8o'clock in the morning, got there at
lunch time, did our business in the afternoon and started
back at 6.30 and arrived at Munich at 10.30. The district
of Kempton is that part of Bavaria near to the Swiss
border.
When we got back I found a telegram
from the Colonel saying that he was arriving that night
at 2am but I did not wait up for him. I heard from him
however, in the morning, that he had cleared all the
prisoners from the Wurzburg area by a hospital train on
the 12th and so, except for this sick man at Cham,
Bavaria is absolutely cleared of British. There is a big
Commission (British) coming down from Berlin to Bavaria:
6 officers, 15 ambulance cars etc. to search all Bavaria
for any who may not have been recalled to their largers
and when they come we can depart; but of course we shall
have to finish the Salzburg stint first. If we do find
any British there we shall kick up a terrific row and
that will not be the end of it for the Austrians either.
I am so sorry for the dirt on this paper my Baby, but I
am afraid that it is the pencil and I have no ink my
precious little lambkin.
The Colonel is awfully bucked that he
has cleared Bavaria before this other Commission comes
down as that was part of their job and now it is all
finished.
There was one very annoying incident on
our way today at Landshut. We were stopped by one of the
emiciaries of these Soldiers and Workman's Councils and
asked for our answeis which we showed and then proceeded
on. However, later in the day, the same man - accompanied
by three others (all soldiers) - stopped us again, they
having caught us up for that purpose. We had to show all
our answeis and they said they were no good but handed
them back. The Colonel told them they were good and told
the car to start on again at which, one of the men jumped
on our car and caught hold of the Colonel's arm so the
Colonel hit him under the jaw and knocked him off the car
and we prodeeded on to Cham. Here again they came on us,
this time with a police officer and there was a devil of
a row. They insulted Major S. and he got red hot and the
Colonel was boiling with rage and I could only stand by
as I could not understand what was being said but I was
just waiting for an opportunity. Can you imagine your hot
headed little hubby "just waiting" my Pinkie
heart? However, in the end, we got rid of them without
anything more than words and we were no more interfered
with but the Colonel is bent on satisfaction tomorrow at
Munich.
|
© 2001 David
Drew-Smythe - All Rights
Reserved.