In the bag

Stan Hall had grown tired of being an assistant librarian at Millom and enlisted in the Regular Army. Following a few months learning how to drill in an ‘efficient and soldierly manner’ at Lancaster’s Bowerham Barracks he joined the 1st Battalion. The outbreak of war found him stationed at Dover, the 1st Battalion forming part of the port garrison.

On the morning of August 26th, 1914, he was quietly having his breakfast in a field in northern France when all hell broke loose. The Battle of Le Cateau had begun.

There are various accounts of what happened that day, some contradictory. The fact is, it was chaos, and few knew at the time what was really happening in any great detail. Stan survived the initial onslaught but, along with around 350 others from the Battalion, he was taken prisoner. By his own account he was captured, unwounded, on the 27th, at Cambrai. Whether this was correct is now anyone’s guess; the date could have been confusion on his part; the location certainly was, as Cambrai lay to the north-west and the Battalion retreated south. Most probably it was where he thought he was captured, not knowing the geography of the area.

British soldiers being marched into captivity (1915)

His relatives didn’t receive news of his capture until November, such was the time it took for the information to filter through the channels of the Red Cross. In captivity his health deteriorated to the extent where, in February, 1916, he was repatriated under a prisoner exchange scheme. On arrival back in the U.K. he was interviewed about his experiences as a prisoner of war, the information gleaned being used by the authorities to assess how well the men in captivity were being treated.

Reptriated British prisoners of war (1916).

A transcript of his interview has survived in the National Archives (Catalogue File WO/161/98 pp 325-327). It makes for fascinating reading.

Interview No. 326.

Home Address: 29, Settle Street, Millom, Cumberland.

Name, Rank and Regiment: Hall, Stanley, Lance Corporal, No. 10983, K.O.R.L.

Place and Date of Capture: Cambrai, 27 Aug. 1914.

Nature of wound, if any: Nil.


Journey. Aug. 27-28. 1914.

Witness was captured at Cambrai in the course of street fighting when two companies of his regiment were out-numbered in the dusk. His overcoat and money were taken from him on capture and were not restored.

He was taken in a motor-wagon to Halle, and then by train to Germany. The journey lasted 37 hours. Bread was issued, but it was difficult to get water. Prisoners travelled in carriages. The guards on the journey behaved well, but the civil population spat on prisoners when the train stopped.

Sennelager I. Aug. 28, 1914 – Aug. 27, 1915.

Accommodation.

Witness was housed in a stable which contained two stoves, but was cold since little fuel was supplied. A palliasse and two blankets were provided. Washing accommodation was poor, six bowls for 120 men. There were in addition horse troughs and two taps. Soap could be bought after the first few weeks. There was a bath-house where a bath could be obtained once in six weeks or two months. Sanitary arrangements were very defective, open trench latrines near the building.

Two huts were set apart as a hospital for the sick, in which there were a few bedsteads, but not enough to accommodate all the patients. If a man could walk at all it was difficult to obtain admission to the hospital, and little treatment was given when there. The doctor had been a prisoner in France and took no trouble. Witness was sent to this hospital for a fortnight since he was losing flesh and was given extra food to put on weight. The extra food consisted of about 1 ounce of white bread a day. Witness appeared to be in an advanced stage of phthisis.

Food.

The food is described as “terrible,” insufficient and bad, sometimes unfit to eat. Coffee only was issued in the early morning before the men went to work. Dinner consisted of a bowl of soup of some description, very watery at first, but somewhat thicker after. Bread was issued in the evening, with a piece of sausage or pickled fish. For some months past the bread ration has been about one slice per man, 10 to a loaf. There was a canteen where soap and margarine could be bought at fair prices. Food was received from England, sometimes in bad condition in consequence of having been packed in tins. Witness started that wooden boxes are preferable to tins.

Clothing.

Witness kept his own clothing and only received two shirts and a pair of drawers from the Germans. He did not ask for more as he had some sent from home.

Exercise.

There were at first no facilities for exercise in the camp, but the men walked 6 miles each way through swamps to work at agricultural labour. No payment was made. Witness heard of attempts to make prisoners work on munitions. Prisoners invariably refused, and were said to have been punished for their refusal by imprisonment and deprivation of food. The first commandant, from August 1914 to June 1915, was a martinet, who hated the English and treated them worse than other nationalities. He was succeeded by an under-officer who accorded better treatment and allowed boxing, concerts &c., which the former would not permit. Smoking was allowed outside the bungalows. Indoor games were permitted if the prisoners had them.

Religious services were held for R.C.s every day, but not for other denominations until the under-officer, who was appointed as commandant in June permitted an English corporal, who was a divinity student, to hold services. This corporal was also allowed to continue his studies for ordination.

Discipline.

Nothing special to report under this head. Notices in English were posted on doors prohibiting smoking in huts and setting out regulations for keeping hours. Breaches of the rules were punished by making a man stand in the sun or tying him to a tree for two or three hours. No complaint of cruelty.

English were harassed more than the French. If an offence were committed and the perpetrator could not be discovered, all the prisoners were paraded, the French were allowed to fall out in a few minutes, but the English were kept standing for some hours.

Illnesses.

There were no epidemics.

Postal Arrangements.

Letters and parcels came regularly and were opened in the presence of the prisoners. Newspapers and matches were not allowed. Prisoners were permitted to send four postcards and two letters a month. Postcards were received quicker than letters.

American Ambassador came to the camp but did not visit witness’s bungalow. Everything was tidied up under orders before his arrival, but no improvement followed.

General Conditions.

The food was bad till May, but got a little better after that time. On returning from work, men often had to wait three or four hours in rain to draw rations.

Irish prisoners were not allowed to mix with the English. Witness knew nothing of Sir Roger Casement.

In September 1915, witness saw a doctor at a factory where he was engaged in unloading wagons and was ordered to hospital.

This man’s most serious complaint related to the food on which men were expected to work. A long working party worked from 6 a.m. top about 3 p.m. A short working party worked from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Coffee was issued at 5.30 a.m., but no solid food was provided with it, and unless a man had kept a portion of bread from the previous day’s rations, he had absolutely nothing to eat until he returned from work. To this the witness attributes the illness from which he is now suffering.

Dortmund. Sept. 1915.

In September 1915, while at Sennelager, this man got attached to a working party at Dortmund, in the hope of getting better food. He was there employed in unloading wagons. He was seen by the doctor at the factory who ordered him to hospital. He was sent to Rennbahn No. 2 Camp for four days, and there examined by a Russian doctor, who prescribed “No work.” He was, however, made to work the day before he left. Next morning he was ordered by a German doctor to the Münster Lazaret. The journey took two hours by train and was accompanied by no particular incident. He was in the charge of a nice sentry.

Münster Lazaret. Treatment in Hospital. Sept. 1915 – Feb. 1916.

In October the witness had pleurisy and was in bed for 10 days, and in November he grew weaker and his chest became bad. He was then ordered to bed, where he remained until exchanged. He had little medicine and no nursing. The food was similar to that supplied in Sennelager Camp i.e., insufficient in quantity and inferior in quality. The sanitary conditions are described as “not too bad.” The Russians were treated worse than other nationalities.

Clothing.

Hospital clothing was supplied. From September to February he had one hospital suit and two changes of underclothing. The sheets were changed once.

Postal arrangements described as “all right.” He returned to England in his own clothing.

Opinion of Examiner as to intelligence and reliability of informant.

The witness is intelligent and, in my opinion, reliable.

Digby L. F. Koe

10^th February 1916.

A month later, on March 23rd, 1916, Stan Hall died.