TCD MS 10823 folio 6 recto
[March 21st 1918] miles further back, passing on the way the most miscellaneous assortment of transport that I have ever seen; carts that had been commandeered from Russia, Rumania, Austria & Belgium & with the most varied and ancient types of harness. As we passed through Mezieres one of our airmen flew over going very low and I hoped he was going to drop a bomb or two, as the village was absolutely packed with troops and transport, which tried to scatter in every direction and take cover, but he was evidently only reconnoitring. We then had a long and wearisome walk to Ribemont where we arrived about 11 p.m. Here we were all bundled into a bare room, with the windows boarded up and had to spend the night as best we could. Sleep was out of the question, as it was bitterly cold and the stone floor was both hard and draughty. All of us too were very hungry as no food had passed our lips for twenty four hours. In the grey dawn of morning we were numbered and counted out by regiments, and on being found to be a Colonel, I was carried off to their Corps Headquarters for further examination. They tackled me first in German, but that was a language of which I <pretended to be completely ignorant>, by which ruse I managed to pick up much interesting information and found out exactly how far they had advanced, which was a very different tale from that given us by our guards. In broken French and English they asked me various questions, but I was always quite prepared with an answer as I had heard them discussing in German what they were going to ask me. There was plenty of food in the room, but they never thought of offering any to a hungry prisoner. After the