TCD MS 10823 folio 42 recto
[Sept/Oct 1918] exciting chase he was eventually caught. Here the penalty for an attempt to escape was usually a months imprisonment, as they added all kinds of extra charges such as being in possession of a compass for which they gave them 8 days. There were actually British orders in the camp at one time forbidding officers to escape, but these had lately been cancelled.
<Owing to the frequency of searches many ingenious places were found for concealing contraband. There was a hollow bust of the Kaiser, high up on one of the walls in the dining room. We always looked upon it as a great insult to us, but meanwhile it was very useful to hide maps & compasses inside as the German authorities never thought of looking inside it. The notice board outside the Kommandatur was another good place & even inside the Kommandatur, places which of course were never searched. Our secret information was good & we always had good warning of a search coming off>.
Soon after our arrival in the camp, events began to move with the most startling suddenness, and each day brought forth news of the greatest interest. We were only allowed certain of the German papers here, not like at Furstenberg where we could get any, and were even able to smuggle in “The Times” which proved a God-send to us and helped to keep up our spirits through all the dark days.
No German paper could hide the defection of Bulgaria, the Armistice with Turkey and then with Austria. This latter was a terrible and unexpected blow to the Germans, news of riots in Hamburg Kiel and Bremen kept filtering into the camp, and rumour had it that the German fleet had fraternized with the British fleet at Borkum, <a story> to us quite unbelievable, but the Commandant told it as a fact. Then came news of the arrest of our arch enemy the 10th Corps Commander, Von Hanisch, who had been primarily responsible for most of the ill treatment of British prisoners. The Soldiers and Sailors Council had apparently taken over command everywhere, and the sentries had all taken the rosettes off their caps and no longer saluted their officers.
Each day came news that several more Kings and princes had