TCD MS 10823 folio 8 recto
[March 23rd 1918] after which we were told we had to march to Landrecies, a distance of 30 Kilometres. Everywhere the inhabitants were most kind, at every village that we passed they came out with food, cigarettes and drinks, much to the annoyance of our guards, who of course were offered nothing and who tried to stop them approaching us.
After going some 15 Kilometres, we met some lorries going in the same direction and as our guards were tired, we persuaded them to ask the lorry drivers if they would take us. This they promised to do outside the village, as they must not be seen shewing kindness to prisoners of war. They dropped us just outside Landrecies as for the same reason they must not be seen with us in the town. On the way we passed alas many of other batches of prisoners all going in the same direction.
On arrival at Landrecies we were at once taken to some shower baths which were very welcome, but the officer in charge was a rude brute and his first remark to us on arriving there was that if we did not instantly obey his orders he would shoot us. We were first of all put in a bath containing a strong solution of Permanganate of Potash, after which we had a shower bath.
We were then marched back to a kind of barracks, where a few of us managed to get mattresses but the majority had to lie on the floors. Towards evening another hundred officers and a couple of thousand more men turned up. That evening we were given some quite good soup, by far the best meal we had had up to date.
We were getting used to a slice of bread and a plate of soup as