The Queens Own Royal West Kent R

The Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment

Sgt G S Reeves

Sergeant George Stanley REEVES, 7321, 1st Battalion, Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment.

Son of Edith Reeves. Born 1882, March Quarter, Chatham, Kent.

1901 Census - 123 Plumstead Common Road, Plumstead, SE - Edith Reeves, wife, married age 47, born East Peckham, Kent; George Reeves, son, age 19, General Labourer, born Chatham, Kent; Winnie Reeves, daughter, age 16, born East Peckham, Kent; Percy Reeves, son, age 13, born Derby; Ernest Reeves, son, age 7, born Gorsetnow, Glamorgan, Wales.

Enlisted 4th July 1903; 15th August 1914, posted BEF.

30th June 1916, discharged as "no longer physically fit for War Service" due to wounds Silver War Badge issued.

Prisoner of War transcript, Pretor W Chandler, examiner.

Home address - 29A Plumstead Common Road, SE.

Place & Date of Capture - captured on 23rd August 1914 at St Ghislain, which is near Mons.

Nature of wound if any - two shrapnel balls in the foot.

I arrived at St Ghislain with my regiment about 3 o'clock on the 22nd August 1914. We were turned out next morning (23rd August) at 6 o'clock and advanced about three quarters of a mile in front of St Ghislain to cover the retirement of British Cavalry. I stayed there until the Germans arrived, which was about 9.30. They were engaged and my platoon was ordered to retire at about 12.30. I succeeded in retiring to within 600 or 700 yards of the British trenches, when I was struck by shrapnel. Notwithstanding my wounds I crawled back behind the British trenches. There I was picked up by stretcher bearers and carried to a temporary hospital worked by Belgians. That was about 2 o'clock. The wounds was dressed and at about 8 o'clock I has a dose of morphia and went to sleep. Next morning (24th August) when I woke up I found the Germans were in possession of the whole place.

St Ghislain Hospital August 24th - October 28th 1914 - I remained in the St Ghislain Hospital from 24th August to 28th October. I was remarkably well treated by the Belgian doctors and nurses who were in charge of the hospital. Indeed they did all they could for us.

Journey to Mons. October 28th 1914 - 28th October - I was moved in a motor trailer by the Germans to the Belgian Military hospital at Mons. The Germans placed me in a stretcher with another wounded Englishman in another stretcher and placed yet a third wounded Englishman (Bain who has since died in England) between the two stretchers. We had a very rough journey, of about 6kms to Mons.

Mons Hospital. October 28th - November 16th 1914 - On the 5th November a Belgian doctor operated on my foot. I was put under anaesthetics. Belgian doctors wished me to remain in Mons hospital, but the German doctors came in about 6 o'clock in the evening of the 16th November and gave us notice that we would be moved that evening.

Journey to Hofgeismar. November 16th - November 19th 1914 - About 8 o'clock the Germans put me into a motor and drove me to the station, where I with somewhere about 40 others entrained for Hofgeismar. Two or three German soldiers came along side me whilst lying on the stretcher at Mons station and abused me in a gross and vulgar way. They held the butt end of the rifle at my head, but did not in fact strike me. The train remained in the station all that night and we were in it. Next morning the 17th November, about 10 o'clock the train left. I think it was on the night of the 19th November that we arrived at a reserve lazarette, Villa "Kosberg" at Hofgeismar.

Reserve lazarette, Villa "Kosberg" at Hofgeismar Hospital, November 19th 1914 - April 28th 1915 - I was taken from Hofgeismar Station to the hospital, distance about one mile, by two Germans on a stretcher between two bicycles. They handled me alright. I was put at once to bed. I could not eat the black bread and soup which they gave us. On the 5th December and again on the 16th December 1914 I was operated on. Anaesthetics were administered on each occasion. Doctor Marcus (a German) performed the operation. I have nothing to complain of - in fact he was very good to me. He spoke English a little. The German orderlies did not treat us very well. After the second operation one of these German orderlies (named Tagenhardt) stood by my bed abusing me as an Englishman and having a knife in his hand he deliberately drew the back of it across my throat. At that time I was very ill. In April 1915, I was resting on the grass in front of the hospital and the orderly in charge of the hospital (named Schroder) came up to me and saying something in German deliberately kicked me on my wounded leg and then went away. At Hofgeismar Hospital the medical treatment was alright to me. The nursing by the German orderlies was rough, and I am afraid at times intentionally so. I consider the food was bad. I, as an invalid, often could not eat it. The sanitary arrangements were all right, indeed the fittings of a WC which I used were of an English make. To begin with, the French and the Belgians were treated better than the English, but by about February this difference had ceased. The bed shirts were all right. The bed linen could not have been changed oftener than once a month. Our religious service at Christmas held in French. During my earlier days at Hofgeismar I was allowed to go into the garden, but latterly we had to exercise in a small courtyard. There were no recreations whatsoever outdoor or indoor. I was allowed to smoke outside this hospital after Christmas 1914 but not before. No employment. I was supplied with all necessary clothing. There was no epidemic. I was inoculated for typhus and cholera. I think most of my letters and parcels got delivered, although some of my letters were lost. The letters were handed to me after they had been opened by the censor. My parcels were opened by the German doctor in my presence. A letter would be taken out of the parcel and returned to me next day after being censored. Nothing was prohibited. I was allowed to write two letters and four postcards in each month. As to discipline; the regulations were printed in French and were once read out in English by an interpreter. Smoking in hospital was considered an offence, also looking out of the window overlooking the street; also lying or sitting on the bed when a man was supposed to be up and about. Punishments - custom was for the orderly to report to doctor, but in fact he generally corrected us on the spot, e.g. he would pull us off the bed.

Gottingen. April 28th 1915 - March 30th 1916. - 28th April 1915, I was put into a waggonette by the hospital orderly and driven to Hofgeismar Station, about one mile, under escort of German Hussars. There we entrained for Gottingen, distant aboy 100 kilometres, and arrived at the camp about 6 o'clock in the evening. That night I spent in the lazarette, and next day was transferred to the camp after having been examined by a German doctor who was quite humane. Gottingen Camp No.7. Province, Hanover. About 6,000 to 7,000 of these; 1,000 were British. Commandant was Colonel Bogen. He was inoffensive as far as I know. He was stern and strict. Second in Command I do not know. We slept on the floor on a sack filled with wood shavings. Heating by stoves, it was not bad. Washing - we had to go to the High Street of the camp to wash ourselves at a tap, and we did in fact wash our clothing here also. Sanitary arrangements were good. There was a hospital for sick, but I did not go into it. Food at Gottingen Camp was not good. I was hungry, but simply could not eat the food which was supplied by the Germans. I got food from home and lived on it. Later on, the food improved a little, so much so that, say twice a week I could eat it. Canteen, I had no experience of it. My food from England generally arrived in good condition. I received a parcel once a week, perhaps the average was nearer twice a week. My wife sent a parcel each week. Bread came to me from Switzerland every week. My County sent bread each week, and my school sent me grocery every 14 days. Facilities for exercise, only the chief street of the camp, 450 yards long by 8 yards wide. Always full. Indoors we played cards, chess &c. Smoking was allowed out of doors - never stopped. Religious service by a German pastor ion English every Wednesday for Protestants, and an English soldier held a service on Sundays. I was a wounded man and they gave me no employment in the camp. I believe that the Germans succeeded in making Belgian and Russian prisoners work in the munition factories. I never had occasion to ask the Germans for clothing except once; when I left hospital they supplied me with a very bad pair of boots, which I could wear. They were French make. All my other clothing came from home. No epidemic in camp. I was never in this camp hospital. Postal arrangements were as above described, namely two letters and four postcards a month. Letters and parcels were received regularly. Letters were opened by the censor then distributed. My parcels were opened at the parcel office in my presence by a member of the English Parcel Committee, before a censor, who took out such letters and papers as he could find and passed the rest; but he often failed to discover the letters and papers which were there. Spirits and wines were prohibited. No complaints of general treatment at Gottingen Camp. I saw a French soldier kicked off the parade ground, and continually kicked until he arrived at the detention barrack. On several occasions I saw Russian soldiers treated badly. On one occasion I saw five Englishmen standing at attention in the High Street of the camp, compelled to look straight in front for over fours hours and if anyone of them looked to the right or left, the German soldier would poke him in the cheek with his finger. This was reported to Dr Stangis, a German, but I do not know the result. On another occasion I saw about 100 Englishmen who had refused to work, kept standing in one place from 6am to 8pm with three rests of about half an hour each. On another occasion I saw a German soldier deliberately stick his bayonet into the back of a Russian soldier who had refused to work. He was taken to the detention house, I saw him later in the day and spoke to him so he was not seriously injured. Discipline - Regulations were posted in English. Smoking indoors and refusing to work were classed as offences. Punishments for smoking indoors, 35 days detention. Refusing to work, anything from 3 days to eleven months. American Ambassadors Representative came to Gottingen Camp once whilst I was there. I spoke to him about being detained in the camp nothwithstanding I was wounded but the commandant was present. They made preparations some days beforehand -all clothing inspected. They served out overcoats to those who had none before the ambassadors representative arrived. No change after he left. On 30th March 1916 I left Gottingen with eleven other Englishmen to be exchanged. It is about two miles from Gottingen Camp to the station. I walked about three quarters of a mile when I with three others were picked up by a horse and trap and driven to the station. About 12 o'clock we entrained and arrived at Erfurt, which is the province of Thuringia, about 4 o'clock. Then we got on a tram and got to the camp at about 5 o'clock. I stayed in this camp until about 17th May 1916.

Erfurt. March 30th - May 17th 1916 - Erfurt Camp was arranged for about 15,000 men. There were about 7,000 only whilst I was there, of these some 60 were English. At this time I was informed by Englishmen that the Germans appeared to have reconciled themselves to the refusal on the part of the English to work. The English laughed at the German orders to get out of bed in the morning and afterwards to work, and the Germans took no effective steps to compel them. The Russians worked, and the French generally worked, but one lot refused and I heard that they had been a bayonet charge and several Frenchmen wounded, but I did not see it. Subject as above, my experience at Erfurt was very much the same as at Gottingen Camp.

Langensalza. May 17th - May 19th 1916. - On the 17th May 1916 I left Erfurt by train for Langensalza about 33 kilometres away. I was only there two days but during those day the American Ambassador's representative arrived, and I saw him with the rest of the men to be exchanged, separately and apart from the Germans. He asked us if we had any complaints to make, but none of us had been there long enough to have any experience of the camp. In the camp there were over 100 Englishmen who were isolated. Among them were three Sergeants. these Englishmen were surrounded by barbed wire. They were not allowed to smoke. Their home packets were detained for three days, and after that the tobacco and cigarettes were extracted, and they were not allowed to receive them. These men were thus detained because they had refused to volunteer to work. 19th May 1916, I left Langensalza for Aix-la- Chapelle , where we arrived on the 20th May 1916, and then left for England.

No. T/897569 Lance-Sergeant (acting) Stanley George REEVES, Royal Army Service Corps (London, E.2) - Gazette 13th December 1945

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