On This Day, 15 September 1917

Evening Despatch

Saturday 15 September 1917

HOME AGAIN

MIDLAND MEN AMONG RETURNED PRISONERS OF WAR

Among the second batch of repatriated prisoners of war are several Midland men.

After being a prisoner for 15 months, Private Alfred Edmund Parkes, 1/5th Royal Warwickshire Territorials, who now lives with his sister, Mrs. Rowe, 50 Great-Tindal-street, Ladywood.

When he arrived in England he spent three days in a London general hospital, but was discharged from there on Thursday. Upon arrival at Euston Station an official refused to recognise his railway pass, as Parkes was in civilian clothing, inferring that he might be an absentee. The position was explained to a booking clerk, who readily exchanged the pass for a ticket.

While fighting on the Somme on 16 July 1916, Parkes was wounded, and after lying in the open for two days crawled into the German lines by mistake.

AMONG FRIENDS

His sister was officially notified of his death, but greatly to her joy a fortnight later she received a postcard from her brother from Gottingen Camp. Here he found he was among friends, for his companions turned out to be a party of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment who were taken prisoners at Mons. “We never touched German food,” remarked Parkes to a “Despatch” representative, “except occasionally we had to eat their black bread when our supplies ran short.”

STARING INTO A MIRROR

On one occasion he was feeling far from well and refused to work. As a punishment he was compelled to stand staring into a small mirror for three hours, not daring to glance either right or left.

For another trivial offence he was set to scrub the floor of a large room with an ordinary toothbrush. He set about the irksome task, but did not finish it.

After being at Gottingen for six months Parkes was transferred to the Inselspital Hospital at Berne. “I lived better while I was in Germany” said Parkes, “than I did in that hospital. The treatment was absolutely rotten, With the exception of just a bit of meat at dinner-time and a little soup at super-time I had nothing else but dry bread and milk. That’s what the Government are paying eight francs a day for.”

Another Birmingham man is Private John Beddows, of 87, Bridge-street West, Hockley, who was taken prisoner at Mons.

The third Midland man repatriated is Private A. Lloyd, of the Croft, Woodside, Dudley. Private Lloyd, who belonged to the Worcesters, went out with the first Expeditionary Force, and in the early part of the campaign lost the sight of one eye.