Secrets of the Balkans . e meal that was notserved. In the other case, the colonel in charge hadneglected to give proper medical attention to two hun-dred prisoners who were suffering from gangrene. Thecommission demanded court-martial and punishment forthese two. In some places there were no beds, andthe prisoners were obliged to lie on the bare floors, andin others on straw-filled mattresses, or on piles of strawwhich were provided. Usually the men changed theirunderclothing once a week, most of them doing theirown washing, but frequently no soap was obtainable,which made the work more diffi
Secrets of the Balkans . e meal that was notserved. In the other case, the colonel in charge hadneglected to give proper medical attention to two hun-dred prisoners who were suffering from gangrene. Thecommission demanded court-martial and punishment forthese two. In some places there were no beds, andthe prisoners were obliged to lie on the bare floors, andin others on straw-filled mattresses, or on piles of strawwhich were provided. Usually the men changed theirunderclothing once a week, most of them doing theirown washing, but frequently no soap was obtainable,which made the work more difficult. In some of the larger camps there were infirmariesand hospitals where some of the prisoners acted as attend-ants and performed minor duties. There were tailors andshoemakers for repair work, and after work was finishedall were permitted to employ their time as they chose upto nine oclock, the hour of retirement. The diet generally consisted of bread and soup, withmeat about twice a week, but in the camps where they. CONDITION OF PRISONERS OF WAR 55 were working they were regularly furnished with meat,potatoes, rice, fat, cheese and bacon. The morning mealwas usually served at six oclock, consisting of soup,smoked meat or bacon, and between six and sevenoclock in the evening, soup and meat were served. Inonly two of the very large camps a mid-day meal wasserved, generally consisting of soup made from haricots,potatoes and meat. Examination of the first half ofthe camps revealed the fact that no vegetables were beingserved, and I urged that some be included, and if impos-sible to get anything else to put grass in their soup, toavoid the possibility of scurvy. It greatly surprised meto discover that wherever the superintendent of the prisonwas a man selected from among the prisoners, the treat-ment was far more harsh and severe than that of theSerbians. Owing to the large number of prisoners, it was neces-sary to use almost anything available for lodgings. Thosewe saw includ
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjecteastern, bookyear1921
