The War Hotel by Otto P. Higgins - n.d.
Transcript
To The Kansas City Star from Otto P. Higgins, Staff Correspondent. London, May,.- It might be a little bit of Berlin or Munich, if it wasn..t for the sight of a British Tommie now and then, going zbout his work. On every hand are signs printed in German, here and there are little German shops where most anything can be had, and the German language is almost universally spoken. But once outside of the main buildings it is slightly different. Here and there you see an armed sentry, and on every side is a high barb wire fence backed up by entanglements constructed from the same kind of material, making it very difficult to leave unless you have full permission of the commandant. But the British internment camp for Germans the one visited by a party of newspaper correspondents, is a mighty comfortable place, to look at, at least, but without a doubt a bit monotonous for the regular boarders. The prisoners themselves generally call it the
Transcript
[page 2] Almost every bit of the work is done by the prisoners themselves. They do all their own cooking, baking, operate the laundry, keep the different rooms and buildings spotlessly clean, and govern themselves to a certain extent. There are men in camp taken from every walk of life, and these usually drift together. One corner has been usurped by the artists, and filled with little studios. Here the artists have their easels, and do their work. Each studio is separate and apart from the others, the pretentiousness of it depending upon wealth of the owner. Each man has his name on the outside, printed in German, and they go about their work just as though they were free. The tailors all have their shops together, and some very high class outfits are turned out at a minimum of cost. The barber shops are bunched, and even the turkish baths have their little corner. The woodworkers keep together, and the musicians have their music room, while a large room in one of the towers has been fitted up as a workshop for the jewelers, - a workshop that is identical with any other jeweler
Transcript
[page 3] The men are allowed to correspond regularly, which they do in many different languages. All letters going either in or out of the camp are censored. Each prisoner is allowed to receive visitors once a week for two hours, and a tea room has been arranged where they may entertain their friends with either tea or coffee at a minimum cost. Those prisoners who paint, make sketches, or do fancy woodwork may sell their things, the profit going to them. Visitors to the camp many times invest in articles on display. and some of the things are sold in London shops. So nearly every man interned is able to earn at least a small amount of money, and this, added to what the German government sometimes sends, is ample to keep them in tobacco and many of the little things they may need from time to time. About the only complaint that is heard from the prisoners is on the food question. They are on a ration basis, just like the civilian population, but they are unable to get some of the things they were accustomed to having before the war, The scale of rations for interned prisoners follow: daily, bread, nine ounces; broken biscuit, four ounces; meat, four ounces--five days a week. (pickled beef is issued on two of these days,) salt cured herrings, ten ounces, two days a week; tea or coffee, one-half ounce; sugar, one ounce; salt, one-half ounce; potatoes, twenty ounces; fresh vegetables, four ounces; split peas or beans, two ounces; rice, one ounce; oatmeal, one ounce; jam, one ounce; cheese, one ounce; and a little bit of pepper. Prisoners are also permitted to buy articles from their own canteens, such as sweets and such things as are not included in the regular ration.
Details
Title | The War Hotel by Otto P. Higgins - n.d. |
Creator | Higgins, Otto P. |
Source | Higgins, Otto P. The War Hotel. n.d. Higgins, Otto P. Collection. 2010.145. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
Description | Otto P. Higgins did not serve in the United States military, but he spent the entire span of the war in training camps and overseas with the army as a staff correspondent for the Kansas City Star. He wrote about soldiers from the Mid-West, especially Missouri and Kansas. Higgin's began his service with the old Third Regiment, and was with regiments at Camp Nichols, Fort Riley, Camp Funston, Camp Doniphan, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Sheridan, and finally in France. In this story, Otto P. Higgins of the Kansas City Star wrote about a British internment camp for German prisoners in London, that the Germans call the War Hotel. The camp had every modern convenience and there was an excess of activities. Higgins described it as a small town. |
Site Accession Number | 2010.145 |
Contributing Institution | National World War I Museum and Memorial |
Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the National World War I Museum and Memorial: (816) 888-8100. |
Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
Language | English |