CAPTIVITY   AND   ESCAPE

M. Jean Martin
Frontispiece.

CAPTIVITY AND
ESCAPE

By M. JEAN MARTIN

A FRENCH SERGEANT-MAJOR
TRANSLATED BY MISS V. A. RANDELL


WITH ILLUSTRATIONS


LONDON
JOHN MURRAY ALBEMARLE STREET, W


TO HER

THE THOUGHT OF WHOM BROUGHT CONSOLATION TO ME
IN HOURS OF SUFFERING, MOURNING AND SADNESS

TO HER

WHO PROVED MY STRENGTH AND SAFEGUARD
THROUGHOUT DAYS OF TRIAL AND DANGER

TO MY FIANCÉE

I DEDICATE THIS VOLUME


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PREFACE

WE have hitherto had many volumes of the doings of British soldiers atthe front and in captivity, but few of our French Allies.

The experiences of Monsieur J. Martin, written originally in French,give such a vivid picture of prison life in Germany, that they have aninterest far beyond the mere personal one which his friends andcountrymen attach to his name.

Brought up in France, amidst all the charm and culture of the bestFrench-Protestant traditions, he was educated at Rouen, and he finallytook his degree in 1912. During his studies he spent much time inEngland, where his charm of manner and chivalrous spirit made him manyfriends. Moreover, his love for games brought him in close touch withour people, and he won great credit for himself in the football field.

Before the outbreak of war, while staying with friends in a countryvillage, near one of the garrison towns in Ireland, he made acquaintancewith some of our Irish soldiers quartered there at the time; littlethinking how soon he would meet them again in very differentcircumstances, for, by a strange coincidence, he not only found themsharing his captivity in the first prison camp in which he was internedin Germany, but also, owing to his knowledge of the language, he wasappointed as interpreter to the British soldiers.

His first thoughts were to help them, by informing their friends oftheir terrible condition. In this he succeeded, and it was through hispost cards that the British public first heard of their most pressingneeds.

Many long months elapsed in the prison camp which he so graphicallydescribes, and the intimate details which he gives of the life mustprove of intense interest to all who have relations and those dear tothem still suffering in captivity.

The reader may imagine the joy of his friends when his telegram reachedthem one day in July 1915—“Escaped, safe in Holland.” Arrangements werehastily made to enable the escaped captive to travel to London without amoment’s delay.

Worn out and exhausted, he was granted leave to recuperate in Ireland,and in less than a fortnight from the moment of his escape, he alightedfrom the train at Tipperary, and realised that he had accomplished the“Long, long way” which he had so often joined in singing with the Irishsoldiers in the camp.

He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, with a clasp, and his services werehonoured by a citation à