s the
incident, he does so in hushed and awed tones.

That night was the culminating horror to a long string of systematic
brutalities and barbarities which constituted a veritable reign of
terror. It even spurred a section of the German public to action. An
enquiry, the first and only one ever authorised by the Germans upon
their own initiative, was held to investigate the treatment of prisoners
of war at Sennelager. The atrocities were such that no German, steeped
though he is in brutality, could credit them. The Commission certainly
prosecuted its investigations very diligently, but it is to be feared
that it gained little satisfaction. The British prisoners resolutely
agreed to relate their experiences to one quarter only--the authorities
at home. The result is that very little is known among the British
public concerning the treatment we experienced at Sennelager, for the
simple reason that but a handful of men who were confined to the camp
during the term of Major Bach's authority, have been released. The
Germans have determined to permit no man to be exchanged who can relate
the details until the termination of the war. Their persistent and
untiring, as well as elaborate precautions to make trebly certain that I
had forgotten all about the period of travail at Sennelager, before I
was allowed to come home, were amusing, and offer adequate testimony to
the fear with which the German Government dreads the light of publicity
being shed upon its Black Hole.

CHAPTER XIV

THE GUARDIAN OF THE CAMP

Although Major Bach wielded his power with all the severity and spirit
of a true-blooded Prussian Jack-in-Office, and notwithstanding that we
were forbidden all communication with the outside world, yet we were not
without our "protector."

Our guardian angel was Dr. Ascher, who was responsible for the clean
bill of health among the civilian prisoners. The soldiers were under a
military surgeon, as already explained, but owing to the arbitrary
manner in which this official displayed his authority, and with which
Dr. Ascher did not agree by any means, it was the civilian doctor who
ministered for the most part to Tommy's ills. The result was that his
services were in almost universal demand, and the strenuous work and
long hours which he expended on our behalf were very warmly appreciated.

A short, sturdy, thick-set man, fairly fluent in the English language,
and of a cheery disposition, Dr. Ascher was a true