2608 Rfn Bernard Pearson ~ 1st Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment

The following charts the progress of the above soldier who was wounded at the Battle of Frezenberg on 8th May 1915 and subsequently taken as a Prisoner of War. Bernard was one of the original draft who arrived in France in Feb 1915. The following is a transcript from the original documents.

Name, Rank, No and Regiment

Pearson, Bernard, Private, No 2608. 1st Monmouthshire Regiment, Territorial.

Home Address

25 Windsor Road, Newport (Mon).

Place and Date of Capture

Ypres. Wounded 8th May 1915 picked up 10th May 1915

Nature of Wound, if any

Bullet wound in back. On 10th May 1915 picked up and taken by stretcher and horse ambulance to field dressing station. No ill treatment. Wound dressed and stayed night there. Next day taken to railway and on to Roulers, a few hours journey away.

Roulers 11-14 May 1915

Taken to a church used as hospital. Straw palliasses on floor infested with vermin. Being in pain, not having urinated for three days, asked for doctor. He did not come for some hours and when he arrived was in great rage, and kicked informant’s legs apart. After about two days taken downstairs and place on wooden bedstead-sheets and blankets quite clean. Attended to by a German sister.
For breakfast, bread and coffee (both black) a stew at mid-day and bread and coffee in the evening.

Journey 14-16 May 1915

On 14th May left Roulers in proper hospital train to Dortmund. Journey lasted three days. Well treated on the journey and food served-bread and coffee for breakfast, stew for dinner, and cocoa and biscuits for tea. A German doctor was in attendance. Wound was not dressed, but informant was “tapped” twice on the journey by Red Cross orderly. Reached Dortmund 16th May, about 5p.m. Taken on stretcher in a horse van to hospital. In informants ward there were 32 wounded all English. Later on French and Russians who had been hurt in the mines (not wounded) were placed in the ward, on one occasion there being 53 altogether.

Dortmund May 16-Dec 24, 1915

Dr Schramm was in attendance on the prisoners. He did not appear to know much about wounds, and was said to be a venereal specialist. No nurses, but brothers of mercy. Beds with sheets and blankets, which were changed every fortnight. Germans supplied shirt which was changed when necessary. The food was not suitable for wounded men who wanted nutriment but for dinner, potatoes and some meat was served. There was one water closet for the ward but informant cannot speak as to its condition as he was in bed. The different nationalities were treated the same as regards food, but the English got more attention from the doctors. Informant had one operation on his left leg under an anaesthetic. Letters and parcels received fairly regularly, and were opened in prisoner’s presence. Some had been previously opened but cannot say if anything was taken out. Smoking was allowed in the hospital. Two letters and four postcards a month were allowed. Informant was discharged on 24th Dec 1915 and sent to Dulmen Camp, with a view to being exchanged and sent back to England. Informant considers not sufficient medical treatment in this hospital but has no complaints as to the general treatment.

Journey Dec 24 1915

Left Dortmund 24 Dec 1915. Two hours railway journey to Dulmen in ordinary carriages. Only three English prisoners in compartment, with two guards with fixed bayonets. From Dulmen station to the camp a journey of about one and a half hours in a spring less wagon, after waiting about at the station for an hour in the rain.

Dulmen Dec 24, 1915 – Feb 2, 1916

Lodged in a hut with about 50 others, all English. Hut heated by stoves. Food was one loaf of black bread (very bad) among ten men. Coffee served out twice a day. Potato or carrot stew in middle of day. There was a small canteen where sardines and sausages were the only food to be obtained. Prisoners mostly depended on the parcels they received, without which they could not have lived.
There was a washhouse with a tap running into a trough. In latrines, seats scrubbed every day, and were kept in sanitary condition. One hut was used as hospital, but informant did not go into it. In the hut prisoners slept on palliasses stuffed with shavings. Two blankets each. Quite clean. Smoking allowed everywhere. Informant being crippled did not go out of hut on parade. Working parties used to go out each day. Paid twenty Pfennig’s each per day. Sentries appeared to be badly treated and sometimes asked prisoners for bread which they eat. There was not ill-treatment of prisoners by sentries.
Football was allowed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Parallel bars and horizontal bars were supplied in the camp. Books sent out from home were allowed to be read but no newspapers. Also any games which were sent out from various societies. Every Sunday a Church of England service was held, but not always by a clergyman. R.C. service held in adjoining camp, to which prisoners might go under escort. Offences which are punishable were refusing to work, trying to escape, and malingering. Punishment was-three day’s imprisonment for the last, three to ten for refusing to work and twenty one trying to escape. One man (a Scotchman) got ten days for putting in a letter “send me a mirror so that I can watch myself starve.” Just before informant arrived, three sergeants (one a Canadian) had tried to escape by tunnelling, and were said to have got within 100 yards of the border. They only got 21 days imprisonment and were branded with wearing a yellow stripe on shoulder. Concerts allowed every week, which were attended by German N.C.O.’s. No complaints as to treatment in camp, but only as to food, which was of very bad quality.
One man dropped dead in camp. Given out as heart failure, but after that all prisoners were weighed and clothes searched for vermin. If any found the man was bathed and clothes disinfected. No alterations made in the food. The American Ambassador did not visit while informant was there but he heard he had been once. Left the camp on 2nd Feb 1916.

Opinion of Examiner as to intelligence and reliability of informant

Informant a young fellow of 20 and looks less. Very intelligent.

Signed Bernard J Airy

Bernard Pearson was repatriated to the UK in February 1916 and was then admitted to the Queen Alexandra's Military Extension Hospital at Millbank in London and it was here that he was honourably discharged on the 23rd March 1916 (Kings Regulations para 392 (XVI) Wounds. He was award the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal & Victory Medal. He was also award the Silver War Badge Number 48605. In 1919 he was further honoured with Newport's Medal for Returning Prisoners of War. (Pictured Below)

My grateful thanks for Martin Pope who supplied the information and picture.