DOI Heft:
No. 301 (April 1918)
DOI Artikel:Jungmann, Nico: My life at Ruhleben
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21356#0103
My Life at Ruhleben
course was not part of the camp proper, but winter; and, in fact, in the one reproduced
was hired by the prisoners from the owners, in colours, the men are about to receive their
and was open only during certain hours. Christmas portion of bacon from England, a
Another section of the panorama shows a luxury they fully appreciated. In the other
small building standing in an enclosure. This picture, where the conditions were not so
we caUed the " bird-cage," and here those cheerful, they are waiting their turn for
prisoners were confined who were guilty of any their ration of Danish bread, sent by the
breach of the official regulations. good offices of the British Red Cross. On
In two of the pictures the men are seen form- this occasion the consignment was not suffi-
ing long queues, and no one will need to be cient to ensure the full ration. With the ex-
told that they are " lining up" for food, ception of this good Danish bread, everything
Queues are naturally a normal part of the life is sent out from England. How eagerly are
at Ruhleben. The community is divided into those parcels looked for and how gratefully
barracks, and each barrack has its captain, received!
whose duty it is to check each man as he We also had queues for the theatre and
receives his ration, so that no one shall be cinema. The prices were from 2d. to is., but
served twice. I may explain that most of the as the buildings would only seat two hundred,
rations are various eatables supplied in bulk the men lined up early, and waited for hours
from England, to supplement the standard for the doors to open. The gate-money is used
parcels. The only German ration which is for hiring films, costumes, scenery, etc., and the
supplied regularly is potatoes ; the prisoners surplus goes to relief funds,
very rarely draw their bread ration. The terrible trouble of most of the men in
These queue pictures were painted in the the camp is the monotony and hopelessness of
" RUHLEBEN CAMP : ' TRAFALGAR SQUARE '
BY NICO JUNGMANN
97
course was not part of the camp proper, but winter; and, in fact, in the one reproduced
was hired by the prisoners from the owners, in colours, the men are about to receive their
and was open only during certain hours. Christmas portion of bacon from England, a
Another section of the panorama shows a luxury they fully appreciated. In the other
small building standing in an enclosure. This picture, where the conditions were not so
we caUed the " bird-cage," and here those cheerful, they are waiting their turn for
prisoners were confined who were guilty of any their ration of Danish bread, sent by the
breach of the official regulations. good offices of the British Red Cross. On
In two of the pictures the men are seen form- this occasion the consignment was not suffi-
ing long queues, and no one will need to be cient to ensure the full ration. With the ex-
told that they are " lining up" for food, ception of this good Danish bread, everything
Queues are naturally a normal part of the life is sent out from England. How eagerly are
at Ruhleben. The community is divided into those parcels looked for and how gratefully
barracks, and each barrack has its captain, received!
whose duty it is to check each man as he We also had queues for the theatre and
receives his ration, so that no one shall be cinema. The prices were from 2d. to is., but
served twice. I may explain that most of the as the buildings would only seat two hundred,
rations are various eatables supplied in bulk the men lined up early, and waited for hours
from England, to supplement the standard for the doors to open. The gate-money is used
parcels. The only German ration which is for hiring films, costumes, scenery, etc., and the
supplied regularly is potatoes ; the prisoners surplus goes to relief funds,
very rarely draw their bread ration. The terrible trouble of most of the men in
These queue pictures were painted in the the camp is the monotony and hopelessness of
" RUHLEBEN CAMP : ' TRAFALGAR SQUARE '
BY NICO JUNGMANN
97