D. App. 28.
Frankfurt a.O., November 23rd, 1914.
Court of the Reserve Battalion, Grenadier Regiment Prince Carl von Preussen (2nd Brandenburg) No. 12.
Present:
Lieutenant and Adjutant Quander, as Officer of the Court.
Acting-Sergeant-Major Troschel, as Secretary.
On citation there appears as witness Reservist Emil Getzke, 2nd Company, Grenadier Regiment No. 12, now with the 2nd Company of Reserve Grenadier Regiment No. 12, and after the importance of the oath has been pointed out, he is examined as follows:
As to Person: My name is as stated. I am 24 years old; Protestant; fireman by calling, living in Berlin, Winstrasse 58.
As to Case: From August 19th to 26th, 1914, I was in Louvain, wounded, where I was stationed with other wounded men in a school arranged as a hospital.
On August 25th, shortly after 9 p.m., we suddenly heard rifle fire coming from the street, which later on was augmented by machine-gun fire. As we could see nothing from the window owing to the geographical position of our house, an Offizierstellvertreter, unknown to me, called the hospital guard, which was stationed in a building separated by the school-court, to inquire about the reason for the firing. The guard having replied to the query, the Offizierstellvertreter ran quickly over and returned in a few moments. He ordered all lights in the house to be extinguished, and no one was to fire. On the afternoon of the following day the hospital was cleared. All the wounded, I amongst them, were conveyed to the station in a furniture van. Immediately behind the van, sisters of the Red Cross carried a severely wounded soldier. When we had arrived at the station, and were about to leave the van, we were suddenly fired on by civilians who were passing. None of the wounded were hit, nor the sisters, but a few of the Landwehr men, who were accompanying the conveyance of the wounded. They, as well as the guard at the station, at once replied to the firing. A number of the assailants were hit by rifle shots.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: Emil Getzke.