The British Interned in Switzerland

by Henry Philip Picot

I have naturally written at length of that period of the early life and development of the "Bureau" which is best known to me, but I think I have shown that progress was steady and continuous. Between September, 1916, and November, 1918, the numbers of prisoners of war supplied from Berne rose from 30,000 to 100,000, and as early as 1917 the business had become of such importance that the "B.R.C.S.," London, found it desirable to appoint a Commissioner to direct the operations of the "Bureau," the successive occupants of the post being, Mr. A. Mayne, Major-General Sir Richard Ewart, K.C.M.G., and Major H. R. Charley (Assistant Commissioner).

Viewed from afar, and looking back on the undertaking as a whole, it appears to me very remarkable that a handful of people, few of whom had any previous business experience, should have initiated and elaborated with so much success a scheme of such great significance. It demanded both courage and imagination, and happily in Lady Grant Duff a leader was found who possessed these qualities in a high degree, and furthermore united with them a faculty for organization and a tact which were never at fault. It is not to be wondered at that she was so ably seconded by her many friends, whose unselfishness, enthusiasm, and untiring labours, had my unbounded admiration. Lady Rumbold, who succeeded her as President in September, 1916, identified herself with the work in a whole-hearted manner, and devoted to it a large part of her time and energy. It was during her Presidency that the affiliation with the "C.P. of W.C." took place, carrying with it an immense increase of work.

These ladies have their reward in the affectionate regard of that large army of prisoners who were fed and comforted by them during the many months and years of their wearisome captivity. Theirs was a good work nobly done.

CHAPTER VI
ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND OF THE FIRST CONTINGENT
OF BRITISH PRISONERS OF WAR FROM GERMANY

The first contingent of British prisoners of war was timed to arrive across the German frontier into Switzerland, at Constance, on May 28, 1916. The transport arrangements, as in the case of all movements connected with Repatriation or Internment in Switzerland, were, in the case of these officers and men, controlled by Colonel Dr. Bohny, Chief of the Swiss Military Red Cross Department, who, together with his able and noble-minded wife, frequently journeyed on the trains and gave personal supervision to the more serious cases.

Aware of the great interest in Great Britain in the question of the Internment, and in order to ensure the fullest and most reliable reports of the condition of the men and their reception in Switzerland reaching the British public without delay, I suggested to Colonel Hauser the advisability of issuing permits to the special correspondents of The Times and Morning Post (who had made representations to me on the subject), to enable them to board the train at Zürich, or at some place near the frontier, if they so desired, and accompany it to its destination. Colonel Hauser at first demurred to the proposal on the plea that he had hitherto refused all permits to the Press, fearing the introduction of a new precedent, but on my representing to him my hopes and anticipations of a warm reception for our men on the part of the population, and that it seemed eminently desirable to give the outside public the benefit of reports by properly qualified press correspondents, more especially as German Switzerland had been somewhat prejudiced in the minds of that public by being credited with very pronounced pro-German proclivities, he saw the point, and, withdrawing all objections, agreed to the issue of the permits. Shortly afterwards Colonel Bohny laughingly mentioned to me that his life had been made a burden to him by applications from the Bernese for passes of admittance to the railway station. "Special arrangements would," he said, "have to be made at the station to prevent confusion." Never in his experience had so many applications been made to meet a troop train; the good Bernese seemed to have entirely lost their heads over the British!

On the morning of the 28th of May I left Berne for Zürich, where at 8 p.m. on the same day I went to the station to meet the troop train arriving at 8.30 from Constance. The sight which presented itself to my astonished gaze was an extraordinary one, and I believe unique in the whole history of the transport of prisoners of war to Switzerland. The approaches to the station were alive with a struggling mass of townspeople, all anxious to find standing-room on the platform, which was ringed round by a compact line of Swiss troops. It was with the greatest difficulty that I and my party forced our way through this seething mass to the line of soldiers, and thus gained admittance to the platform, and it was entirely due to the forbearance of the townspeople, who recognized my uniform, that we were enabled to do so. There we met Sir Cecil Hertslet, H.M.'s Consul-General, the members of his Staff, and the whole of the British community of Zürich.

The arrival of the train was heralded by distant cheers, which were taken up by the assembled crowd, and, finally, there came the answering cheers of our men, whose lungs, whatever otherwise was their bodily condition, did not appear to have suffered from their long captivity in Germany. Thus was removed all question as to the feelings of the German-speaking Swiss towards British soldiers. Never for a moment had I had any doubt of their being well received, but that the reception should have attained such proportions and fervour was quite another matter, and went far beyond anything which I could have possibly foreseen.

There is no doubt that the achievements of the first hundred thousand of our men in France and Belgium had made a strong appeal to a people whose history is a long story of heroic struggle against great odds. It is true that the prestige of the British had suffered in Swiss eyes in the past. The suffrage of the whole population during the South African War declared itself in favour of the Boers, who were thought to be the victims of the ambition of the stronger Power. Like themselves, the Boers were a small people in contact with more powerful and autocratic neighbours, and instinctively Swiss sympathies went out to them. But we had redeemed ourselves in their eyes since the war, and, as I read the meaning of the manner in which they met our men, these same Swiss wished to offer a tribute to the British people, as represented by the survivors of that first heroic army.