POW Bertie Perkins tells his story

While returning POWs frequently had stories of cruelty and near starvation in German hands, L-Cpl Bertie Perkins (266268, Yorkshire Regiment) was one who confessed to “a fairly good time,” although he had sad stories of cruelty to British prisoners working close up to the German lines.

He reached home at 3 Cumberland Street, Luton, on December 2nd, 1918, after arriving back in England at Hull on the SS Porto on November 22nd. He was enjoying two months' leave.

He told the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph (December 7th, 1918) that when first captured at Ridge Wood in France on May 8th, 1918, he was wounded n the left hand and spent three months in Schleswig Hospital. He was then sent on to Munster, where the food was not so good, and all parcels were stopped.

After a time he proceeded to a place called Hilden, where he was employed in making cycle parts and on steel work. On arriving he received all the parcels which had been stored up while he was at Munster - a batch of 14 in one day. He was very grateful for the parcels, which were sent out by the Luton Prisoners of War Committee, and said it was these which 'pulled him round' after being wounded.

When the armistice was signed he was at Friedrichsfeld, and there he saw many British men just back from the German line. They were in a terrible condition and many of them died.

He came home through Rotterdam in Holland and had an enthusiastic reception on reaching this country. Needless to say he was overjoyed to reach home and he found things going along all right, for he had received very little news while in exile.

Bertie was one of the guests at a dinner for returned POWs at the Winter Assembly Hall, Luton, on March 13th, 1919.