Ww1 pow

[Bee]

The British WWI prisoner of war who returned to captivity

An honourable man.


A British officer captured during World War I was granted leave to visit his dying mother on one condition - that he return, a historian has discovered.
And Capt Robert Campbell kept his promise to Kaiser Wilhelm II and returned from Kent to Germany, where he stayed until the war ended in 1918.
Historian Richard van Emden told the BBC that Capt Campbell would have felt a duty to honour his word.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23957605

 

[Warrigal]

I heard about this on the radio yesterday. It's an amazing story.
It's a shame that the courtesy wasn't extended to a German prisoner by the British so that Capt Campbell was the only officer ever to have this honour. Still, in war time, we can't have people thinking that the enemy is human, just like us. If they did, wars would fizzle out to quickly, wouldn't they?

It brings to mind the Christmas ceasefire during the Great War. Such camaraderie between enemies must be ended very quickly if the high command wants to wage a successful war.

ttp://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/a/christmastruce.htm