FREE AT LAST. Cpl S Eads now in Holland.  The news that Cpl. Sydney Eads, a Lutonian, of the Australians, son of Mr W J R Eads of Rothesay Road and Dunstable Road, Luton, has been released from captivity has been a source of great relief to his relatives.  They live in the hope from day to day that he will soon be back home amongst them.  He was captured in the big push July 1916 and since then has been a prisoner of war in Germany,.  He has been interned in Holland since June this year. 

He is now at The Hague and writes very favourably of the district and the treatment he is now receiving.  Regarding his experiences in Germany, in one letter just to hand he writes:-  "I can hardly describe my feelings now that I am out of that cursed man's country way back - the hell hole of the world.  The atrocities of the Congo pale into insignificance when compared with some of the things that have just happened in Germany.  If prisoners were to tell all that has happened there recently it would not be believed by many - we used to take a delight in beating the square heads whenever we could.  Sometimes we would succeed and worse luck, sometimes we would fail, and then we paid for it. 

I well remember that for three whole weeks 500 odd N.C.O's lived on a soup made of absolutely rotten swedes and nothing else, because we would not work as our parcels were not given us.  In the end 15 men were sent to push a wagon to fetch our parcels.  The snow at the time was in places lying 2 feet deep.  What beat the Huns most of all was the fact that one could still raise a smile and say "nix abbeit."  The rest will keep until I see you.  I'll tell you then how they got the thin veneer of civilisation off us and made us into what man was in primitive times and wild dogs are to this day.  Remind me of the camp at Dulmen and the first white bread I saw there and you will hear something.  Remember me to all friends who enquire."

If anyone questions the advisability of the endeavour now being made in Luton in aid of the Prisoners of War Fund, we think the above extract should dissipate all doubts.  The eldest son of Mr Eads, Herbert is serving in Mesopotamia, the third Pte F Eads is in France. Cpl P G Eads is in Mesopotamia and the youngest, Pte R C Eads is also serving in France and is not yet 19 years of age.