A very good copy of this rare and desirable First World War publication. Led by the camp’s senior officer, Commander Paul Whitfield, R.N., this short-lived magazine was produced by interned British Officers at the POW camp in Heidelberg, and bears the signature of fellow internee A.W. Cains, dated 15 May 1918.
There is a long history of magazines such as this one being printed as a distraction from arduous conditions, such as confinement (as here), trenches on the Western Front, and even polar winters. This is an excellent example, comprising eighteen short prose and poetry pieces (of real interest is Owen Tudor-Hart’s poem, “A French Wood in War Time”) as well as cartoons. Some contributors chose to remain anonymous, others used a nom de plume (“Astra” or “Strozzi”), though other officers such as D. Fry, Jason Gurney, R.Y. Cory, Owen Tudor-Hart, T. Hawkins, and A.E. Mackenzie all signed their work.
The camp at Heidelberg was for officers only and was located six kilometres from the city. The magazine was printed by the local firm, Carl Pfeffer, and, given how late it appeared in the war, it’s unsurprising that there are no other issues recorded.
Extremely rare: OCLC locates just a single copy at Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
