My Three Years in a German Prison

In Short

This memoir recounts the wartime ordeal of Henri Béland, a Canadian doctor caught in Belgium when the German army swept through in 1914. After initially serving at a hospital in Antwerp, he is arrested and deported to Germany, where he spends three years as a political prisoner in Berlin’s Stadtvogtei jail. Part medical observer and part political commentator, Béland offers an intimate view of the hunger, petty bureaucracy, and psychological toll of imprisonment. His narrative serves as both a testament to individual endurance and a searing indictment of the German militarism that defined the era.

The Story

The narrative begins in the summer of 1914, capturing the sudden, world-altering shift from peacetime travel to the immediate onset of the First World War. Béland, a Canadian politician and physician, is vacationing in France when the conflict erupts. Driven by a sense of professional duty, he travels to Belgium to offer his medical services at Antwerp’s St. Elizabeth Hospital. He provides a vivid, firsthand account of the city’s fall, detailing the terror of the first Zeppelin raids and the stoic defiance of Belgian citizens who refused to formally surrender their city even as German troops marched through the empty streets.

Béland chooses to remain in the occupied village of Capellen with his wife, hoping to provide medical aid to the local population. However, his status as a British subject—a nationality held by Canadians at the time—makes him a target for German suspicion. Despite initial reassurances from a local officer that his medical status grants him immunity, he is soon rounded up by military police, accused of evading registration, and forcibly transported to Berlin.

The core of the book follows his long incarceration in the Stadtvogtei, a prison located in the heart of the German capital. Here, Béland describes the monotonous but grueling reality of life behind bars: the constant, gnawing hunger that forced prisoners to scavenge for potato peelings, the erratic behavior of guards, and the profound psychological strain of being cut off from the world. He finds companionship among a diverse group of fellow captives, including British soldiers and civilians, whose camaraderie and occasional acts of defiance—such as singing "Rule Britannia" at midnight—provide the only relief from their bleak surroundings.

As a physician, Béland is eventually permitted to assist in the prison’s medical work, granting him a unique vantage point to observe both the suffering of his fellow inmates and the inconsistencies of his captors. He recounts the stories of other prisoners, such as the Belgian who refused to fight for Germany and the daring, recurring escape attempts of men like Wallace Ellison. The narrative spans the years of attrition, detailing the slow decay of the German home front and the prisoners' desperate, often thwarted hopes for exchange or release. Finally, in the spring of 1918, after three years of captivity, Béland is granted his freedom. He navigates a harrowing journey through a mine-filled sea to England, ending the book with a profound reflection on the war, the necessity of justice, and a plea for magnanimity in the face of the ultimate Allied victory.

How It Unfolds

The onset of war Béland transitions from a peaceful holiday in the Pyrenees to the chaotic front lines of Belgium. He vividly recalls the terror of the first air raids over Antwerp and the quiet, haunting atmosphere of a city that refused to surrender.

The occupation begins Upon the fall of Antwerp, the author attempts to continue his medical practice in Capellen under the watchful, often contradictory eyes of German officers. He soon discovers that his medical credentials offer no protection against the arbitrary reach of military police.

The descent into prison Béland is arrested and sent to the Stadtvogtei in Berlin, a place he initially mistakes for a temporary holding facility. He describes the shock of realizing he is a long-term political prisoner and his first encounters with the hunger and squalor of the facility.

Life in the Stadtvogtei The narrative details the daily struggle for survival, including the "relative famine" of the prison diet and the constant tension between the inmates and their volatile guards. Béland chronicles small victories, such as the arrival of food parcels from England and the enduring, defiant spirits of his fellow prisoners.

The road to liberty After three years, the prospect of an exchange finally emerges, leading to a suspenseful bureaucratic exit from Germany. The journey concludes with a voyage across the North Sea, where the author is saved by the vigilant presence of the British navy.

The People

Henri Béland The author acts as both protagonist and chronicler. Driven by a sense of professional duty and patriotism, he finds his medical expertise tested against the harsh reality of prison life. He ends his journey as a cynical observer of military bureaucracy but retains a steadfast belief in humanitarian principles.

Officer Block A rare figure of relative decency within the German military machine. As an officer responsible for the prisoners, he attempts to secure small privileges for Béland, reflecting the moral complexities of individual soldiers caught in a system that demands total conformity.

Kirkpatrick An elderly Scottish prisoner who becomes the group's "guide, philosopher and friend." His dry, Scottish humor and quiet, defiant patriotism serve as a vital anchor for the other inmates, reminding them to maintain their dignity under duress.

Dr. Becker The aging prison physician who develops a respectful, albeit cautious, professional relationship with Béland. Through his lens, the reader catches glimpses of the internal cracks in the German war machine.

The unnamed sergeant-major A nervous, volatile figure who embodies the petty tyranny of the prison administration. His aggressive enforcement of rules regarding potato peelings serves as a chilling symbol of how the war transformed even the most mundane aspects of daily life into sources of conflict.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the atmosphere inside the Stadtvogtei, where he and his fellow captives were forced to witness the harsh treatment of prisoners from all walks of life, Béland writes:

“There we were right in the heart of Berlin, and there was unmistakably a serious disturbance of some kind.”

He reflects on the disparity between his medical role and the reality of his captivity when faced with the cold indifference of his captors:

“I always understood the liberty of physicians in time of war was guaranteed by international conferences, because physicians are in a position to relieve the physical sufferings of humanity, and not because they may be allowed to make money.”

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is an examination of the fragility of civilization during total war. Béland argues that the "hydra of militarism" corrupts not just the battlefield, but the fundamental humanity of the society that sustains it. He explores how the arbitrary application of power—whether in the form of a prison regulation or the occupation of a city—strips away the normal rights of the individual. Ultimately, he posits that true victory requires more than just military conquest; it necessitates the restoration of justice, tolerance, and the refusal to adopt the dehumanizing tactics of the enemy.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of the First World War will find this a deeply immersive, if sobering, experience. It is not a battlefield epic, but a claustrophobic, granular look at the experience of the non-combatant swept up in the machinery of state conflict. The prose is clear, urgent, and devoid of the ornate flourishes common to post-war propaganda, which makes Béland’s account feel startlingly modern.

However, the reader should be prepared for the author’s period-specific perspectives. Béland writes with a clear, unyielding bias against the "militarism" of Germany, and his tone reflects the intense, high-stakes patriotism of a man who spent years in a cell because of his nationality. The narrative is at times repetitive, reflecting the crushing monotony of his long confinement. Yet, it is precisely this repetition that conveys the weight of his ordeal. What stays with you is not just the history of the war, but the quiet, persistent humanity of the prisoners—men like Kirkpatrick and his fellow inmates—who clung to their identity and their hope in the face of a system designed to extinguish both. It is a compelling read for those who seek to understand the human cost of 20th-century geopolitical ambitions.