Mexborough and Swinton Times December 21, 1918

Private Charles Shepherd

Private Charles Shepard is among the local men from Germany. He is 19 years of age, and enlisted in October 1916.

He was wounded after 11 days in France, and was captured by the Germans in July 1917. While he was being carried away on a stretcher he received another wound in the leg. He was taken to a German hospital when his wounds were dressed every seven days with paper bandages.

He was then sent to an iron works. The work here was very hard indeed and the hours terribly long. The payment they received was one mark per day, but on the signing of the Armistice they were given four marks a day.

There were fed on black bread and inferior soup which was served three times a day. He says that the German people were war weary and the full conditions were extremely bad.

Prior to enlistment Private Shepard worked at the G.C. Railway at Mexborough