The "Silent's" Captivity Journal
Lorcin, Jean
The "Silent's" Captivity Journal - 2002.
62
The captivity of a Second World War reservist, who participated in the Battle of the Aisne, was captured and imprisoned on the Loire during a retreat that turned into disarray, and who was finally freed in 1941 for health reasons, was recorded in a diary. This literary genre is quite common, though it is certainly not the general practice. A comrade in captivity told the author: "For me, my memories as a prisoner are summed up in these words: I was bored to death!" The genre may also bring to light an unusual personality. This is the case with Captain L?on Gotteland, whose spirituality, which is not without a pronounced bias in favor of "Marshalism," gives a particular color to his behavior during the ordeal?a behavior characterized by a retreat into himself (a taste for silence and philosophical reflection that is seldom shared?he is a theosophist) in the company of a small number of his companions in misery. Such are the aspects of the experience in captivity highlighted in this text, which is not simply a banal list of the sufferings inherent to the daily life of an Oflag reputed for its harshness.
The "Silent's" Captivity Journal - 2002.
62
The captivity of a Second World War reservist, who participated in the Battle of the Aisne, was captured and imprisoned on the Loire during a retreat that turned into disarray, and who was finally freed in 1941 for health reasons, was recorded in a diary. This literary genre is quite common, though it is certainly not the general practice. A comrade in captivity told the author: "For me, my memories as a prisoner are summed up in these words: I was bored to death!" The genre may also bring to light an unusual personality. This is the case with Captain L?on Gotteland, whose spirituality, which is not without a pronounced bias in favor of "Marshalism," gives a particular color to his behavior during the ordeal?a behavior characterized by a retreat into himself (a taste for silence and philosophical reflection that is seldom shared?he is a theosophist) in the company of a small number of his companions in misery. Such are the aspects of the experience in captivity highlighted in this text, which is not simply a banal list of the sufferings inherent to the daily life of an Oflag reputed for its harshness.
Réseaux sociaux