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| Evidence for the Prosecution |
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| Brigadier Glyn Hughes
(cont.) |
them. The
hospital compound in that area was very well run by the internee doctors —
very well run.
Were the bodies on the pile in the compound clothed?
— Some, but mostly naked. It was a very long pile and quite high and must
have contained many hundreds. It was very close and in sight of the
children’s compound
Could, you give details of the medical
supplies? — There were quite large stocks in the store, but one issue I
was told by the chief doctor there, was 300 aspirin tablets for 17,000 sick
people for one week. I do not think there were any large quantities of
disinfectant available and no anti-louse powder was issued. I found a large
number of Red Cross boxes sent by Jewish Associations for the Jews. I was told
that no issue of the contents had been made except an occasional issue of
sweets to the children. The boxes contained meat extracts and food of all
kinds, biscuits, milk. There was some stealing of meat by, the Hungarian
soldiers while I was there.
What was the food supply in the camp?
— At the time of entry practically nil — at the most, one meal a day
of watery stew made of vegetables.
What was the method of distribution?
— In large metal containers which were very heavy. There had been no bread
for a fortnight and no water for rather a shorter time, and there appeared to
be absolutely no method of ensuring that each person got their share. When a
man or woman got too weak to fetch for themselves and their friends became
indifferent through their own condition, then they got none.
What
water, if at all, was there available to the internees? — Just the water
laid on in the wash-places in each hut and the concrete ponds which they were
not allowed to go to and which, I imagine, were meant for cooking purposes. As
the water in the huts was not working I understand the internees got none at
all for the last five or six days.
Taking the camp as a whole, can you
give the Court any summary of the general health condition? — I
appreciated that of the inhabitants 70 per cent. required hospitalization, and
that of these at least 10,000 would die before they could be put in hospital.
There were 10,000 corpses in the camp when we arrived there. Every form of
disease was prevalent, but the ones mainly responsible for the frightful
conditions were typhus, starvation and tuberculosis. The cause of the disease
was the privation and suffering which they had gone through. Typhus was brought
in on 5th February by Hungarian prisoners, and it then raged right through the
camp, where conditions were absolutely suitable for it. The same with
tuberculosis.
In your considered opinion for what period at the least
must conditions have been bad in that camp to have produced the results that
you saw? — |
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