Fritz Limbach - letters from the front - 1915: 38

Douvrin, 23 april 1915

[Friday]

Dear family,

The day before yesterday I received parcels nrs 81-84, and yesterday mother’s letter of the 18^th and a parcel with cakes. I take it that is the nr 85 mother wrote about. I’ve not received the fieldstove yet. If I don’t receive it in the next few days you’ll perhaps have to send me a new one.

I don’t need it at the moment. But when we go to the trenches again it would come in handy. The canned foods tasted wonderful. Too bad there’s only so much in a can. Now I can heat them up on the stove. Please send me the same little stove A Hede has, also with the fuel tablets to heat it.

Today I’m sending you a photograph of our group, which you will certainly like. [*]

We also took some photographs in the trenches, but I lost them, or rather they got stolen. When we go back to Auchy I’ll have some more made. I sent one of the photographs to the Benzenbergs, so if you go and pay them a visit you can see it. I hope to get new prints though, and also some picture-postcards of Auchy. The second photograph didn’t turn out as well as the one I’m sending you today.

Please keep this photograph in a safe place. It is such a nice memory for later. One of the artillery-guys photographed us in the garden here in Auchy. I turned out quite well, with my cap so nicely askew on my head. But that doesn’t matter really. We all look like black people, but we almost always look like that in reality.

At the moment we’re here in Douvrin, we were supposed to have 4 days of rest. But just now came the order that our career as a sapper is over, and we are to return to the Kompanie tonight.

So you can send the field stove right away. They’re not that terribly expensive, so it doesn’t matter if I suddenly have two. I can give one away then.

So the good life comes to an end for the time being. But at least I’ll be going back to people I know, and that’s also worth something, although I did like my time with this group too. It’s just a shame about the good life.

We won’t go to the trenches straightaway, first it’s to Auchy on stand-by. I can only be annoyed. Yesterday we packed all our stuff, we unpacked it, and today you can pack it all again. That’s the annoying part of it all, you just don’t know what it’s all good for.

I don’t have much to write you anymore. The weather is beautiful, and everything is growing beautifully. Only for everything to wither and waste away though.

Please write to me about what the garden back home looks like now, and whether everything grows as well as in previous years. I’d love to know that.

Please also send me writingpaper. I’ve written a lot in the past few days.

Erich [Bonert] sent me a postcard. I’d like to send letters to Walter Benzenberg via Barmen. I believe that is safer.

Enough for today. I’ll write more as soon as possible.

With many fond greetings to everyone your Fritz

[*] the picture of the sappers in the garden in Auchy. Fritz is third on the left, back row.