Prellbock, 11 July 1915
[Sunday]
Dear
family,
Since I
last wrote you I have received mother’s letters of the 3rd and 7th
of this month, plus parcels nr 2, 3, 4, and 5. Many thanks for everything. A
parcel each from Aunt Vollmer, Aunt Bonert and A Weyerbuschs also arrived.
Please thank them for me.
Mother is
right when she writes my ketters arrive intermittently lately. But I really can’t
always write consistently, no matter how much I’d like to. When I tell myself “This
afternoon I’m going to write a letter” I can be sure some workjob pops up which
prevents me from writing. Or I give the letter to someone to post for me (Here
in the Prellbock, from which we are
not allowed to leave, we don’t have a letterbox of course) and then that person
forgets to post the letter.
It has also
happened once or twice that I just overslept. But when you’ve alternately stood
guard for 2 hours and worked for 2 hours from 8 at night untill 7 in the
morning, it’s no wonder that sometimes happens. When we’re at rest it’s not
much better. I say to myself “This afternoon I’m going to write a letter”, and
then of course we have to fall in for innoculations, delousing, or weapons inspection,
and it again comes to nothing.
So don’t
think any foolish things when a letter from me doesn’t arrive in time. Whenever
possible I write you on Wednesdays and Sundays, surely that is enough. Or would
you rather I write more frequently, even if it is just a postcard?
I also
received the money father sent me on the 3rd. Many thanks for that. My
assets will have reached the, in trench-terms substantial, amount of 45 DM by
the time we go back in rest.
I’ll see if
I can perhaps take a day-trip to Carvin with that, to treat myself to a proper
afternoonmeal.
The Halsbinde mother sent me a long time
ago, receipt of which I have already confirmed, is unfortunately already worn.
Please sned me a new one, but then one in the form of a necherchief. It doesn’t
have to be a silk one.
It’s a real
shame you can’t send me the Ticka, I
was so looking forward to it. Please see if you can find something similar with
frieds or family. I can then make nice photographs, it’s easy to send films
through the Feldpost. In Douvrin
there’s a dark room I can use to develop the films. I want to make a photo of
Karl Steigleder’s grave. His parents can find it without a photograph though.
He is buried in the general cemetery of the 16’ers in Douvrin. Every grave of
course marked with a nice cross. There is time for all that in a stationery
war. I have already written to the Steigleders. [*1]
I’m looking
forward to the, as they say, “lice-free” silk shirts from Mrs Benzenberg. I don’t
much from them though. I can’t send my washing to a laundry, but a French woman
in Douvrin washes it for me, for a piece of bread and a few Pfennig. And it’s always perfectly
clean. When I come out of the trenches I send her my dirty laundry, and the
next time I pick it up again, fresh and clean. It has the advantage that I don’t
always have to schlepp my dirty laundry around all the time.
I can have
it washed by the Kompanie here, but
then you don’t always get back your own clothes.
I’m very sorry
Edith took ill. It’s nice Hanne took on all that Kinderbrassel [noisy kids].
It gives her an opportunity to show what she learned at home. Hopefully Else
won’t catch anything from Edith.
The cheese
you sent me tastes very good, I request renewed sending. It is nice to eat
something different than Marmelade
etc.
As I wrote
you before, it gives me great pleasure to read everything in the garden is
flowering so beautifully, and perhaps even more that the wounded soldiers are
so happy with the flowers.
Is it warm
at home too? Here we can’t complain about the heat, on the contrary. Without a
coat it’s chilly at night. But you don’t have to send me menthol-pastilles
anymore. Not a trace of a cold, not even when you’ve been knee-deep in water
and didn’t have time to put on dry socks.
I almost
forgot again: please send me a new pocket-knife. One just like my old one. With
a cork-screw. I can use that here.
Many warm
greetings
Your Fritz
in the margin: I'll write the next letter on Wednesday, from the Uhrgraben
[*1]
Contemporary photo of the cemetery of the 16’ers at Douvrin, now the municipal
cemetery.
The German
cemetery was relocated to the German cemetery at Lens-Sallaumines after the
war.
The cemetery in relation to the billets in Douvrin
Making of
grave crosses
The original letter
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