Douvrin, 25 July 1915
[Sunday]
Dear
family,
Since I
last wrote you I received mother’s letter of the 18th and parcels nr
21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27. Many thanks for everything. The big parcel hasn’t
arrived yet, I hope it will be in the mail tonight though.
Furthermore
I’m happy the carnations flower so beuatiful again this year. I hadn’t really
expected that.
I will now
réally write to the Bonert in the coming days. I have a bad conscience, I have
been meaning to write to them for so long now.
It may be
of interest to you that we now have a coldstore here in Douvrin, in which the
meat is kept.
The silk
shirt you sent me is very nice. I don’t believe though it will remain
vermin-free, but that’s okay. If and when you send me another one please make
sure it’s one without so many folds around the breast area. It’s the preferred
place for those little animals.
Yesterday
we had our Kompanie’s Schützenfest:
target-shooting in the morning, and then in the evening the awards-ceremony
with beer. It got very late last night. That’s the excuse if this letter doesn’t
turn out quite right. The small hours got bigger and bigger by the time we went
home. It was great fun. I didn’t shoot myself to the prizes unfortunately.
There were
great prizes to be won actually, e.g. watches, cigarcases, Wickelgamaschen, pocketlights etc.
Even the
highest gentlemen made an appearance, our Regimental and Battalion commander
etc. And they had even published eine
Bier or better still a Schützenzeitung
[= Trench newspaper], in which everyone from the Leutnant down was made fun of [“Durch die Zähne gezogen wurde”]. I haven’t laughed so much in a
long time, but then I also hadn’t drunk so much beer for a long time. And in
the end we have even danced. Can you imagine that? We’re doing okay here, but
those poor soliders in France….
I’ll send
you a copy of the Schützenzeitung if I can. There aren’t enough for everyone
unfortunately. You won’t find anything about me in there, as usual. There was,
amongst others, a nice poem about our
Leutnant [Ltn Walther Stennes]. He has the little habit of using, in every
conceivable situation, the expression “I am broken” [“Ich bin gebrochen”], whether he likes something or not. Herr Oberst-Leutnant fell off his chair
laughing. I think he [Ltn Stennes] quite liked it, which can only be good for
our Kompanie. He is a cheerful man anyway, but very strict
in army matters. You can read all about it if I can find you a newspaper. I
will send clarifying notes with it too.
Please call
the Steigleders and tell them I will immediately make a photograph of Karl’s
grave when I’ve got the camera here. It is very dificult to find another
photographer here. I know of a few in 5th Company, from our time in
Don, who could do it, but I can’t meet them. Whenever we are in the trenches
they are in rest, and vice-versa. I used to know several artillery-guys, but
almost the whole artillery has moved away from here.
By the way
Carl Jäger from the Allee [now:
Friedrich Engels Allee, Wuppertal] is here too, he is a Lieutenant with the
Artillery, and also “Häschen” from
Juist [an German island in the North Sea]
Hanne and
Helene will certainly remember the Lieutenant.
But now I
really don’t know anything anymore, so end.
With many
warm greetings,
Your Fritz
I received a parcel with lobster from the Benzenbergs. Please thank them for me.
The original letter:
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