22 - Don, 3 March 1915

Don, 3 March 1915

[Wednesday]

Dear family,

Yesterday mother’s letter of the 25th arrived. Upto now I received the following parcels : the two parcels with the Browning and ammunition. Then nrs 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19.  So the first three parcels of the 9^th did not arrive.

The ones that did not arrive will have found themselves a different destination I’m sure.

It is not that bad, I’ve always received plenty. Money I don’t need, I still have some 40 Mk.

And we get paid 15,90 Mk per month, so I’ll be alright untill we go to the front.

Then there are also not many opportunities here to spend money. All I buy is butter and jam, which is very nice, and in the evening a beer or two.

Socks I don’t yet need. I wear them untill they’re really worn through, but those are not many. The ones I brought along are really strong. I put on the dirty pair over the clean pair, I always wear two pair. I always wear the watertight jacket and trousers. They hardly let through any water, so I am always dry in them.

My cold is not that bad anymore, but I don’t want to call in sick. It always looks like you’re trying to get out of work. And I can always get medicine, we have a doctor here ofcourse.

I haven’t had watchduty at night yet. But we don’t have to, because the cavalry and artillery guys are taking care of that. [*]

It seems that you did not receive all my letters. I have always written on Sundays and Wednesdays.

There is no one in my platoon you have to send parcels to. Everybody gets something from home, even if it is not much sometimes. I always share something with them then.

Unfortunately there are also people who get rather impertinent and find you háve to give them something.

Another two parcels from you just arrived, I haven’t looked at the contents yet. Furthermore a parcel each from Bonert, Aunt Vollmer and one from Heinz.

But I’ll stop, I want to go and eat something from them. I’ll write more extensively on Sunday.

With many greetings  your Fritz




[*] Re the Cavalry : this is "Braunschweig Husarenregiment nr 17", a few of Fritz's letters of end of February bear a stamp of this regiment. 
Regiment 17 was moved to the Eastern front end of April 1915.


The original letter: