Oignies,
1 may 1915
[Saturday]
Dear family,
It will surprise you no doubt to
receive a letter from me from Oignies again. I didn’t think I’d be here again
soon. But this is the case:
Now please sit yourself down first,
I don’t want you to fall over. Yesterday-morning, I was still happily asleep
(we came out of the trenches the night before), the Feldwebel came to me and said I have to get myself ready right
away. I, and “3” others of my Kompanie, had to go to Oignies to take
part in a course for “Offizieraspiranten”.
I almost fell over when I heard that.
The course is going to take 3 weeks.
Then probably some are selected to be further educated in Döberitz [*1] . Although I’ll hardly be one of the lucky ones who will
go to Germany, I am very happy I came along. To be promoted as a result of this
doesn’t really interest me, but it’s worth quite something to lead a regular
life for 3 weeks, and to go to sleep at night knowing that you can sleep right
through till the next morning, without having to get up every moment to go and
stand watch or be worried about your safety. So I am very happy, and I am the
envy of many.
Why exactly I have been chosen I do
not know. I can’t quite work out whether it is my personal efficiency and
spirited behaviour, of which almost nobody could have noticed anything of, or
maybe the circumstance that I have my Abitur
[= “A levels”] about which I never told anyone anything, not even the slightest
hint.
But I’m not going to rack my brain
over it any more. In any case I’ll spend 3 excellent and interesting weeks here,
and I’m glad to be away from the boring trenchlife. I have nothing to lose
here, and if they come up with some sort of condition later on, I’ll ask you
first whether you agree. I hardly believe I’ll accomplish anything here, but we’ll
just have to wait and see.
The weatherr has been beautiful over
the past few days. When we arrived here I hardly recognised Oignies. Almost all
the trees are green now, and the cherry- and peartrees are in full bloom.
You now realise how beautiful it really is here in France, but of course not
as beautiful as back home. Especially when you’ve been looking at the clay
walls of the trenches for a long time you notice that.
In nice weather it’s even less bearable
there than in bad weather. It would be good if the war moved on, but even
better when there’s a lasting peace.
Regarding mail I haven’t received
anything since I last wrote you on Wednesday. But tomorrow someone will go to
Douvrin to pick up the remaining mail. Hopefully I’ll get something then.
My address will stay the same. Then
I’d like to receive a pair of nice puttees, and some money. I have to do
something about my appearance now. Please send me a 5 Mk note once in a while,
in a letter. Letters only rarely get lost, and if then one does not arrive the
loss isn’t that big. [*2]
When I am back in the trenches I won’t
need money anymore of course.
But enough. It’s 9 o’clock, time to
go to bed. I’ll write you soon about what it is like here, and what I think of
it. Please also send me some underwear, a shirt and a pair of underpants
suffices. But not of too thick a material, it’s really warm here.
Many warm greetings to everyone your Fritz
[*1] Truppenübingsplatz Döberitz {Traininggrounds Döberitz), also known
as Heeresschule Döberitz (Armyschool
Döberitz), was, amongst others, a
military training-ground for training and schooling of officers. Döberitz (Now
the municipality of Dallgow-Döberitz) lies just to the west of Berlin-Spandau.
(Dallgow was the site of the Olympic
village for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. )
See for more details the (German)
Wikipedia page:
Truppenübingsplatz Döberitz in 1900
[*2] A 5 Mark note as was in use in
1915
The original letter:
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