Fritz Limbach - letters from the front - 1915: 58

Uhrgraben, 30 June 1915

[Wednesday]

Dear family!

Since I wrote you last (I was just thinking that was a long time ago, last Friday) I received mother’s letter of the 22^nd, with the nice picture postcard which I shall treasure, and parcels upto nr 189.

The bottle of lemonjuice unfortunately arrived broken, but thankfully not much was lost. The juice was excellent. Then I received parcels from Aunt Vollmer, Hans and Aunt Bonert. Please thank Aunt Bonert for me (I’ve already written cards to the others), and tell her I’ll write to Paul as soon as we are in rest again.

Then I’d like to propose to you: please have mother include a list of the parcels you’ve sent with the letters. It makes it a lot easier for me to confirm which parcels had arrived. It happen often that I receive many parcels just as we are moving. You can imagine I’m always glad everything fits into the backpack again, and that I really don’t have time to note down the numbers.

We have to clean the dug-out every time we’re relieved, so empty parcels have to be thrown out as soon as possible. And also it looks a bit weird to others, all those high numbers on the parcels.

You please do me that favour, and write “up to this letter we sent off the following parcels, contents etc”. I hope you can see it’s for the better.

Then I received a parcel from Lena Pilgram lately. I can’t quite explain why this young lady sent me a parcel. Or is that story about the dance-lessons doing the rounds? What she sent was excellent and very tasty. But I’d still like to know what it is with that story.

A friend of mine, Otto Mertens from Solingen, also a Highschool graduate, gets sent roast meat from home, packed in a tin with a bit of gravy, which you can eat with bread and butter. It keeps well. I believe it’s cheaper than preserves. The peas you sent me lately were perfect, even though the can got broken in transit.

As I wrote you several times we have absolutely nothing to do with the fighting north of Arras. We are positioned just south of the Canal de La Bassée, and that’s a long way from Arras. Just look at the map!

Also when Karl Steigleder was killed there was nothing going on here. It was purely a random shot. We all still miss him. [*1]

Then to mother’s letter. I received the sugarcubes, and I can use them for a better purpose namely fly bites. There is a gigantic amount of flies here, but fortunately no gadflies. The flycatchers here, which we get from the Kompanie, are always fuller than the one’s in mother’s kitchen. The sugar is no good for lice-bites, because those lice predominantly irritate you by their constant moving around and itching, and you notice the bites only as tiny blisters on your skin. At the moment hey don’t bother me.

But from the fly-bites can cause nasty, festering sores, and many of us suffer from them. Those sores only occur on your legs, the doctors don’t quite know yet why that is. I had one of those, but had it bandaged by the medic immediately, and after 8 days it was gone.

Then I received the money (20 Mk) that father had sent me. I’m a rich man again. The day after tomorrow we’ll be going to the Prellbock [= frontline trenches], and I can put it to good use when we come in rest again.

Can you check whether that little Ticka can be made working again, and then send it to me? [*2} I can then make some photographs, which Henne I’m sure will like to develop. And when the photographs turn out okay you can have them enlarged at Jansens.[*3] A small camera like that is easy to schlepp around.

The Puffertkuchen that you baked for me were outstanding, very tasty. I request a new shipment. The mail arrived last night at 12, but I couldn’t resist to treat myself to one box right away. I can tell you they tasted even better than the chcocolatecake you send me often.

The “Kronprinz Wilhelm” cigarettes have also arrived. They’re still the best. Please send me a box now and then, or Zubau No 25 or Flaggengala.

Well I’m out of topics for today. So Schluß.

With many warm greetings to everyone Your Fritz

[*1] Karl Steigleder, from Barmen, died 28 June 1915

Verlustlisten of 14 July 1914: