Prellbock, 12 August 1915
[Thursday]
Dear
family,
Yesterday I
received mother’s letter of the 8th. Furthermore, untill yesterdat,
parcels nrs 250, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 60 have arrived. Many thanks for
everything.
It’s no
problem putting “Einj.” in the address. It’s not that why my parcels don’t
arrive. They get lost here in the bulk of goods. Especially those parcels of
which you can hear it contains fluids often don’t arrive.
I’ll send
you the next roll of film probably tomorrow. Today the weather is beautiful, I
want to take the remaining photograps now, so that the Steigleders will get their
photograph quickly. I think they look forward to it very much.
This
business of so many photographs should not cost you too much money, or give you
too much work. You have to remember that
those photographs are a gift, and you can believe me when I say that my
Kameraden are happier with such a photograph which they can send home to their
parents, than with a pair of socks, no matter how beautiful and comfortable
they may be. I know, it will cost a lot of money, but if it is for charity the
cost is irrelevant.
You can
send me a new roll of film now. And that the other goods I asked for are on
their way: I’m salivating already!
I have a
few requests: please send me some more ammunition for my revolver. I’ve shot
too many rats lately. I hope you can get that somewhere. Secondly I’d like to
have a little bottle of machine-oil, to clean the rifle. It has to be
acid-free, and if possible dynamo-oil. We probably have it in the factory. A tin
bottle would be the best.
The little
joke with the flag of course annoyed the English to no end. They have shot at
it with every possible sharpnell, mine etc but it is still standing, and we
even added a yellow-black-white-red flag. And now they’re completely “aus dem Häuschen” [= very exited], but
we’ll calm them down again.
Rifle-grenades,
especially at night, are the perfect cure for that. We’ll break those English.
Every
English shrapnell, mine etc always has to be replied to with 3 German ones.
They quieten down immediately then. [*1]
I believe
we have new troops opposite us. You can feel they’re even more afraid than the
previous ones. Every night a mass of aeroplanes fly overhead, to look for
possible-troopshifting. And they now shoot off flares like never before. [*2]
Than a nice
little story:
Yesterday we
had a vist from a General Staff Chief of Crownprince Rupprecht, a Graf so and so. Before he arrived it was
imprinted into us all that we had to address him as “Herr Graf”. So the party
kicked off. A whole swarm arrived, headed by a Major. He asks one of us
something. Reply : “Jawohl, Herr Graf!”. Then
the Major “Ne mann, the Graf will be here later”.
We lamost
died of laughter afterwards. When you write it down like that it doesn’t look
comical at all. But just think: all those high gentlemen. You háve to know who
you’re dealing with. I’d stepped into the same trap myself if you ask me.
With many
warm greetings
Your Fritz
[*1] From the war diaries of 1st Btn
Royal Berkshire Regiment.
The website
of The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire
Museum.
War diary
entry for 12 August 1915
The GOC 6th Inf Bde came round
trenches in the morning and suggested a few improvements. A quiet day. The
enemy were very offensive during the night, they trench mortared, bombed,
sniped and fired rifle grenades at us. We replied and they shut up. Our trench
mortars claim to have blown up some Huns[*], they were aiming at a flag put up in
commemoration of WARSAW. Let us hope they had the bigger bag. A carrier pigeon
was shot on a brickstack and sent into Bde HQ. Six casualties
[*] The Roll of
Honour in the Regimental History of IR 16 does not mention any casualties on 12th
August 1915 (or the day before or after)
[*2] 1st
Btn Royal Berkshire Regiment had just newly arrived in the Cuinchy sector on 11th
August 1915, coming from Givenchy, so Fritz’s observation seems to tally with
the facts.
The original letter:
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