85 - Prellbock, 15 September 1915

[This letter was sent together with letter nr 80 from 12^th September. Feldpost was free up to a weight of 50 grams. As the combined weight of these two letters exceeded that, the letter was charged 10 Pfennig postage due]

85 Prellbock, 15 September 1915

[Wednesday]

Dear family,

I received your letters of the 8^th, 10^th and 11^th with the photographs from film nr 4 [*1], and parcels nr 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324. Many thanks for everything.

Everything arrived in good order, plums, stringbeans, and everything else. The Sauerkraut too.

I hope Feldwebel Scheffel has visited you, and told you something about life here.

Ernst Fischer still hasn’t returned. But then he didn’t have much luck with his trip home. I’m surprised he didn’t come and visit you. He’s not a particularly good friend, so that’s probably why.

Willy Proll has had the same sort of Schützenfest as we had. We too had potato-salad with liverwurst etc.  -  I still have plenty of fuel [for the field-cooker].  That was the letter of the 8^th.

Now to the letter of the 10^th.

I still don’t need socks. Vaseline is also okay for cleaning the rifle, but oil is better, even though you use more of it. It doesn’t have to be special oil. Our best oil, which we use in the factory to lubricate the dynamos, would be perfect.

Oil is much better than fat to clean out the rust from the fine parts of the visor and the lock, and also from the barrel. I now don’t have any cigarettes anymore. But I’ve just bought some from the canteen, with my last money. I think new ones will arrive soon.

If you like you could send me some cigars now and then, but not too many, and if possible of the same brand as I receive from the A. Weyerbuschs now and then. But not too many!!!

My shoes are still okay. I did have them repaired by the shoemaker though, as they are not as good as the ones I had before.

The weather here was beautiful too. It’s too late now to write to August and wish him happy birthday. Would you relay my belated congratulations to him please.

The letter of the 11^th. The photographs are partly really nice again. I don’t think I look good in them though. I always look “Trauerklötiger” [Sad, depressed] and more serious than I really am. I haven’t yet received the 5^th roll of film, why would that be?

I hope Else had fun down on the Rhine. Her alte Leute [= her parents] should also take a day-trip now and then.

Whether Herr Scheffel is a relative of Viktor’s I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him that yourselves.

The soldier on photograph nr 41 is not an actor, but, if you allow me to introduce him to you, Willy Homann from Düsseldorf, businessmann by profession, at present tired warrior.

I have not yet received the photographs from the clinic, but I did receive parcel 311. You can keep on sending as before, then I wouldn’t be in need of anything. Maybe a little less Marmelade, it’s in plentiful supply here, and instead of that some more ham, sausage etc. The Kuchen from no 324 was again véry nice, and the mice in the dug-out thought so too: they devoured quite a bit of it.

The day before yesterday we made a short trip to Ostend-Bruges, I’ll send you some postcards and some Belgian money today, if that interests you. It was great fun, but over before you knew it.

It really does one good to see nothing of the war for a change. The trip went from Provin (2 hours from Douvrin), via Don, Lille, Kortrijk, Roeselare, Torhout to Ostend, back via Bruges.

In Lille I saw a running streetcar for the first time in 8 months. In Ostend I, for the first time, sat in a café having cake and whipped cream, without first getting it yourself in the canteen.In Bruges I, for the first time, saw a perfectly dressed gentleman with a straw hat greeting someone, which came over all comical to me. But you get used to the civilised world quickly.

In Belgium, already in Lille even, you hardly notice there is a war on. Normal traffic like before, and in Ostend the beach-life almost as before, of course a lot of soldiers, a.o. sailors in Feldgrau which really suits them.

Also it was not overly expensive. In Ostend 1 cup of coffee and 2 pieces of cake: 50 Pfg. In Bruges two beers, 1 ham-sandwich: 70 Pfg. You don’t see a French language sign anywhere in Belgium. The only languages spoken are German and Flemish. Every trainstation has been remodelled in the German fashion, and it all looks like it has been made for eternity.

The trip was very tiring, but véry interesting. The swimming in Ostend wasn’t that special, because the weather was too quiet.

I don’t think we made this trip just for our pleasure, but first and foremost to trick the English into thinking we are shifting troops.

In any case it was something different for a change.

But schluss, someone is going to the mailbox now.

Your Fritz sends you many warm greetings

Of the photographs from roll nr 4 I have :

In original : 40, 41 and 44

In copies plucked from the internet: 38 and 42

Nrs 37, 39 and 43 were duds, and nrs 45-48 still remain missing.

Nr 38 – Heinrich Mais

Nr 40 – Fritz Limbach (with Heinrich Mais in the background)

Nr 41 – Willy Homann from Düsseldorf

Nr 42 – Fritz Limbach

Nr 44 – Fritz Limbach