Diary of Annie's War (11 page)

A very strange affair occurred by this hotel on Friday and just five hundred yards from our door. A taxi was coming from the station with two ladies when it collided with the tram car. All the glass was broken and one lady was rather badly cut. The driver got on the taxi to try to make it go. But it would not move. He then bent down and got a revolver from somewhere near his seat and blew his brains out. The shock to the ladies was worse than the accident. No one else bothered about it. A very short notice was in the evening paper and we shall hear no more of it. Lives are not valued so much here.

I went to Hannover by order of the police to get a passport from the American consul. It was a real treat to get out of the town for a few hours. I saw Mr. Plunkett who is still at home as he was too ill to go to Ruhleben. He seems very delicate.

I was very much surprised to see the floods between here and Hannover. There were miles and miles of meadow and field under water. A farmer (at present a soldier of course) who was travelling into Hannover told us that they had to pump the water out of the cow and horse stalls each morning. But if we had no frost it would do no harm. Last February they were flooded three times and it did not kill the wheat because there was no frost. This farmer told us that the next call up of men would empty his district. Practically all who were able to go had offered themselves free willing.

Food is very dear. Potatoes are seven shillings a hundredweight. And bread is ten pence for five pounds and you can only buy a certain quantity.

We hear of great loses to the English, both in France and the Dardanelles, and many French and English have been taken prisoners. We also hear of a German undersea boat being lost,
U12
, sank by an English, or French boat. But it seems the Germans sank five ships on Monday . Today they are able to give their names but I fancy they are trading vessels.

We are informed today that the weight of bread is to be reduced to six ounces (200 grams) for all over six-years-old and for those less than six-years-old only three ounces (100 grams) only is allowed per day. We are informed that the potatoes are to be weighed out after this week.

I went to the bank today for my usual amount for the month, twenty pounds, and was informed that they dare not give me more than five pounds and I must make it last as long as I can.

Had a letter from Arthur today and he still has hope of coming out. I have none. All I speak to are of the same opinion.

The collection of gold is announced today and I hear that we still have one million pounds worth of gold in circulation.

Our school has a holiday so we do not go to give out the milk.

Each school that brings one hundred and fifty pounds worth of gold to the collection gets a holiday. So all the children visit their relations and get the gold from them and they in turn receive the value in paper money. This school through its various scholars raised one hundred and seventy pounds in gold and so had a free day.

All householders have received a ticket from the police and must say how many potatoes they have in store. Many men have been sent into Belgium to work the fields there and plant ready for next year.

The hotel is full up with officers and their wives. The men have to go to the front next week and their wives have come to stay the last few days with them. It’s very sad. I met a lady today, Frau von Ludwich, and her husband has been sent for. He is fifty-three-years-old. He was an officer for thirteen years and has been away from the army for twenty years. He goes to take the place of officers who have been called to the front. In the last battle in the Champagne the losses were very great on the French and English side, as well as the German, and also in the Carpathians.

Hermenia’s brother is there and he has written home that two weeks ago a regiment went into battle and only twenty-eight returned. I asked how many a company was. They say that in war time the number of men and officers is five hundred and twenty-five. That seems a dreadful loss to me.

No news of the Dardanelles but it is reported that Greece, Italy and Romania are German friendly.

Today they say that it is not true that C.H. Beresford, the British Admiral, stated, ‘I would hang all German sailors as pirates’ the next time he took any as prisoners. I had said at the time it was published that I did not believe it. The Germans said they did. I had no excuse good enough for the British sailor as he is a noted cruel man. However it was my time to crow for the German government said it was untrue.

Six hundred soldiers go from here today and six hundred more will leave one day next week. Von Hindenburg has sent word from Russia that he must have another hundred thousand men in fourteen days. He had one hundred thousand men in January (sent in three days notice) so the men must be falling there. They go away quite bravely but openly say they would rather be cold in Russia than face the French guns. They never cease and they are very good shots.

I talked today with the daughter of Herr Grebe. She has only been married one year and her husband is seven months in the field. She tells me that she must send him each week a large packet of food which costs her at least ten shillings. She has two soldiers quartering in her home. She must give them coffee and butter in the morning (they get their bread from the government) and a buttered sandwich for lunch. They have dinner in the barracks. Then in the evening she cooks them a hot soup or gives them some sort of supper. They have a good bed and fire and she gets for each man one penny per day from the government.

Each person who pays five shillings per week rent must put up one soldier, seven shillings per week rent must put up two soldiers and ten shillings per week rent must put up three soldiers.

After that it depends on the amount of rooms you have. In this hotel the proprietor must put up, for one penny per day, sixteen men. He has turned a large restaurant into a little barracks and he also takes in soldiers who are impossible to have. These householders pay another nine pence a man to the hotel keeper for each week they cannot put them up. It makes for a deal of expense and work but nobody grumbles.

My passport came from the American Consul.

We were very busy yesterday trying to buy a little bread. But it is an impossibility to get one pennyworth without a card from the police. The bread we have is too awful for words and has made Belle and me ill. So we are running after ‘Graham Brot’. This is like our Hovis bread and is only sold to invalids. I told Belle that she must go to the police for a card as she looks just like an invalid. She is so thin. I am just as fat. I believe that if I lived on air for a month I should still be fat.

Arthur writes me that he has gone much thinner. I envy him.

William Steinoff came to see me. He is busy this week getting all the potatoes and corn to the government. Each person can only keep enough to seed next year and food for one month. After that the farmers themselves must buy corn for food from the government.

News today of the sinking of four English merchant ships but only a few lives were lost. The same torpedo boat has sunk them that sunk the Cressy etc. but we hear nothing of the Dardanelles. The Germans acknowledge a repulse by the English and say they were driven back a short way on March 9
^th
. They hope to get all back in a few days.

St. Patrick’s Day and is such a nice day here. It is quite like spring.

We have no war news, only the usual (a small advance in France) but we hear of a lot of men are going before Warsaw and taking the larger guns which nothing can withstand. Perhaps we shall soon hear of the fall of Warsaw.

There are a lot of new regulations this week for the outlander and it gives me a deal of anxiety.

I wrote to Ettie and dad these last few days. I do hope they get them.

We hear the English have sunk the German boat
Dresden
and it gives great sorrow. I hope no lives are lost.

I haven’t heard from Arthur for ten days. I hope he is well.

Bad news today. One French warship and one English warship have been sunk off the Dardanelles. It is reported that the English and French have been sent back with great losses.

The Russians are again in East Prussia. We did not hear when they came in but it is a report from Hindenburg. It seems as if this war will last a long time.

Notices have been posted this week that after this week that motor driven carriages cannot be used. All petrol and oil and spirits in your possession must be sent to the government so no taxis after next week. There have been very few for some time – drivers and oil being very scarce. Men keep leaving here suddenly.

The bread is scarcer this week and you can hardly buy it at all. The white bread is a little better. They say it is because we get more wheat from the farmers than rye or barley.

I was ill.

We read that the Socialists are grumbling in the parliament. It does not avail them anything.

Joseph Koch goes tomorrow to his regiment. He only passed his solicitors exam last Thursday. I congratulated him on his success, to which he replied: ‘Yes, if I live to get any good out of it’.

I feel very sorry for his people. I hoped they could keep one son out of four at home. He is the last and he goes tomorrow.

We hear today of the fall of Przemysl and that the Russians have been driven out of Memel. So once more the German land is clear of Russians. In taking Przemysl from the Austrians the Russians got over forty thousand prisoners. They had no more food I hear.

Stoffregan and Steinoff came to see me today and both are in want of the orchard and the garden. I wish the house was let and settled.

No war news, only a lot of accounts of the fall of Przemysl. It is reported that two hundred people per day for the last two weeks have died of hunger. The Austrians burned all of value before giving in and the report here is that the Russians have gained very little.

I was ill and had to go to the doctor but now feel a little better.

Received a postcard from Arthur, the first in eighteen days, saying he was well and I must send him his summer clothes.

It is Palm Sunday and a great day here. The Protestants have confirmation and the streets are full of visitors to the ceremony for all members of the family are invited. One family gave the dinner at half-past-four and eighteen people sat down.

The girls are all in black with black gloves and wear myrtle wreaths. The boys are all in navy blue, or black, suits with black gloves and ties with a spray of myrtle in their coats. It is such a business and all friends send congratulations, flowers, and a present. Watches and umbrellas are much in demand.

Milk is announced as scarcer and dearer and the oil coke has run out. Belle and I went into four shops this morning to buy French toilet soap and people were scarcely civil to us.

No news from the Dardanelles or Flanders, but a small notice to say the usual advance in Russia and France. People are getting tired of reading it. Belle and I were reading the usual last week and a gentleman said: ‘I am tired of seeing the same old news. It’s always the same’.

So it does not seem as if the public believe all of it.

We read from a neutral paper that the English have got the inner six forts of the Dardanelles and that they expect them to fall about Easter. Here we read nothing of it.

Many more soldiers are called up again this week. Six thousand go from Hannover province next week to the front. That is eighteen thousand men since Christmas from this province alone. In Hildesheim today we have eleven thousand men in uniform.

No war news just a short notice to the effect – ‘We have made small advances west and east’. We have had nothing else for some days – only the fall of Przemysl.

I went for the last time to give out milk to the poor children. The school closes tomorrow for sixteen days, so no more milk this term. Carole Osthaus, the relation I go with to the school, asked the manager of the place if it would commence again in the autumn. He said: ‘If Germany wins certainly but if we lose no one can tell about the milk’.

I was surprised for it is the first time that a doubt of them winning has ever been expressed publicly. One can see that they are uneasy. It was never doubted that all would be over in four months at the latest.

Having no war news they are again attacking the English. All hotels which had an English name have changed them to a Prussian one. The notices are very frequent in the shops – ‘God punish the English’. They never seem to think it is a reflection on their religion or what they prize far more – their
‘culture’
.

We had a very amusing incident here last week and I roared laughing. Belle got angry and said so. We went into a shop where I have spent a deal of money at times and, of course, they know that Arthur is a prisoner. I am pretty quick at noticing and at once saw the notice ‘God punish etc.’ hung in a prominent place. While the assistant was serving me the proprietor came in and took down the notice. He put it under the counter in a great hurry. I told Belle of it and laughed a great deal. She said what she thought and remarked that when they (the shop workers) say ‘good morning’ that she does not even say it back to such unworthy people. She is German so it did not matter. But I am English.