rickpreston@nasuwt.net Posted 17 January , 2014 Share Posted 17 January , 2014 Erine i look at your site it is exellent. I was particually interested in the Russion pictures. The stories of the men were similar to those of many British Soldiers.. Just doing their duly. Keep up the good work Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 17 January , 2014 Share Posted 17 January , 2014 Erine i look at your site it is exellent. I was particually interested in the Russion pictures. The stories of the men were similar to those of many British Soldiers.. Just doing their duly. Keep up the good work Richard Thank you very much Richard. I have photos both from the eastern and western fronts, slowly putting them up... thanks for your encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
washingline Posted 17 January , 2014 Share Posted 17 January , 2014 I can't really say that I blame the Germans not wanting to draw more attention than necessary to either war, since by and large they were blamed for starting both, and thus responsible for the carnage. Don't think I would be too keen. Hazel C I was talking to a German guy in the summer. The conversation went along the lines of, I thought that the time for "war guilt" to influence present German foreign policy was long passed and that as a modern functioning democracy and prominent power it was necessary for Germany to play a greater role in world affairs. He disagreed stating that time would not be for another generation in his view. However, what guilt should a person living in a nation in the present feel for what the leaders of that nation did in the past? I mean I could be an English person with two German parents - must I feel guilty for Germany or vindicated for being English (and feel guilty for the sins of the Empire instead). Basically it all gets very complicated and is a damaging and irrelevant way of thinking. The only people who should feel guilty are the actual people who committed war crimes or made indefensible decisions. Similarly, although you can take an interest and a pride in the derring deeds of previous generations of your own nation, you have no real claim to them unless you were involved yourself (which unless you're 89+ is unlikely). Most of the Germans who fought in either world war were brave and honourable people, who (though they are nearly all dead now) deserve as much respect as the other side. When you see pictures for example from Erine's site you are looking at a mirror image of British troops almost, that is young men caught up in events over which they have no control but acting honourably as they saw it. When it comes to "you started it" even, the Germans are blamed yet to be honest the first blame is with the Serbians, then the Austrians for overplaying their hand and then the Russians and the Germans and the British (for early mixed messages) and everyone for getting tied up in alliances without thinking it through. And if you like World War Two follows on from that. So who really is to blame? Yes, Gavrillo Princip, Dragutin Dimitrijevic, Conrad von Hohzendorf, Bethman Holweg, The Tsar, The Kaiser, von Schliefen, von Moltke, Bismarck even. Then if you read Grey's speech, it is one of the most brilliant speeches ever made before parliament and yet, would he have made it had he known how bad the war would be? I suspect if he could really have known the future he would have decided the cost was too great for the benefits of being seen to forestall Germany. The Germans in so far as they are the current representatives of those who fought and died in the name of Germany, owe it to those people to "celebrate" their honour, sacrifice and decency as much as the allies. I would say the Germans should be involved and there needs to be restatement of reconcilliation and friendship through the tragedies of the past. If they don't feel that way it is a pity and it is time they were made/allowed to feel differently especially in relation to the First World War which is the case in point at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 17 January , 2014 Share Posted 17 January , 2014 I was talking to a German guy in the summer. The conversation went along the lines of, I thought that the time for "war guilt" to influence present German foreign policy was long passed and that as a modern functioning democracy and prominent power it was necessary for Germany to play a greater role in world affairs. He disagreed stating that time would not be for another generation in his view. However, what guilt should a person living in a nation in the present feel for what the leaders of that nation did in the past? I mean I could be an English person with two German parents - must I feel guilty for Germany or vindicated for being English (and feel guilty for the sins of the Empire instead). Basically it all gets very complicated and is a damaging and irrelevant way of thinking. The only people who should feel guilty are the actual people who committed war crimes or made indefensible decisions. Similarly, although you can take an interest and a pride in the derring deeds of previous generations of your own nation, you have no real claim to them unless you were involved yourself (which unless you're 89+ is unlikely). Most of the Germans who fought in either world war were brave and honourable people, who (though they are nearly all dead now) deserve as much respect as the other side. When you see pictures for example from Erine's site you are looking at a mirror image of British troops almost, that is young men caught up in events over which they have no control but acting honourably as they saw it. When it comes to "you started it" even, the Germans are blamed yet to be honest the first blame is with the Serbians, then the Austrians for overplaying their hand and then the Russians and the Germans and the British (for early mixed messages) and everyone for getting tied up in alliances without thinking it through. And if you like World War Two follows on from that. So who really is to blame? Yes, Gavrillo Princip, Dragutin Dimitrijevic, Conrad von Hohzendorf, Bethman Holweg, The Tsar, The Kaiser, von Schliefen, von Moltke, Bismarck even. Then if you read Grey's speech, it is one of the most brilliant speeches ever made before parliament and yet, would he have made it had he known how bad the war would be? I suspect if he could really have known the future he would have decided the cost was too great for the benefits of being seen to forestall Germany. The Germans in so far as they are the current representatives of those who fought and died in the name of Germany, owe it to those people to "celebrate" their honour, sacrifice and decency as much as the allies. I would say the Germans should be involved and there needs to be restatement of reconcilliation and friendship through the tragedies of the past. If they don't feel that way it is a pity and it is time they were made/allowed to feel differently especially in relation to the First World War which is the case in point at present. That may be your opinion, but I agree with your German friend. It is going to take at least another generation or more. There are too many people, too close to the wars who are still alive. Hazel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 17 January , 2014 Share Posted 17 January , 2014 Most of the Germans who fought in either world war were brave and honourable people, who (though they are nearly all dead now) deserve as much respect as the other side. When you see pictures for example from Erine's site you are looking at a mirror image of British troops almost, that is young men caught up in events over which they have no control but acting honourably as they saw it. When it comes to "you started it" even, the Germans are blamed yet to be honest the first blame is with the Serbians, then the Austrians for overplaying their hand and then the Russians and the Germans and the British (for early mixed messages) and everyone for getting tied up in alliances without thinking it through. And if you like World War Two follows on from that. So who really is to blame? Yes, Gavrillo Princip, Dragutin Dimitrijevic, Conrad von Hohzendorf, Bethman Holweg, The Tsar, The Kaiser, von Schliefen, von Moltke, Bismarck even. Then if you read Grey's speech, it is one of the most brilliant speeches ever made before parliament and yet, would he have made it had he known how bad the war would be? I suspect if he could really have known the future he would have decided the cost was too great for the benefits of being seen to forestall Germany. The Germans in so far as they are the current representatives of those who fought and died in the name of Germany, owe it to those people to "celebrate" their honour, sacrifice and decency as much as the allies. I would say the Germans should be involved and there needs to be restatement of reconcilliation and friendship through the tragedies of the past. If they don't feel that way it is a pity and it is time they were made/allowed to feel differently especially in relation to the First World War which is the case in point at present. I wish there was a "like" button here washingline. I would "like" your post straight away. Good straight talking, makes lots of sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 1 February , 2014 Share Posted 1 February , 2014 A great new find last week - one of our townspeople brought in the transcription of his father's diary, which he started when the Great War broke out. His father, Private Baader, was just 16 at the time. The diary was written in old German script and then transcribed by his son, so I have no photos of the original diary. From 1917, Private Baader was stationed on the western front. Using the diary entries between 1914 and 1918, I was able to create a new post (with a photo) on our personal stories page and am gradually translating and writing a few of the entries specifically on our "Diaries" page at www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi1912 Posted 14 February , 2014 Share Posted 14 February , 2014 Erine, I think what you are doing is wonderful and your site is very interesting. Keep up the good work and I hope your site inspires others to do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 15 February , 2014 Share Posted 15 February , 2014 Thanks very much Yoshi. I've written a new post on the main page of the site this morning which includes several new photos - all of which I found very interesting. I also posted several new photos on the "Memorabilia" page, including the original boots of the soldier in question (still bearing the mud of the trenches on the soles), a hand grenade and bits of the shrapnel removed from his leg. Today I did another interview with a lady who had lost two uncles in the Great War, and who had literally boxes of photos. An article on my site has also appeared in our regional newspaper and I did a radio interview last week. As a result several people have called up with stories and stuff. So interest is growing slowly over here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anneca Posted 15 February , 2014 Share Posted 15 February , 2014 Erine, I think what you are doing is wonderful and your site is very interesting. Keep up the good work and I hope your site inspires others to do the same. oooops! Did you really mean to post Erine's profile here? I certainly agree with you that Erine is doing is a wonderful job and look forward to more developments. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi1912 Posted 15 February , 2014 Share Posted 15 February , 2014 Erine, I got a link to the story about Rudolf Kessler on your site via my facebook page and World War One Historial Association. So word is spreading. It is a very touching article and how lucky he was to survive. It is lovely that his family has kept his things. I have nothing from my relatives who fought in the war apart from some surviving enlistment and discharge papers and a newpaper photo. Anneca, no it wasn't intentional I think I cut and pasted the name and that must have made a link to the profile. However you can click on any name and look at someone's profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 17 February , 2014 Share Posted 17 February , 2014 We had some very interesting papers brought to us for the site by the soldier in question's granddaughter. There are typewritten references and a handwritten recommendation for promotion. I put the first few up in a new post, but further down on the first page there are more, with a handwritten certificate of promotion and a typed certificate from the Prussian army awarding him a medal (together with a photo of the medal). I found these very interesting and think they are probably quite rare. In the meantime, the lady has given them to a museum, which accepted them with delight. http://www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de/ It is a wondeful site Erine, thank you for bringing it to my attention... I have this photograph in my archive.. I have no idea who the two men are.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 17 February , 2014 Share Posted 17 February , 2014 Thought you might like this one also Erine... A picture of a post card released by the Historial de Peronne, Museum of WW1, shows a drawing of a German soldier leaving his family to go fight during the First World War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 18 February , 2014 Share Posted 18 February , 2014 Thanks Yoshi and Ghazala, also for the very interesting images. The second one of the soldier saying goodbye to his family looks how it probably typically was. I had another great find of a large collection last weekend, when a lady who lost both great-uncles called me. Not only is there a box of medals, documents, photos and an identification tag (my first one!) but she also has photos and the memorial cards of several other soldiers from the village who died. Will be posting one of her stories this coming weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 19 February , 2014 Share Posted 19 February , 2014 Thanks Yoshi and Ghazala, also for the very interesting images. The second one of the soldier saying goodbye to his family looks how it probably typically was. I had another great find of a large collection last weekend, when a lady who lost both great-uncles called me. Not only is there a box of medals, documents, photos and an identification tag (my first one!) but she also has photos and the memorial cards of several other soldiers from the village who died. Will be posting one of her stories this coming weekend. Wonderful. Look foward to reading her story. Eddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshi1912 Posted 19 February , 2014 Share Posted 19 February , 2014 I look forward to reading it Erine .How wonderful to have these things in the family after all these years. It sounds like she has some very interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 23 February , 2014 Share Posted 23 February , 2014 An interesting Tale of Two Uncles on our site with new photos of medals and an identification tag. If anyone knows any more about the medals than I have written, it would be great to hear. http://www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARMAGH Posted 23 February , 2014 Share Posted 23 February , 2014 Very interesting Erine thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 23 February , 2014 Share Posted 23 February , 2014 I'm waiting for two German men each married to a British woman to come for lunch. I don't think I shall bring up the subject of the war. One of the men escaped with his family from East Germany just as the wall went up. Last week I was at a presentation of Sleepwalkers. At the end a German friend said he thought it was all rubbish as a theory. Of course, there had been a German plan to start a war. How would they have been able to organise what happened in such a short time? Mind you, younger Germans just want to forget both wars. Not that they have any grudge against the rest of Europe; they are utterly embarrassed on behalf of their parents (grandparents) and simply cannot believe that they could have been so stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 1 March , 2014 Share Posted 1 March , 2014 I have put up some new photos on our site under "Memorabilia" http://www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de of some chalk carvings from the Somme area done between 1914 and 1916. One of our townspeople brought in the carvings that were done by his father while he was serving on the western front. They are carved from the chalk of the area. The third carving is of the Loretto-Hohe memorial and I was able to find some information on that. His carving is a copy of the monument. However, I have not been able to find the memorial on which his second carving is based. It is inscribed "La Boisselle" and while I've been able to find information about the fighting at La Boisselle in 1915, I have not been able to find the original monument that he has copied. Likewise I can't find a memorial that might have been the basis for his first carving. Maybe it was his original design, if so I think it was very good. If anyone can provide any help on these first two please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Bennitt Posted 3 March , 2014 Share Posted 3 March , 2014 BBC feature on Germany and commemorating the war here: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26368633 cheers Martin B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted 8 March , 2014 Share Posted 8 March , 2014 Thanks Erine, I have really enjoyed looking at your site and thinking about the German perspective. which seems just like our own! Lovely job! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 8 March , 2014 Share Posted 8 March , 2014 Erine, You are doing a good job there! For a long time I have known and been close to a family originally from Konigsburg that lost most of its male members in the west and the east in WWI and then another lot in the same regions in WWII, so that none are left except the daughter of one who died in WWII, and so I have an understanding of what it means to be German today. But let's not dwell on that - I am pleased that something is being done in Germany, quite unlike Turkey, where everything is being ignored, except for the Gallipoli/Cannakkale episode... Keep up the good work! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 8 March , 2014 Share Posted 8 March , 2014 Thanks Linda and Trajan! In addition to the appreciation of the descendants who provide a large part of the material for the site, such comments from people like yourselves are also a great encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erine Posted 16 March , 2014 Share Posted 16 March , 2014 New posts and a particularly interesting new letter on our "Letters from the Battlefields" page on our German site at http://www.ettlingenww1.blogspot.de Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARMAGH Posted 25 March , 2014 Share Posted 25 March , 2014 Very interesting Erine Please keep on posting Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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