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Remembered Today:

German Postcard of Hospital


Tomb1302

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Hello all,

 

Just bought this off eBay, as, I thought it looked very interesting! Could anyone help let me know what it says on the front?

 

I haven't received the item yet, and thus, can't show the back of the postcard, but, it would appear it displays a list of names on the back, which would be a fantastic indicator in letting me discover and research the men listed.

 

All I can ask currently is if someone can translate, and maybe, just maybe, give me some more information into who is displayed, and where this was taken?

 

Thanks!

Screen Shot 2019-07-26 at 9.23.33 AM.png

Screen Shot 2019-07-26 at 9.23.22 AM.png

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* * * * *

 

Supposing that last word is 'Waldeck', it would match a town in Central Germany.

 

What do we think?

 

 

Screen Shot 2019-07-26 at 9.32.02 AM.png

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Second word is lazarett which is a Military Hospital. 3rd word is Haus(House). 

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1 minute ago, Jools mckenna said:

Second word is lazarett which is a Military Hospital. 3rd word is Haus(House). 

Great spot, thanks!

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23 minutes ago, Tomb1302 said:

 

Screen Shot 2019-07-26 at 9.23.33 AM.png

 

 

s-l1600 (3).jpg

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Thank you for the much better resolution image @Jools mckenna.

 

 

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I think the bottom line, which gives the location, is "Bad Pyrmont in Waldeck." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pyrmont

 

For the top line, it's (something) Lazarett Haus Bismarck with Haus Bismarck likely being the name of a facility of some sort that was being used as a military hospital.

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1 minute ago, Michael Lowrey said:

I think the bottom line, which gives the location, is "Bad Pyrmont in Waldeck." See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pyrmont

 

For the top line, it's (something) Lazarett Haus Bismarck with Haus Bismarck likely being the name of a facility of some sort that was being used as a military hospital.

Michael,

 

Fantastic deduction, thanks for your help!

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And I would have to guess the first word in the top line is "Vereins." "Vereins-Lazaretts" were military hospitals operated by private organization such as the Red Cross.

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2 minutes ago, Michael Lowrey said:

And I would have to guess the first word in the top line is "Vereins." "Vereins-Lazaretts" were military hospitals operated by private organization such as the Red Cross.

Michael,

 

Again, thank you. Something I did not know, and have duly noted!

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Exactly, Verein short for Verein vom Roten Kreuz.  Bad Pyrmont has a Bismark Turm (tower) and a Bismark Strasse (street) and a Hotel Bismark - big on Bismark there!

 

Max

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Just now, MaxD said:

Exactly, Verein short for Verein vom Roten Kreuz.  Bad Pyrmont has a Bismark Turm (tower) and a Bismark Strasse (street) and a Hotel Bismark - big on Bismark there!

 

Max

Thanks for the insight Max!

 

Provided there are actually names on the back, it's safe to assume they could be tracked to this location given the information?

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24 minutes ago, Tomb1302 said:

Thanks for the insight Max!

 

Provided there are actually names on the back, it's safe to assume they could be tracked to this location given the information?

 

Probably not. Remember that most German army personnel records were destroyed in 1945.

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Vereins Lazarett, Haus Bismark, Bad Pyrmont in Waldeck - Bad Pyrmont in the principality of Waldeck & Pyrmont rather than the town of Waldeck.

 

Charlie

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From Edward T Devine, Preliminary Economic Studies of the War No. 12: Disabled Soldiers and Sailors Pensions and Training, New York: Oxford University Press, 1919, pages 295-296:


 

Quote

 

Physical care of wounded soldiers until they are discharged from the army, including functional reeducation, is organized under the medical department of the army, by army corps. It is not centralized for the empire, but the chief medical officer of each of the thirty-two army corps is supreme within his district. Local variations to suit local conditions are thus insured.


In addition to the regular military hospitals (Reserv-lazarett, Festungs-lazarett, or Garnison-lazarett), there are affiliated institutions (Vereins-lazarett) which are private or local hospitals wholly or in part at the disposal of the War Department, including specialized orthopedic institutions and homes for cripples, hospitals of the sick benefit societies and accident insurance associations, hospitals conducted by the Red Cross, by municipalities, by private charity, or attached to almshouses.

 

Vereins-lazaretts remain under their old management, but a military officer is put in to take charge of the discipline of the soldiers, and a per diem allowance of 3.50 marks per patient is paid by the War Department. The relative proportion of these accommodations in affiliated institutions to the total varies in the different sections; in some they are an important part of the system, in others they are relatively unimportant. Additional institutions which are needed are created by the cooperation of the army authorities with civil organizations.

 

 

Edited by Michael Lowrey
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3 minutes ago, Michael Lowrey said:

From Edward T Devine, Preliminary Economic Studies of the War No. 12: Disabled Soldiers and Sailors Pensions and Training, New York: Oxford University Press, 1919, pages 295-296:


 

 

Michael,

 

You have been absolutely indispensable.

 

To confirm, you are explaining that 'Vereins-lazaretts' were private institutions that were *minorly* converted to help house military wounded?

 

Thank you.

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11 hours ago, charlie2 said:

Vereins Lazarett, Haus Bismark, Bad Pyrmont in Waldeck - Bad Pyrmont in the principality of Waldeck & Pyrmont rather than the town of Waldeck.

 

Charlie

Great insight Charlie, thank you!

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8 minutes ago, Tomb1302 said:

Michael,

 

You have been absolutely indispensable.

 

To confirm, you are explaining that 'Vereins-lazaretts' were private institutions that were *minorly* converted to help house military wounded?

 

Thank you.

 

I'd put it this way: the Germans contracted out for medical care and rehabilitation services for wounded soldiers and sailors with a variety of existing health care providers. There was no one national model for doing this. In the case we're looking at, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some sort of Vereins-lazarett(s) would exist in Bad Pyrmont. Bad Pyrmont is a spa town (that's what the Bad in its name means) and the Germans do like their spa resort towns.

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Hi,

during WW1 there was no national Red Cross in Germany yet, only those Red Cross societies of the States that formed Germany. The national Red Cross was only founded after WW1. That´s why there sometimes were different ways to handle the same problems. On state level the Red Cross was organized in local and regional Vereine (societies). Hence the name "Vereins-Lazarett" Not to be misunderstood: the Red Cross was not the only one organisation to run Vereins-Lazarette, but the biggest. Johanniter (St. John´s), Jewish organisations, patriotic societies, even rich individuals ran such "Vereins-Lazarette. Contrary to Michael (no offence) I don´t find it particularly surprising, that Bad Pyrmont had a Vereins-Lazarett. Vereins-Lazarette were an expression of patriotism and available funds. Both were to be had in Bad Pyrmont. It might have been not very big, but as a spa of a sovereign principality there was a certain affluence and the money went (among other things) into the Vereins-Lazarett.

GreyC

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13 hours ago, Michael Lowrey said:

 

I'd put it this way: the Germans contracted out for medical care and rehabilitation services for wounded soldiers and sailors with a variety of existing health care providers. There was no one national model for doing this. In the case we're looking at, it shouldn't come as a surprise that some sort of Vereins-lazarett(s) would exist in Bad Pyrmont. Bad Pyrmont is a spa town (that's what the Bad in its name means) and the Germans do like their spa resort towns.

Great assessment Michael, thank you.

 

12 hours ago, GreyC said:

Hi,

during WW1 there was no national Red Cross in Germany yet, only those Red Cross societies of the States that formed Germany. The national Red Cross was only founded after WW1. That´s why there sometimes were different ways to handle the same problems. On state level the Red Cross was organized in local and regional Vereine (societies). Hence the name "Vereins-Lazarett" Not to be misunderstood: the Red Cross was not the only one organisation to run Vereins-Lazarette, but the biggest. Johanniter (St. John´s), Jewish organisations, patriotic societies, even rich individuals ran such "Vereins-Lazarette. Contrary to Michael (no offence) I don´t find it particularly surprising, that Bad Pyrmont had a Vereins-Lazarett. Vereins-Lazarette were an expression of patriotism and available funds. Both were to be had in Bad Pyrmont. It might have been not very big, but as a spa of a sovereign principality there was a certain affluence and the money went (among other things) into the Vereins-Lazarett.

GreyC

GreyC,

 

This is news to me. Thank you for teaching me of this. Makes a lot more sense of postcard now.

 

10 hours ago, fritz said:

This may help ...

Haus Bismarck.jpg

Fantastic visual representation fritz! Thank you!

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You may have noticed (top left) that the sender (absender shortened to abs in German) was Gefr (gefreiter - Lance Corporal) Rud (Rudolf?) Wolf  z zt (zur Zeit - at the moment) at the Lazarett.

 

Fritz - As the card is a generic one of the church and Kirchstrasse the building on the left may or may not be the Lazarett - do you know whether it was in Kirchstrasse??

 

Max

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Hello Max,

yes you are right. I shall try to prove it. Not easy.

Fritz

 

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4 hours ago, MaxD said:

Fritz - As the card is a generic one of the church and Kirchstrasse the building on the left may or may not be the Lazarett - do you know whether it was in Kirchstrasse??

Excuse my terrible understanding of German terms, but here, are you wondering if fritz's card depicts the actual location my postcard references?

 

Thank you.

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Yes.  The post card is simply one of the town church (Stadtkirche) and Church Street (Kirchstrasse).

 

The chap has added his name and address (in the Lazarett) so, although I appreciate it matters not one iota in the great scheme of things, I wondered if any of the buildings depicted were  the Lazarett.

 

Max  .

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