What a Surprise find in the back of this Book on Ruhleben

[SusanN]

This is the book I was reading when to my delight I found three surprise mementoes , carefully preserved at the end of the book…..

[SusanN]

The first one is from November 1917, my grandfather Julius Dahm had been interned for nearly three years ,as a British Civilian prisoner in Ruhleben Camp near Berlin, and he had made friends with Charles M Horsfall a renowned artist , who had a painting of Kitchener in the National Gallery. Horsfall did many drawings of his fellow prisoners, my grandfather had a lasting friendship with him after the war, when they returned to England. 

This treasured memento seems to describe my grandfather as a “ crumb vulture “, and as every morsel of food in the camp was so precious, I can understand why. In later years my grandfather would say to his three grandchildren, “ eat what you don’t like first…”

[SusanN]

The second one I may need help with, it seems to be a menu…

[SusanN]

The third one is from 8 May 1916 and is an invitation to my grandfather J Dahm for the french dramatic society of Ruhleben for one of their productions, it must have been worthwhile for my grandfather to have kept it.

[knittinganddeath]

The second picture (the menu) looks like it contains many Maori words.

Poporo = "native shrubs to 3 m tall with dark, soft, lance-shaped or lobed, alternating leaves. Flowers are white to blue-purple and the fruit yellow to orange. Most common along the edges of forest and in scrub. The fruit is poisonous until fully ripe."

Korero = "to tell, say, speak, read, talk, address; speech, narrative, story, news, account, discussion, conversation, discourse, statement, information."

Pakura = "a deep blue-coloured bird with a black head and upperparts, a white undertail and a scarlet bill that inhabits wetlands, estuaries and damp pasture areas."

Kumara = sweet potato.

Hinemoa was the "daughter of Umukaria and Hinemaru of Rotorua. She married Tūtānekai against the wishes of her people by swimming to Mokoia Island, guided by the music of Tūtānekai's flute."

All definitions from https://maoridictionary.co.nz/

[SusanN]

Thank you for the interesting Menu interpretation, the Maori theme may have had something to do with the Maori Play which my grandad appeared in at Ruhleben, it had mixed reviews apparently.

Here is a photograph from his album of the players..