1008 replies to this topic

[Dragon]

Please remind me - which of the two men in your avatar is your grandad?

Gwyn

Edited by Dragon, 04 November 2005 - 01:11 AM.

[egbert]

Ok, lets give my Granddad a real face (the following picture was posted already towards the end of this archived thread which I called later "The ghost from Bois de Nieppe"

I could post a very nice picture of Granddad in his class A uniform , but for this thread I prefer to post a ghostly shocking one in order to show the suffering of ALL soldiers during the course/development of the Great War; keep in mind that Granddad was KIA at age 37

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[susanhemmings]

Egbert,
Thank you for sharing all this with us.  It is very touching.  What  truly, lovely items to have.  I really envy you for having so much of your Grandad.  It is remarkable that they remain in your family which is a tremendous credit to you all.
Thank you again for sharing....
Susan.

[Dragon]

Thanks for the pictures. I was away in Germany when you posted the original thread, so I missed it.

Gwyn

[andigger]

This pipe was last smoked by myself when I was appr.14 years old; before that it is proven last smoked by Granddad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now that is cool!  I am catching up on the thread and this is truly fascinating.  You are so lucky to have this egbert, and I am very, very jealous.

Andy

[2ndCMR]

After the death of Granddad 1918, my Grandmother never married again until she died 1975ish

A story repeated in how many millions of homes?  Of course there was a distinct shortage of eligible males when WWI was over, many eligible young women never found mates, to say nothing of the war widows.  It has been suggested that this played a role in the loosening of social mores in the 1920s and after: women had to compete for the attention of the remaining males.

In "To War in a Stringbag" there is a revealing paragraph where the author speaks of his maiden aunts (this would be in the 1930s), who if I remember rightly, had all been engaged at least once to officers who were killed.  Children and similar subjects were not mentioned in their presence!

[NIGEL]

A story repeated in how many millions of homes?  Of course there was a distinct shortage of eligible males when WWI was over, many eligible young women never found mates, to say nothing of the war widows.  It has been suggested that this played a role in the loosening of social mores in the 1920s and after: women had to compete for the attention of the remaining males.

In "To War in a Stringbag" there is a revealing paragraph where the author speaks of his maiden aunts (this would be in the 1930s), who if I remember rightly, had all been engaged at least once to officers who were killed.  Children and similar subjects were not mentioned in their presence!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Strange that cause all my relatives seem to have remarried after the war and to people their own age.

[NIGEL]

Egbert the map of the Piggery----do you know when that was taken? I note the concentration of shell impacts seem to be more concentrated to the right of the road--was there a German fortification or emplacment there?

[Neil Mackenzie]

Egbert.

Many thanks for sharing these items with us and the impact that the stresses of war had on your grandfather are clear from the pictures. Do you know the British equivalent of your grandfather's rank?

Many thanks.

Neil

[the gunners dream]

Egbert,

It was worth the wait to see what was in the trunk.

All the more poignant when it is November and time to remember all who were killed in WWI and all wars since.

Steve

[egbert]

Egbert the map of the Piggery----do you know when that was taken?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

= 21 April 1918, courtesy of Laurent

Egbert.

Do you know the British equivalent of your grandfather's rank?
Neil

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

=Offizierstellvertreter, maybe somebody knows the equivalent;


Thanks for your replies!!!
Stand by for more

[roger]

=Offizierstellvertreter, maybe somebody knows the equivalent;

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Introduced 15.11.1877 for NCO's promoted to Company and platoon Commander in Landwehr, Landsturm and Ersatz Battalions in wartime."

From The German Army in World War One (1) Nigel Thomas

[spike10764]

Egbert,
Can I add my thanks for sharing the pictures of these beautiful object s from your family's history with us. The watch and pipe are amazing- to think, they've sat in the chest all these years.
The feeling you have for these family treasures comes across in your posting and I feel slightly ashamed of my post now.I hope you haven't taken it the wrong way, it was light hearted
. Please keep showing us what you feel you can ..... it's fascinating.

[egbert]

Thank you ALL for commenting -that in fact keeps the motor running!

I hate to bother you again, and if you don't like it just put this thread on the ignore list:
There is a chest in the trunk, no kidding, no key!
Grandmother wrote on a piece of paper attached to the chest "Andenken eines Toten"
Now what? (Even the messenger dog has no clue and looks worried as always)



Do you even see the dust on the top? Is it from 1918??

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Edited by egbert, 04 November 2005 - 07:37 PM.

[squirrel]

Have you the telephone number of a local locksmith?

Thanks again for sharing this with us.

[yellow]

The field glasses are a pair of Fernglas 08 with Emil Busch optics.

Yours have 98 percent of the original paint missing. They should be painted in a dark enamel green.

Steve.

[sandyford]

Egbert
I knew it.
A chest inside the trunk. Have you not got a relative who is a locksmith or a lock man in a burglary 'firm'.

The things you have shown us are so evocative.

I expect there will be a box inside the chest.  

Kate

[egbert]

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[susanhemmings]

Egbert,  this is truly fascinating stuff.  thank you so much for sharing

susan.

[bob lembke]

"Introduced 15.11.1877 for NCO's promoted to Company and platoon Commander in Landwehr, Landsturm and Ersatz Battalions in wartime."

From The German Army in World War One (1) Nigel Thomas

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The literal translation would be "Acting Officer". The alternative literal translation, "Deputy Officer", would not be, to my thinking, correct. There were an assortment of curious hybrid NCO/officer ranks. The Grman Army did not want to dilute the training and qualifications of their officer corps, so better to turn the command of a company or platoon to a NCO or NCO/officer than commission ill-trained lieutenants. (I have previously posted how German command doctrine could frequently lead to a captain commanding a regiment in combat, and how, theoretically, the limit might be a first lieutenant commanding two, three, or four regiments for a given tactical situation.) So they did not want what they would think were unqualified officers.

It also might be related to officer class classism. They also clearly were looking forward to the post-war situation, when, even if victorious, they would have to cut back the numbers of units and officers severely.

In WW I this rank had spread far beyond the Landwehr, Landsturm, and Ersatz formations; I think to most if not all formations.

Bob Lembke

[roger]

Thanks for expanding on that Bob.

Roger.

[Ozzie]

This is great Egbert. You have kept it all together.
Cheers
Kim

[egbert]

...a deep look

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[egbert]

a map

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[egbert]

map unfolded

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