A new year for Kurt with a few trips back home to Weischlitz, he describes how the town is hit several times, the bad weather, a drama in the village, a reburial of a soldier , and last but not least matters of the heart, he is fallen in love and eventually he has to leave the small town he cares about in August 1916 for the Somme
On the 11th of January 1916 his leaves starts, going home until the 25th. He visits several friends, spends time in Plauen on the day of his return his father and his sister Lucie accompany him to the train, by 10.25 pm that evening he arrives in Coln and sleeps all the way into Brussel, this is what he wrote:
26.01.1916
We arrive in Brussels early, at about 6.25 a.m. and drive to Lille .The railway station is staffed by Korsiger and the II Battalion, with whom Lt Edelmann and I drive to Warneton. Around 11.30 we are back in Warneton. Around noon we report to the regiment at Bas Warneton. In the afternoon I took over the duties of the local command again, which are still in very good order despite some changes. Reymann had been in charge during my leave. In Warneton, several houses were damaged again by artillery fire during my absence. Two 12cm shells went into my house without causing much damage. One grenade went into the roof and the other went through a window on the first floor, through an empty room, through the floor, through the wall in my bathroom, shattered the stove pipe, some glass and marble panels, flew through the windows, to finally go through the veranda into the garden. In the evening, I spent a short time in the officers’ mess.
17.02.1916
In the morning I am very busy in the village. I have to arrange quarters for 150 men who are to arrive tomorrow evening. Then I am in the Red Villa and see that the church tower of Ploegsteert, which can be seen sticking out above the forest of Ploegsteert, has still not been shot . Then I quickly go to the battalion. At noon I went to Lille with Lt. Herbert Jahn and Lt. Alfred Jahn. There we have lunch at the railway station, we drink coffee in the rue Nationale and go shopping.
20.02.1916
The whole day there is a lively air activity. In the afternoon between 5 and 6 o’clock Warneton was suddenly hit by fourteen 32cm shells. The first shell is a dud and goes into the area of the mill on the Douve creek. The second goes into Lille street no. 37 and slightly wounds a man. The third goes into a house in the side street opposite my house. This grenade smashed several windows in my house. The whole basement is filled with smoke. We now run out of the cellar. I run out along rue d’Ypres and with me many others and Lt. Alfred Jahn. The two of us go into the Hirondell Ferme, from where we observe the further bombardment. A shell went off in the middle of the market square and tore a deep hole. The last grenades went in front of and into the churches , the third last went at the foot of the tower, as did the second last and downed part of the wall. The last shell knocked the church tower nearly completely into the ground at half past six in the evening. Lieutenant Jahn was taking photographs. Only about a third of the tower was still standing after the last shell, and thiat part also collapsed at 6 o’clock. Most of the church was destroyed. I then went back to the village and ordered the clearing work. In the evening I stayed in my house. During the night, German planes flew through the air again.
20.03.1916
I have a lot of work in the morning. I receive 80 new soldiers, whom I have to accommodate here in Warneton. At 1 o’clock in the afternoon I go via Quesnoy to Wambrechies. There the local commanders of the 40 infantry division have a meeting with the division priest to discuss the soldiers’ cemeteries. I’ll be back in the evening at 7 o’clock. I have a lot of work to do.
21.03.1916
I am woken up by Lt. Reymann at about 4 o’clock in the morning. He tells me that 10 soldiers were found half-suffocated in a quarter in the stationstreet at half past 2 this morning. Resuscitation attempts were immediately made on all of them. The staff doctor succeeded in bringing 7 of them back to life. When the ambulance arrives at 6 o’clock, the men are still not fully conscious. This incident is terrible, the men had put something in the stove yesterday before going to bed.
27.05.1916
In the evening I go out to the burnt-down ferme and have ‘vizewachtmeister’ Dabinius dug out. I had already telegraphed to the deputy general command in Königsberg. The body is placed in a zinc coffin, which is then transported back to Warneton. There the coffin is soldered. I am back in Warneton in the evening at about half past 12 o’clock.
This was interesting to read, Kurt is giving details and times in his diary, places I know and have been before, only this location I haven’t found yet. so far I have found some information on Dabinius but you all have to wait until we reach 1917 where Kurt will tell us more about him. Mid May 1916 his is allowed to go home again, where finally he writes he is in love. By the start of August his regiment gets the order to leave the area and move to the Somme. two more extracts of his diary to end the blog today :
22.06.1916
In Plauen I carry a bunch of beautiful roses to the Thorn family for Misses Thorn . Upstairs, only Fraulein Else is at home. I also brought her a few lace gifts from Brugge. I only stayed a short time. I would have liked to talk to Else more and tell her a lot, but I didn’t dare and afraid to say I love her very much.
03.08.1916
My successor, Lt. Kageler of RIR 51, arrives early at 7 a.m. I brief him on local affairs. Around noon he returns to Wambrechies. In the evening the companies of RIR 51 come to relieve us. At about 10 o’clock in the evening, Lt. Kageler takes over the Warneton local affairs. I regret very much having to hand over the Warneton district, which I have set up so well and comfortably, to other hands. I will not be able to sleep this night either.
Sources :
Diary Kurt zehmish held in kenniscentrum IFFM
Library of Scotland ww1 maps
Mc Masters university ww1