This week Sabine’s battlefield guide Saturday:
Rumbeke in 1916 seen through the eyes of father Slosse
23 of January, Lieutenant von Heugel and Müller are leaving taking with them their 2 dogs and the cat, even if the cat did catch mice the animals all left his house very smelly, what he didn’t like at all. The new guests are Lt. Pauli and Berge from the 234.
Here I am pretty sure he refers to RIR 234, they seem to be unpleasant men, leaving on the 30thwithout saying good bye to their host , the new ones not really friendly either, from 239 Lt. Marget, Peterson and von Enden, once again I think he refers to RIR 239.
In February a German soldier gets overrun by a convoy at the “Aapstatie’, ( de aap was and is still a hamlet in Rumbeke) seems the gates were not closed, the poor bloke died in the afternoon and is buried in Roeselare, no name mentioned.
When civilians misbehave and get caught the consequences can be harsh, even the village or town could get punished. This happened on the 4th of Marsh 1916. Rumbeke had to pay 500 marks because the day before some young culprits between the age of 11 and 13 entered some empty soldiers quarters and stole food and cloths . Their punishment was a good spanking by the Ortskommandant M. Hochenheim and they got locked up for a few days in the cellar with hardly any food.
On the 19thof Marsh 1916 Leopold sees Fritz Kühn who had stayed with him the previous year, sad news it is he has to share with our priest. Some of his old quest have died.
Carl Curshmann died about 800 meters from Langemark Chateau and is buried at Pilkem. He was 2Bn. 8thcompany RIR236
Hendrik Küper ( not sure here if Hendrik is correct could be Heinrich) mortally wounded, transported to Keulen where he died.
Johann Masson, half of his face gone, he died an hour later at the feldlazaret 4 at Kerselare on the 19th of December 1915, buried at Poelkapelle. He was a gefreiter in RIR 236 originally from Schweinheim, Cöln.
fashion and the war
the archbishop of Turin deposed a hereditary letter on fashion attire in the present time. in that letter, he complains to the cardinal that women are dressed far too modern to attend divine services. a letter from the cardinal of Genoa ends as follows : in former times in time of war, roman women were mourning. But nowadays these women dress like tightrope walkers, with short skirts, high heels, transparent stockings, their throats and chests cut out, their faces dyed and all kinds of silly hairstyles…
So yes ,our priest is not impressed with the clothing of some women in the village, the above lines were glued in his diary. In August 1916 .The price of butter is now 7 frank for a kilo and Mother superior is able to buy a cow for 1015 franks.
On the 31stof August his excellence Freiherr von Hügel pays the church a visit, he has been living in the chateau in Rumbeke for over a year.
And now it seems Leopold got fined he glued the following paper in his diary :
Pastor Slosse wird bestraft mit hunderd mark weil er heimlich Kupfer wegbringen wollte. Die Summe ist innerhalb 24 Stunden an die Orstskommandatur zu enrichen.
What happened : in November 1915 early evening he went to the church with some copper to clean, only he got caught and the basket was confiscated and he eventually got it back nearly a year later, but had to pay a fine.
Source : Source : oorlogsdagboek van Rumbeke in 1914 – 1918 door L Slosse