Old writing Translation help required!

D

Das158er

Member
Hi All
Can anyone help translate the two postcards posted below.
The first posted 7th August 1914 the day before the 158 regiment left for war.
It shows three soldiers from 9 company.
The second was written by Herman Sandman of Mulheim, I know from the regimental
History that he was a Gefriter from 5th company 158 reg. and was killed sometime after writing
This card in April 1915 and between September 1915 in the Champagne area.
Many thanks
Stu Das158er

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Stu, the first one is written in a neat hand and is relaitvely easy to read, with some exceptions that I'm still working on. I can only commit around 10 minutes to this thread, and will get back to it later.

It's addressed simply "to the students Luec_e Naber, in Steinheim. In memory of the mobilisaton against the arch enemy in August 1914. Am sending you a little picture .... of the defenders of the Fatherland (der Vaterlandsverteidiger).
Please send my regards to all of my students.
_.Woehrmann."

The second one is posted to Muelheim and is in a hand that is difficult for me to read.

H. Sandmann 50. Inf. Division 100 Inf. Brigade Inf. Reg. 150 II Bat. 5. Komp.

Hopefully I'll have a complete translation of both of them for you soon.

Hans
 
I edited the errors in my previous translation of letter #1 above. I can't decipher the entire last sentence, but I think the overall message is clear.

The second one has an odd date. Do you think he had a momentary slip of the mind when he wrote 1914? The date 10. 04. 14 should always read as the 10th of April 1914 in German, and I think it's more likely that this was written in April '15 with an error in the year than the possiblility it was written in October '14.

"Warmest greetings to all of you from the trenches. I'm doing fine. God will make everything well again. Let us hope He will give us a happy peace (?) and allow us to see each other again very soon. Your (plural) good ___ (friend?)
Hermann Sandmann"

The writing is hasty, and it looks like he left out a few letters here and there, making this even harder to read. The smudge doesn't help either.

Hans
 
Yes I agree I think Herman Sandman must have been very tired,
I think knowing that Herman was to lose his life not long after writing this is very sad,
God will make everything well again
Click to expand...
God would have been with him at the end.

Stu
 
I've completed the translation as best as I can in message #2 in the post above.

The contents of both messages couldn't be more different from the other. The first is a message of restrained patriotic pride, duty, and optimism. Translating the second one genuinely filled me with sadness because you can clearly sense the dispair and his longing for the war to end.

Hans
 
Hans
Thankyou so very much for the translation, I have always wondered about Herman Sandman's card, especially knowing his fate.

I think not only the message but the way it is written says it all in so many ways about the sacrifice and tragedy of war.

There is nothing more I can say
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Stu Das158er
 
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