Diary of Annie's War Read Online Free Page A

of work in the garden gathering (and eating) fruit. For three or four weeks Arthur and ‘Uncle George’, as we all called Herr Steffen, were very busy. Once in this time Arthur and Emily and again, Arthur and Herr Steffen and I, went into Hildesheim but it took us four and a half hours to get home. We were not anxious to go often. Theresa Steffen was with us for two weeks and then she returned to her grandmother in Hildesheim to await Herr Steffen going home.
    About the middle of September we found there would be no going home this side of Christmas. It was decided to send the children to school. Many had remarked over their not going to school in the village and a child is not allowed to reside in a place more than six weeks without schooling. We wrote to Mrs. Graeinghoff and asked her to find a school for the children. Arthur and I thought of a boarding school but it was not possible. After a lot of trouble on the part of Mrs. Graeinghoff it was decided to send them to a private school and let Emily stay with them in a pension. It was very good of Emily to offer to do so. She could have gone to stay with her cousins in Elberfeldt – but she thought of the children.
Wednesday 23 rd September.
    We heard of the three English boats being sunk, the Aboukir , Hogue and Cressy . It was reported here that though it only happened at seven o’clock most of the men saved had only their night clothes on, and were asleep at the time. We said it was strange for men to be asleep at seven o’clock during war time.
Sunday 27 th September.
    We heard that a German flyer had thrown a bomb at the Eiffel Tower. We also heard of all the German victories in Belgium.
    We got a letter from Johanna Pulmann (a cousin of Arthur) asking us if we had any news of England. She was very upset over her married daughter in London. She also wrote us that cousin Franceska, who we had visited in Brussels last November, has had to flee from her home. They had received no news of Franceska or her daughter-in-law for two weeks and then heard they had arrived in Holland.
    Both their homes had been destroyed. Cousin Franceska’s three sons were in the war for Germany and had been called up a week before the entry of Brussels. I suppose this fact had annoyed the Belgians. We were very thankful to find they were safe for we had often thought of them.
    During the month of October we lived very quietly at Woltershausen. ‘Uncle George’ and Arthur were very busy with the garden and fruit. I had enough to do with the cook being away.
    We heard of many German victories also of the English ship ‘ The Hawk ‘ sinking a German boat.
Tuesday 29 th September.
    Arthur and I went with the children to Hildesheim on a very early train, a quarter to six, and we had coffee in Hildesheim. We walked round and did some shopping for the children and paid a visit to Frau v.d. Busch. After dinner we saw the children and Emily on a train for Elberfeldt where they were to stay the night and then they were to go on to Königswinter. We saw a lot of soldiers going off to France and many fine horses. The men were very lively and sang their songs all the time they were in the station. We caught a train half an hour after them but it took us almost four hours to get home.
    While Emily was with us she had written to a friend in Holland and had sent a letter to her sister. We were able to hear that all our people were well. Also that James was safe at home. We received in September a notice from the American Consul asking of the children and James. We replied that the children were safe and that James had returned home.
Wednesday 28 th October 1914.
    Uncle George left and we were sorry to part with him. It was quite a business getting him away for he took so much ‘livestock’ with him - a dog, chickens, a duck and a canary.
    The place was very quiet after he had gone. But we were busy with our packing and making ready to go ourselves. We had